ATLANTA — The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday its research shows many more children have autism than it previously believed.
Channel 2's Diana Davis reports it's the most comprehensive report on autism so far. The report indicated 1.2 million American children and teens have what's called Autism Spectrum Disorder.
"It's at least one in 68 children. So that's 30 percent higher than our numbers we released two years ago," said the CDC's Dr. Coleen Boyle.
From the time Gwinnett County's 7-year-old Bryce Rutledge was a baby, his mom said she knew something was different.
"He was screaming when I would wrap him in soft blankets. He hated it but when his therapist rubbed him with a paper towel he got quiet, he got soothed. So his brain was switched," Aja Rutledge said.
Despite other odd and unusual behavior, Rutledge said doctors and teachers brushed off her concerns.
"He's just misbehaving or, 'Nothing is wrong with him, he's just different' and it's so much deeper than that," Rutledge said.
It took six years to get a diagnosis: Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, was causing his sometimes out-of-control behavior.
Bryce has an above-normal IQ but the youngster but told Davis how living with Asperger's sometimes affects him in school and around other kids.
"Sometimes they make me mad and I get out of control. I run around and I can't sit still," Bryce said.
The CDC said some of the increase in autism numbers may be explained by better diagnosis, but that may not be the entire story.
"But we don't know and we need answers," Boyle said.
Autism disorders are five times more common in boys than girls. White children are more likely to be identified than black or Hispanic kids. Most children with autism disorders are not diagnosed until after age 4, even though they can be diagnosed as early as age 2.
The CDC and parents say early diagnosis is crucial.
"We need to understand how to help the kids and if we're just brushing it off and no one is paying attention, then that's a whole generation that's not getting the help they need to be the people they need to be," Rutledge said.
Doctors said parents need to be aware of normal developmental milestones and of signs that something with their child may not be on track.
The CDC has all those signs parents can watch for are on their website HERE.