Just the Facts! Special Needs Statistics

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In preparation for a talk I did in 2010, I collected statistics related to the prevalence of children with special needs.  Obviously I did not include many relevant diagnoses.  But I do think these statistics do a good job expanding our idea of children who have special needs.  These numbers speak to the broader impact children’s ministries can have on children (even those we consider “typical”) by enhancing the lesson plan to appeal to all learning styles and providing effective behavior management training for all kidmin volunteers. (Some stats have been updated as of 2012.)

• 7% of children ages 3 – 17 have ADHD.  11% of boys, 4% of girls (1)
• 8% of children ages 3 – 17 have a learning disability.  10% boys, 6% girls (1)
• 10% of children have an anxiety disorder. (2)
• 13% of children ages 13 – 17 have a developmental disability (ranging from mild disabilities such as speech and language impairments to serious developmental disabilities, such as intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, and autism). (3)
• 41% of children with a developmental disability have multiple disabilities (4)
• 17% of Americans will experience a communication disorder at some point in their life, which includes sensing, interpreting and responding (i.e. auditory processing disorder).  (5)
• 1 in 88 children have an autism spectrum disorder.  1/54 boys, 1/252 girls. (6)
• 1.6 % of children will receive an ASD (autism spectrum disorder) diagnosis at some point in their lives.  2.6% boys. (7)
• 37.5% of individuals who receive an ASD diagnosis will go on to lose that diagnosis. (7)
• 41% of people with an autism spectrum disorder have an intellectual disability (which means that 59% do not necessarily have an intellectual disability). (3)
• 19% of Americans are classified as a person with a disability, which equals the population of the states of FL and CA combined.   Both the number and percentage of Americans with a disability has risen in recent years.  (8)

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(1)    www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_234.pdf (page 5)

(2)    www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/children-s-mental-health/children-s-mental-health-statistics

(3)    www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

(4)    archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/163/1/19

(5)    www.nidcd.nih.gov/StaticResources/about/plans/strategic/FY2009-2011NIDCDStrategicPlan.pdf

(6)    http://www.cdc.gov/Features/CountingAutism/ updated April 2012

(7)    www.theautismnews.com/2009/08/11/autism-rate-now-at-one-percent-of-all-us-children/

(8)    www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/income_wealth/cb08-185.html

- Amy Fenton Lee