WASHINGTON, April 16, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The estimated rate of autism in the United States rose in 2022, a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Tuesday, a trend the authors attributed to improved diagnosis methods.

The estimated prevalence of autism in children aged eight rose to one in 31 in 2022, according to the new report, compared to one child in 36 in 2020. Twenty years earlier, it was one child in 150.

The study said that autism identification rates were higher among children born in 2018 compared to those born in 2014, "suggesting increased early identification consistent with historical patterns."

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine skeptic, has long linked increasing rates of autism to vaccines -- a link that has been debunked by scientific studies.

"The autism epidemic is running rampant," he said of the latest data. "The risks and costs of this crisis are a thousand times more threatening to our country than Covid-19."

Last week, Kennedy promised a vast study to reveal the cause of the autism "epidemic," with experts alarmed that the effort could rekindle the conspiracy theories about vaccines.

Scientists dispute that there is an "epidemic" related to autism.

The study published on Tuesday highlighted geographical, gender and ethnic disparities in the prevalence of autism in the United States.

Children of African-American, Asian and Latino descent appeared more likely than white children to be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

The disparities "might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices," the study said.

"Research has not demonstrated that living in certain communities puts children at greater risk for developing ASD," the study said, referring to autism spectrum disorder.

The study also pointed to regional variations in pediatrician training and access to facilities capable of diagnosing the disorder.

There is no single known cause for autism, a complex condition related to the development of the brain that can affect how people behave, communicate, learn and interact with others.

There are likely many factors that make children more likely to have autism, including genetic and environmental factors, according to the World Health Organization.

In the last two decades, milder forms of autism and related conditions have been folded into the umbrella term of ASD.