Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Changes in the California Caseload

May 8, 2009

Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Changes in the California Caseload is a new report that provides a summary of the caseload growth of individuals with autistic spectrum disorders served by the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS). Changing patterns in age, ethnicity, cognitive level, residence status and geographic location are described over the 20-year span of June 1987-June 2007. During this period, California experienced a twelve-fold increase in individuals with autism being serviced by DDS.

"The biggest population boom is concentrated in young people," the report states. "Over the last 20 years, the median age of people receiving services for autism with DDS has dropped from 19 to 10.75 years old. As of June 2007, more than one-third of all cases involved someone aged 9 or younger and 82 percent were 19 or younger. As the median age of this population decreases, the duration of services increases because state law mandates that services be provided for life for anyone who is eligible. A significant issue for this population is the increasing need for out-of-home residential services as these children reach late adolescence ... by 2018, the number of adults with autism being served by DDS will triple."

The report goes on to note that the representation of people of various ethnicities with autism being served by DDS is comparable to that of the ethnic breakdown of the state's population, and that over the past 20 years, there has been a 40 percent increase in individuals with autism who were not also diagnosed with mental retardation.

Read the report in its entirety at the DDS Web site.