Three percent of kids have autism or similar: report

A report done by Statistics Netherlands has found that, according to parents and guardians, almost 3 percent of children between the ages of 4 and 12 years suffer from autism or a related disorder, like Aspergers syndrome or PDD-NOS.

This is equivalent to about 43 thousand children. These disorders are more than twice as common in boys as in girls. The proportion increases with age, mostly due to diagnoses being made at an older age.

Only some of the children suffering from autism or a related disorder are ever treated. In 2011, 26 thousand courses of treatment were done on children between the age of 4 and 12 years with one of these disorders. With four times as many boys treated as girls.

In the period 2011/2013 parents reported symptoms of ADHD, or hyperactivity with attention deficit disorder, in 3 percent of children between the ages 4 and 12 years. This is often coupled with autism or a related disorder. 26 percent of children with autism also have symptoms of ADHD, while only 2 percent of children without autism show these symptoms.