New CDC data reveals a notable increase in developmental disabilities among US children, with autism and ADHD showing especially sharp rises, highlighting urgent calls for enhanced support services.
The share of US children living with a developmental disability appears to be climbing, with a new study in Pediatrics finding that parent-reported prevalence rose to 20.45% in 2023-2024 from 16.73% in 2019-2020. That is higher than the CDC’s long-standing estimate that about 1 in 6 children aged 3 to 17, or roughly 17%, have at least one developmental disability. The CDC defines these conditions as impairments in areas such as learning, language, behaviour and physical development that begin during childhood and can affect daily life for years. (cdc.gov)
The study, led by Benjamin Zablotsky of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, used data from a nationally representative household survey and analysed responses from 39,217 children aged 3 to 17. Parents were asked whether a doctor or another health professional had ever told them their child had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, a learning disability or another developmental delay. Across the full study period, the researchers found statistically significant increases in ADHD, autism, learning disability and other developmental delay. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
The most striking rise was in autism, which increased from 3.14% to 4.47% over the period, a jump of 42.4%. The report said the relative increase was especially pronounced among children aged 3 to 5, children in non-metropolitan areas, girls and families with income below 200% of the federal poverty level. ADHD also climbed sharply, reaching 12.00% from 9.52%, with the largest gains seen among girls, children in large metropolitan areas and non-Hispanic White children. The CDC’s own ADHD dashboard, updated in July 2026, now places current ADHD prevalence at 11.7% based on 2024 survey data, underscoring how common the condition has become. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
The authors said the rising prevalence means continued tracking will be important for judging whether services and interventions are keeping pace with need. That warning matters because the study relied on parental reporting rather than clinical record review, which can introduce recall bias, especially for older children diagnosed earlier in life. The analysis also covered only children aged 3 to 17, so it may not capture the full burden of developmental disability across childhood. Even so, the pattern adds to a growing body of CDC evidence that developmental, behavioural and mental health conditions remain widespread and, in some cases, increasingly recognised in US children. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
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