Research links rising autism diagnoses to broader spectra and prenatal infection risks

Recent research highlights significant trends and risk factors regarding autism and ADHD diagnoses. A large Danish study published in JAMA Psychiatry, involving approximately 71,300 children diagnosed between 2012 and 2022, found an 86% increase in annual diagnoses over a decade. The study suggests that children receiving these diagnoses are increasingly presenting with measurable characteristics more similar to their undiagnosed peers, potentially reflecting a broader diagnostic spectrum and improved awareness rather than a change in disorder severity.

Separately, a study involving 3.7 million individuals born in Sweden between 1987 and 2021 has linked congenital TORCH infections—such as syphilis, rubella, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus, and herpes—to increased neurodevelopmental risks. Children exposed to these infections during pregnancy face approximately triple the likelihood of an autism diagnosis and over seven times the risk of intellectual disability compared to those without such infections. Researchers note that while these infections represent a small percentage of total autism cases, they are significant from a public health perspective due to their preventable nature.