미국 어린이 150명 가운데 1명은 발달장애인 자폐증을 앓고 있는 것으로 연방정부 조사결과 드러났습니다.
기존의 연구들에서는 미국 자폐아들이 166명 가운데 1명인 것으로 집계돼 이번 조사는 자폐증이 지금까지 알려진 것 보다 더욱 심각할 수 있음을 시사합니다.
미국 질병통제예방센터 관리들은 이번 조사는 미국의 14개 주에서 수집한 자료들을 바탕으로 실시돼 전체인구를 반영하지는 않는다고 말했습니다.
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A federal survey has found that approximately one in every 150 children in the United States has autism, suggesting the condition may be more common than previously thought.
Previous studies had placed prevalence of autism at one in 166 American children.
The study was released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials at the CDC cautioned that the study is based on data from 14 states, so it is not demographically representative of the United States as a whole.
A CDC official stressed that the difference between this survey and previous ones is significant, making autism "an urgent public health issue."
An autism advocate organization says the new study should prompt the government to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on autism research and services.