SynthesisFrontiers in psychiatry2023
The global prevalence of autism spectrum disorder: A three-level meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 142 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
142 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Artificial Intelligence Methods in Early Detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A DSM-5 Criterion-Based Systematic Review.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026Pooled it
- The association between autism and psychosis and the tools used to measure it: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.The British journal of clinical psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Enhancing emergency department care for individuals with autism spectrum disorder across the lifespan: a systematic review.Frontiers in health services · 2026Pooled it
- Psychiatric difficulties in females with fragile X syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analyses.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Investigating the clinical efficacy, safety and molecular mechanism of sulforaphane in autism spectrum disorder: an integrated study combining meta-analysis, network pharmacology, and computational biology.BMC pharmacology & toxicology · 2025Pooled it
- Nutritional Status of Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2025Pooled it
- Estimates of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in the Middle East and North Africa region: A systematic review and Meta-Analysis.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Metal Dyshomeostasis as a Driver of Gut Pathology in Autism Spectrum Disorders.Journal of neurochemistry · 2025Pooled it
- The Co-Occurrence of Autism and Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): A Prevalence-Based Meta-Analysis.The International journal of eating disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Autism, youth suicide, and psychedelics: A review of the 21st century evidence.Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA · 2024Pooled it
- Exploring the landscape of adult autism research in psychology: a bibliometric and network analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Pooled it
- Mapping autism's research landscape: trends in autism screening and its alignment with sustainable development goals.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Vitamin D supplementation in the first 2 years and autism spectrum traits at 6-8 years - a randomized clinical trial.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2026Trial
- Safety and efficacy of AST-001 in children with autism spectrum disorder: a 52-week multicenter long-term follow-up study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Trial
- HD-tDCS effects on social impairment in autism spectrum disorder with sensory processing abnormalities: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Changes in incidence of hospital diagnoses of mental disorders among children and adolescents over the past 3 decades.BMJ mental health · 2026Article
- Wireless Electroencephalography in Research on Children With Developmental Disabilities: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- The Psychometric Properties of Autism Mental Status Examination (AMSE) in Turkish Sample.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Mothers' fears and concerns about subsequent pregnancy after raising a child with autism: a qualitative study.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Epidemiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders in French Children Aged 8.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
82 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one the most disabling developmental disorders, imposing an extremely high economic burden. Obtaining as accurate prevalence estimates as possible is crucial to guide governments in planning policies for identification and intervention for individuals with ASD and their relatives. The precision of prevalence estimates can be heightened by summative analyses of the data collected around the world. To that end, we conducted a three-level mixed-effects meta-analysis. A systematic search of the Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases from 2000 up to 13 July 2020 was performed, and reference lists of previous reviews and existing databases of prevalence studies were screened. Overall, 79 studies were included in the analysis of ASD and 59-in the analysis of previously existing relevant diagnoses: 30 for Autistic Disorder (AD), 15 for Asperger Syndrome (AS), and 14 for Atypical Autism (AA) and Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS); these research reports covered the period from 1994 to 2019. Pooled prevalence estimates were 0.72% (95% CI = 0.61-0.85) for ASD, 0.25% (95% CI = 0.18-0.33) for AD, 0.13% (95% CI = 0.07-0.20) for AS, and 0.18% (95% CI = 0.10-0.28) for the combined group of AA and PDD-NOS. Estimates were higher (1) for the studies that used records-review surveillance rather than other designs; (2) in North America compared with other geographical regions; and (3) in high-income compared with lower-income countries. The highest prevalence estimates were registered in the USA. There was an increase in autism prevalence estimates over time. The prevalence was also significantly higher for children aged between 6 and 12 years compared to children under the age of 5 and over the age of 13 years. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42019131525, identifier CRD42019131525.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.