Number of disabled children soars by 16% in just 10 years and experts believe autism is to blame

Number of children with p hysical disabilities has dropped but amount of children with mental disabilities has rocketed over past decade



Experts say increased awareness and diagnosis of autism could be to blame



Trend is most noticeable in children under six years of age, whose rate of mental disabilities nearly doubled over the study period



The number of children classed as disabled has leapt 16 per cent in a decade.



And researchers found that while the number of American children with physical disabilities has decreased, the number of mentally disability cases has rocketed.

Experts also found that the greatest increase is among youngsters from higher-income families.



A new study has shown that the number of children with physical disabilities has dropped over the past 10 years. Conversely the amount of children suffering with mental disabilities has rocketed

One of the possible reasons cited for the trend is the rise in the number of cases of autism diagnosed.

The study found that disabilities related to physical health have decreased, while disabilities due to neurodevelopmental and mental health problems have increased greatly.

Lead author Doctor Amy Houtrow, associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation and paediatrics at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine said: 'Nearly six million kids had a disability in 2010 - almost one million more than in 2001.'



Dr. Houtrow said previous studies have indicated that the prevalence of childhood disability is increasing.

She and her colleagues wanted to look more closely at the conditions and sociodemographic factors associated with disabilities.

They analysed data from the National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in 2001-2002 and survey data from 2009-2010.



A total of 102,468 parents of children aged up to 17 participated in the surveys.

Parents were asked whether their child had any limitations in play or activity, received special education services, needed help with personal care, had difficulty walking without equipment, had difficulty with memory or had any other limitation.

Scientists have attributed some of this rise to an increased diagnosis of autism, a condition that makes it difficult for a person to interact with their surroundings

If they answered 'yes' to any of those questions, they were asked whether their child's limitations were due to a vision or hearing problem; asthma or breathing problem; joint, bone or muscle problem; intellectual deficit or mental retardation; emotional or behaviour problems; epilepsy; learning disability; speech problems; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; birth defect; injury or other developmental problem.

Researchers classified conditions into three groups: physical, neurodevelopmental/mental health and other.

Results showed that the prevalence of disability increased 16.3 per cent from 2002 to 2010.

While neurodevelopmental and mental health-related disabilities increased, those due to physical conditions decreased.



The trend was most notable among children under six years of age whose rate of neurodevelopmental disabilities nearly doubled over the study period from 19 cases to 36 cases per 1,000 children.

Dr. Houtrow said: 'The survey did not break out autism, but we suspect that some of the increase in neurodevelopmental disabilities is due to the rising incidence or recognition of autism spectrum disorders.'

The figures also showed that children living in poverty experienced the highest rates of disability at both time periods, but not the highest growth.



Dr Houtrow added: 'We are worried that those living in poverty may be having problems with being diagnosed and getting services.'

She called for more research to pinpoint why the disability rate is increasing.