How common are ASDs and mental retardation among children who live in Wisconsin?
Are ASDs becoming more prevalent? It is clear more people are being identified with an ASD now than in the past, but public health professionals do not know how common these disorders are in Wisconsin, or whether the increase in the number of children identified with ASDs is due to improved recognition or true increases in the population. The WISADDS will help us learn how many children in Wisconsin have these disorders and will provide a baseline for monitoring trends. What kinds of education and training programs will the project offer to people who work with children who have ASDs and other developmental disabilities? The project will sponsor workshops in early identification of developmental disorders for pediatricians and other pediatric health care providers serving southeastern Wisconsin.The goal is to improve capacity for recognizing early signs of ASDs and for standard diagnostic practices related to ASDs, including childhood autism, Asperger’s syndrome, atypical autism, and p
