CDC study in Pediatrics: parent-reported autism up 42% in five years, and 120% among preschoolers
Why it matters
This is the federal government’s own survey, published in the flagship pediatrics journal, and it shows autism rising faster than at any point in the CDC’s recent data. Children’s Health Defense asks the question the paper leaves open: what is driving it?
A CDC study published in the October 2026 issue of Pediatrics, “Trends in Parent-Reported Developmental Disabilities: 2019–2024,” looked at 39,217 children aged 3 to 17 in the National Health Interview Survey.
As summarized by Children’s Health Defense’s The Defender, the share of children with any of five developmental disabilities rose from 16.7% in 2019–2020 to 20.5% in 2023–2024. Autism rose from 3.14% to 4.47%, a 42% increase. Among children aged 3 to 5 it more than doubled, from 2.39% to 5.27%, and among girls it rose 58%. ADHD rose 26%.
The Defender argues that the paper’s authors did not seriously ask what is causing the rise, and that explanations such as better screening and awareness are assumed rather than shown. Its sources say changes in the vaccine schedule, including COVID-19 shots, deserve investigation. Mainstream researchers point to broader diagnostic criteria and more screening. The numbers are parent-reported, not clinical diagnoses.
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