Improved diagnostic tools and early intervention crucial for autism’s global health burden

A new global analysis reveals that an estimated 61.8 million people in 2021 were autistic -;equivalent to 1 in every 127 individuals. Conducted as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021, the research identifies autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as one of the top ten causes of non-fatal health burden for youth under 20 years old.