Annual hospitalization stays for autism up 95% since 2020: VHHA study
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- New data from the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) shows that there has been an increase in patients with autism receiving inpatient care in state hospitals.
From 2020 to 2024, this number almost doubled, with children making up the annual majority at 44%. Within this time period, the annual admissions of patients with an autism diagnosis went from 2,730 to 5,326, a 95% increase. This data is based on VHHA's review of the Virginia hospital inpatient database.
Inpatient autism diagnosis for all ages from the VHHA Data Analytics Team. Courtesy of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association
Inpatient autism diagnosis for ages 0-18 from the VHHA Data Analytics Team. Courtesy of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association
This VHHA data also concurs with data from the CDC, showing that the number of children with the prevalence rate of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) went from 1 to 150 in 2000 to 1 in 31 in 2022. This is based off the Autism and Development Disabilities Monitoring Network.
