Autism: an emerging public health problem.

Craig J. Newschaffer, PhDa Laura Kresch Curran, BAa Over the past decade, autism has emerged as a major public health concern in the United States. Although known for more than fifty years as one of the most severe childhood neuropsychiatric disorders, it was thought to be quite rare. Now, however, it is recognized that autism includes a much broader spectrum of affected individuals, beyond those with classic features. Recently, there has been much speculation that the underlying risk of the condition, in all its forms, may be increasing with time. Undoubtedly, more and more individuals have been seeking educational, medical, and social services to help confront the formidable challenges of autism. All this comes at a time when, despite a decade-long intensive search for autism genes, there is continued bafflement over the condition’s etiology. In this article, we review the factors responsible for the emergence of autism as a public health problem and briefly discuss the public health response to date and the prospects for the future.