said the report showed “the glaring
need” for more services. “You’d be
hard-pressed to find someone in New
Jersey who doesn’t know a child, a
loved one, a neighbor or classmate
personally touched by autism,” he says.
The Democrat, a member of a Senate
committee that helps set national
health policy, said Congress must
work to protect funding for services
through Medicaid and a 2014 law he
introduced, the Autism CARES Act, to
expand research, screening and sup-
portive care for people with autism.
New Jersey’s autism rate of 2.9
percent has never been seen before in
population studies, Zahorodny says.
He termed it an “urgent public health
concern,” which demands a huge effort
to improve early detection, identify
environmental risk factors and expand
resources for children — and the adults
they will become.
“This is a wake-up call for all of us,”
says Tom Baffuto, executive director of
the ARC of New Jersey. “Children with
autism become adults with autism,
and as advocates, we must collaborate
with lawmakers to ensure supports
are in place to assist with the unique
challenges they face throughout their
lifetime.”
EARLIER DIAGNOSIS
The average age at which children
are diagnosed — 4½ years old — hasn’t
budged in 15 years, even though early
detection and intervention with proven
teaching techniques can help children
to maximize their potential.
Part of the explanation for New
Jersey’s high rate — nearly twice the
national average — may be the state’s
track record of identifying children
with autism, due to a higher level of
awareness among parents, health pro-
fessionals and educators, experts say.
“We’re proud in New Jersey to have
robust diagnostic and intervention
services, which may be contributing
to the high incidence rates,” says Dr.
Shereef Elnahal, the state health com-
missioner. “More children are getting
evaluated and referred for services than
in areas where diagnostic services are
scarce.”
AUTISM RATES
PER 1,000 CHILDREN IN STATES
MONITORED AROUND THE COUNTRY
PER 1,000 CHILDREN
SOURCE: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, DAVE SHEINGOLD/STAFF GRAPHIC
New Jerse