CDC Records Spike In Kids With Developmental Disabilities
September 26, 2019
By: Michelle Diament
Source: Disability Scoop
The number of American children with developmental disabilities “increased significantly” in recent years, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One in 6 children — or 17.8 percent — had at least one developmental disability in 2017, researchers from the federal agency say in a study published online Thursday in the journal Pediatrics. By comparison, in 2009, that figure was at 16.2 percent.
Investigators from the CDC and the federal Health Resources and Services Administration examined data collected between 2009 and 2017 through the National Health Interview Survey, a routine in-person government poll soliciting information about all types of health matters from individuals across the country. As part of the survey, parents were asked if their children had any one of 10 different developmental disabilities. The data included the experiences of more than 88,000 children ages 3 to 17 across the country.