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  • News
    • Autism Speaks Canada joins disability groups calling for priority access to COVID vaccine for people with autism
    • Autism Speaks Canada's statement about the Alek Minassian case and its misrepresentation of autism
    • ASC, CASDA, and MacART come together to present the Pandemic Canadian Autism Needs Assessment Survey Report
    • SickKids researchers find new genes and variations linked to autism using Autism Speaks' MSSNG data
    • Toys R Us Canada in partnership with Autism Speaks Canada is proud to launch discounted play packs
    • Olivier, Our Dog Walk Ambassador Is in the News
    • Covid-19, We Are in This Together
    • Advocates and researchers discuss solutions to reduce autism health care disparities
    • Justin Trudeau Announces Endorsement for Development of a National Autism Strategy
    • Join Us in Creating a Brighter Life on the Spectrum
    • Media Advisory: Trudeau Is Only Major Party Leader Not Committed To A National Autism Strategy
    • Large family-based study finds 80 percent of autism risk is from inherited genes
    • Autism Speaks Canada is excited to announce their new partnership with MKM group and Shattered Dreams Esports
    • Autism Speaks awards more than $4.7 million for autism research
    • Autism Speaks Canada is excited to announce their new partnership with bubly sparkling water beverage
    • Six Autism Speaks studies on 2018 list of top advances in autism
    • Senator Munson's Visit to McMaster May 21, 2019
    • Community Connections Inspire Samsung Canada and Autism Speaks Canada
    • Autism Speaks Canada's annual Walk comes to Waterloo this Sunday
    • Autism Speaks Canada's annual Walk comes to Toronto
    • Autism Speaks' MSSNG project reaches 10,000-genome milestone
    • The Canada Council for the Arts Reveals the 2019 Killam Program Winners
    • Light It up Blue With Autism Speaks Canada
    • Response to the Ontario Autism Program (OAP)
    • DNAstack and Autism Speaks® Announce Collaboration to Accelerate Scientific Discovery on One of the World's Largest Autism Genome Databases
    • Autism Speaks launches $1.5 million funding opportunity for treatment studies
    • Whole genome sequencing reveals new type of genetic influence on autism
    • Understanding the 2018 National Autism Spectrum Disorder Surveillance System (NASS) Report
    • Autism Speaks releases new strategic plan for science
    • World's largest autism genome databank adds more than 2,000 sequences
    • Support Rooted in Desire to Improve Lives
    • Samsung Canada, Silken Laumann and Autism Speaks Canada Invite Canadians to Learn the Love Spectrum
    • Your ATN@Work: Treating anxiety in children and teens with autism
    • Your ATN@Work: Recognizing anxiety in children and teens with autism
    • Expanding Service Options for Children and Youth with Autism
    • Tracing autism's trajectories could help explain its diversity
    • Gathering MSSNG Insights on Autism
    • Thomas Frazier to join Autism Speaks as Chief Science Officer
    • Study Aims to Crack Autism Code
    • Ontario Ombudsman has released the report, Nowhere to Turn
    • The Autism World: Choosing In
    • The Government of Canada wants your input as they develop accessibility legislation
    • The University of Windsor is looking for fathers across Canada
    • Autism Speaks MSSNG study expands understanding of autism's complex genetics.
    • Choices Markets to Host Fundraiser to Raise Awareness and Funds for Autism Speaks Canada
    • The Sinneave Family Foundation and Autism Speaks Canada Partner With Organizations Across Canada to Improve Employment Futures for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder
    • Ontario Providing More Supports For Children With Autism
    • Autism Speaks ATN/AIR-P researchers present studies at IMFAR
    • More than 5,000 whole genome sequences now available for research into autism subtypes and personalized treatments
    • Spokesperson for the Minister answers FAQ's regarding Ontario Autism Program

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Understanding the 2018 National Autism Spectrum Disorder Surveillance System (NASS) Report

FAQ's
  • Who contributed to the report
  • Where the information in the NASS report came from
  • What the report says about ASD prevalence in Canada
  • How epidemiological surveillance helps those with autism
  • Tracking autism prevalence over time
  • National variations in the autism prevalence
  • Comparing Canadian ASD prevalence estimates to other countries
Who contributed to the report

Six provinces and one territory contributed data to the NASS report (Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, British Columbia and the Yukon). The Public Health Agency of Canada will continue to work with these provinces to collect data for the NASS and will work with other provinces and territories not currently participating in the NASS to encourage them to participate.

Where the information in the NASS report came from

In Canada, the NASS collects information on 5-17 year olds through education, health and social services data sources. The NASS includes ASD cases with a confirmed diagnosis. Personally identifiable information is removed before data are shared with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

What the report says about ASD prevalence in Canada

The NASS reports an estimated prevalence of ASD among Canadian children and youth ages 5-17 years of 1 in 66. The estimate of 1 in 66 reported refers to children and youth and cannot be used to estimate the total number of Canadians of all ages (toddlers, preschoolers and adults) with a diagnosis of autism.

Currently, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in Canada with ASD, since it is unknown how many younger children (those less than 5) and adults (those older than 17) have ASD.

How epidemiological surveillance helps those with ASD

Having these data helps governments, professionals, health care providers, service providers, educators, community, stakeholders and others help meet the needs of those with the disorder. These data could promote development of programs or human resource and budgetary planning by governments.

Tracking autism prevalence over time

Three provinces (Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec) provided information on the prevalence of autism since 2003 for children ages 5-14. In each of these provinces, prevalence has increased since 2003.

It is unknown how much of the increase in ASD prevalence is due to more awareness of the signs of autism and/or if prevalence is increasing over time. Continued monitoring and reporting will support better understanding of the patterns and rates associated with autism over time.

National variations in the autism prevalence

The national prevalence estimate is an average of the provincial and territorial prevalence and, as such, the actual prevalence in each province and territory may be higher or lower than the national average (this is expected). Provinces and territories use different methods and sources to collect their data and this may influence their estimates. For more specific information on each province or territory, please see the full report or contact them directly.

Comparing Canadian ASD prevalence estimates to other countries

The United States uses a different way to estimate the prevalence of autism. In the U.S. data on 8 year old children with autism are captured in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. In 2012, the most recent year for which data are reported, records from multiple sources were reviewed from 11 different Network sites (Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin). Records were reviewed by a healthcare professional to determine if a child has a diagnosis of ASD and/or behaviours consistent with ASD. Despite the differences in methods between Canada and the U.S., the results from these two tracking systems are quite similar with the prevalence of ASD among 8 year olds being 1 in 63 in Canada (2015) and 1 in 68 in the US (2012).

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