HOW COMMON IS AUTISM?
Autism spectrum disorders are some of the most common developmental disorders, with up to 1 in 100 school children affected, compared to:
1 in 500 affected by cerebral palsy
1 in 3,000 affected by cystic fibrosis
1 in 4,000 affected by juvenile diabetes
6,000 children received a diagnosis of autism in England and Wales in 2005, compared to:
1,300 diagnoses of childhood cancer including around 360 of childhood leukaemia.
In total, more than half a million people in the UK have an autism spectrum disorder, with a new diagnoses being made four times an hour every working day.
Boys are four times more likely to develop autism than girls.