“While many of us have heard about autism in media, or we know someone who is diagnosed as being autistic, there is a lack of knowledge about what autism actually is and what causes it and how it is treated. (…) Autistic spectrum disorder is characterized by deficits in social communication and social interaction across various contexts. Challenges with social skills, repetitive behavior, speech and nonverbal communication, unique strengths and differences are characteristics of autism. The term spectrum is used in order to reflect the variation in challenges and strengths possessed by each person diagnosed as being autistic.”

What is autistic spectrum disorder? When can the first symptoms of autism be identified? What causes autism? Is it the genetic material that has the most impact on whether one will be diagnosed with autism or is it the environmental factors such as vaccines and GMOs that play the most prominent role? These are some of the questions the article on 15 cities with the highest autism rates in America provides an answer to. The report published by the U.S. Department of Education shows that there has been an increase of 657 percent in the nationwide rate of autism for the period of 1993 to 2003. Without a doubt, such staggering data opens up a space for a serious discussion followed by an even more serious approach to solving the issue. When discussing the autism rates in the US, New Jersey has had the highest autism rate for the period of twelve years, 2000 to 2012. Researchers still cannot provide a definitive answer as to why the autism rate in New Jersey remains so high. The article uses the data on autism statistics by state and the data on populations in states in order to estimate the number of autistic people living in these states. Definitely worth a read!