Adults with Autism

Did you know that Utah has one of the highest rates of autism in the United States? 1 out of 133 children in Utah are diagnosed with autism. On the flip side, research from the University of Utah's Autism Research Center shows that individuals with autism thrive better in Utah when compared to other states.

Recently, my friends Karen & Don Fairchild were interviewed with their son Matthew, who is an adult with autism. Utah's KUTV news aired the following segment spotlighting Matthew and another adult with autism as well. You can view the video here.

Would you like to comment?

Unknown said...

I had no idea that there was such a high amount of autism in Utah. I wonder why. Do you think it may be the statistic is higher because there are more kids per capita? Curious.

Danyelle Ferguson said...

That could be a reason. I also think that Utah has better statistical information because of their state autism registry. Most other states don't have an autism registry to actually track who's on the spectrum and only have the numbers the school district reports. Individuals who are higher functioning often are not reported through the school district because they may not be receiving special education services.