Autism Spectrum Disorder Incidence by Age and Sex in a US Health Care System, 2016 to 2024
JAMA Network Open 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.24561July 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM EDT
How did age- and sex-specific incidence of newly recorded autism spectrum disorder diagnoses change from 2016 to 2024, including before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, within a large US health care system? This cohort study of first recorded diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder across 171 134 participants—between 2016 and 2024—found an overall increase in case identification since 2020. This increase was associated with first diagnoses among females, with male trends remaining stable over this period. These findings suggest that the reported increases in first autism spectrum disorder diagnoses postpandemic are due to increased recognition of females with autism spectrum disorder rather than a uniform population level increase.
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