Survey Results

Survey Items: autism asperger asperger's severity severe pervasive development disorder spectrum condition conditions

Denominator: Children age 2-17 years

Numerator: Do not currently have autism/ASD; currently have autism/ASD rated by parents as mild; currently have autism/ASD rated by parents as moderate; currently have autism/ASD rated by parents as severe

Revisions and Changes: Parent-rated severity of current health conditions is new in 2007. In both surveys 16 conditions were named and parents were asked to respond for each condition whether they have ever been told by a health professional that their child has that condition. The 2007 survey added two follow-up questions that were not asked in 2003. In the 2007 NSCH parents who responded “yes” to the first question were asked if the child currently has that condition. Parents of children who currently have each condition were asked if they would describe it as mild, moderate or severe. Also, an important change was made in the terminology used in reference to autism. In the 2003 NSCH only "Autism" was named, whereas in 2007 the term was expanded to include "Autism, Asperger’s Disorder, pervasive developmental disorder or other autism spectrum disorder". Please take these changes into consideration when comparing across survey years.

Additional Notes: Indicator 2.8a uses parent responses to three questions asked for children between two and 17 years of age: whether parents were ever told by a health care provider that the child has autism, Asperger's disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, or other autism spectrum disorder (K2Q35A); whether the child currently has this condition (K2Q35B); and whether the parent would describe it as mild, moderate, or severe (K2Q35C). The second and third questions were asked only if parents responded "Yes" to the preceding question. Autism/ASD is among the 16 health conditions parents are asked about in the NSCH.
Please note that in the NSCH all information about children's health conditions is based on parent recollection and is not independently verified. Further, a response of "Yes" to having "ever been told" that a child has a specific health condition (e.g., K2Q31A = Yes) DOES NOT indicate whether the child currently has that particular condition and therefore should not be interpreted as current prevalence.

Treatment of Unknown Values: Unknown values (responses coded as 'refused', 'don't know', or system missing) are not included in the denominator when calculating prevalence estimates and weighted population counts displayed in the data query results table. In nearly every case, the proportion of unknown values is less than 1% and the exclusion of these values does not change the prevalence estimates (%) and only marginally affects the weighted population counts (Weighted Est.). Exceptions are noted in the form of a “Data Alert” at the bottom of a results table.

History and Development: The Maternal and Child Health Bureau leads the development of the NSCH survey and indicators, in collaboration with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and a national technical expert panel. The expert panel includes representatives from other federal agencies, state Title V leaders, family organizations, and child health researchers. Previously validated questions and scales are used when available. Respondents’ cognitive understanding of the survey questions is assessed during the pretest phase and revisions made as required. All final data components are verified by NCHS and DRC/CAHMI staff prior to public release.