Table 1 Trends in the Prevalence of any developmental disability in US Children and Adolescents aged 3 to 17 years, 2018–2021.

From: Prevalence and trends of developmental disabilities among US children and adolescents aged 3 to 17 years, 2018–2021

Characteristic

Prevalence, % (95% CI)b

P for trend

Prevalence, % (95% CI)b

P valuec

2018

2019

2020

2021

2018–2021

No. of participants overalla

6939

7684

4870

6929

–

26,422

–

No. of participants with any developmental disabilitya

1166

1260

877

1225

 

4528

 

Overall prevalence prevalence

16.19 (15.04–17.35)

15.42 (14.45–16.40)

17.91 (16.54–19.28)

17.07 (16.05–18.09)

0.22

16.65 (16.03–17.26)

–

Age, year

 3–5

8.01 (6.07–9.96)

9.61 (7.81–11.41)

10.15 (7.59–12.71)

9.41 (7.35–11.48)

0.45

9.29 (8.28–10.30)

< 0.001

 6–11

16.08 (14.37–17.80)

15.72 (13.99–17.46)

17.80 (15.42–20.19)

16.60 (14.87–18.32)

0.70

16.54 (15.56–17.52)

 12–17

20.33 (18.57–22.10)

17.91 (16.40–19.41)

21.59 (19.35–23.83)

21.12 (19.51–22.74)

0.24

20.24 (19.26–21.22)

Sex

 Male

20.86 (19.08–22.64)

20.12 (18.69–21.56)

22.20 (20.17–24.23)

21.65 (20.05–23.26)

0.87

21.21 (20.30–22.12)

< 0.001

 Female

11.39 (10.07–12.71)

10.54 (9.33–11.76)

13.38 (11.65–15.12)

12.32 (11.12–13.52)

0.06

11.90 (11.21–12.59)

Race/ethnicityd

 Hispanic

14.56 (12.41–16.72)

12.74 (11.04–14.44)

15.17 (12.52–17.81)

14.31 (12.43–16.19)

0.95

14.19 (13.13–15.26)

< 0.001

 Non-Hispanic white

16.95 (15.47–18.43)

17.36 (15.99–18.73)

19.97 (18.07–21.87)

18.94 (17.44–20.44)

0.04

18.31 (17.46–19.16)

 Non-Hispanic black

18.25 (14.61–21.89)

15.79 (12.78–18.01)

19.21 (14.58–23.85)

18.44 (14.97–21.90)

0.94

17.91 (16.02–19.80)

 Othere

13.91 (10.78–17.05)

11.89 (9.32–14.46)

12.09 (8.84–15.34)

13.34 (10.73–15.94)

0.43

12.86 (11.37–14.35)

Highest educational level of family members

 Less than high school

15.82 (12.25–19.39)

15.41 (11.55–19.27)

17.38 (11.97–22.78)

17.13 (12.75–21.50)

0.70

16.33 (13.97–18.69)

0.51

High school

16.43 (13.73–19.13)

17.02 (14.53–19.51)

18.43 (14.61–22.24)

17.79 (15.13–20.45)

0.51

17.42 (15.82–19.01)

 College or higher

16.24 (14.92–17.57)

15.07 (14.00–16.15)

17.87 (16.38–19.37)

16.91 (15.77–18.06)

0.32

16.54 (15.87–17.21)

 Missing

–

19.01 (0.00–51.37)

–

11.78 (0.00–33.69)

 < 0.001

7.05 (0.00–17.28)

Family income to poverty ratiog

 < 1.00

21.79 (18.20–25.37)

20.08 (17.23–22.92)

24.58 (20.10–29.06)

21.12 (18.04–24.21)

0.78

21.82 (20.03–23.60)

< 0.001

 1.00–1.99

18.62 (15.84–21.39)

16.08 (14.01–18.14)

18.26 (15.28–21.24)

18.85 (16.54–21.15)

0.86

17.92 (16.60–19.24)

 2.00–3.99

15.82 (13.56–15.54)

14.43 (12.77–16.10)

15.25 (12.97–17.54)

15.96 (14.20–17.71)

0.69

15.34 (14.36–16.31)

 ≥ 4.00

13.80 (12.06–15.54)

13.21 (11.65–14.77)

16.95 (14.76–19.13)

14.74 (13.09–16.38)

0.12

14.70 (13.73–15.67)

 Missing

13.84 (11.28–16.40)

–

–

–

–

13.84 (11.29–16.40)

Geographic region

 Northeast

17.10 (13.24–20.96)

15.18 (12.44–17.92)

19.80 (16.62–22.98)

17.12 (14.41–19.83)

0.62

17.28 (15.61–18.95)

< 0.001

 Midwest

16.97 (14.71–19.24)

16.00 (13.60–18.39)

19.60 (16.50–22.70)

16.15 (13.99–18.32)

0.96

17.19 (15.82–18.55)

 South

17.76 (15.90–19.63)

16.89 (15.38–18.39)

18.33 (15.98–20.68)

18.82 (17.07–20.57)

0.57

17.95 (16.92–18.98)

 West

12.66 (10.77–14.54)

12.79 (11.17–14.42)

14.67 (12.08–17.25)

14.97 (13.24–16.70)

0.14

13.75 (12.70–14.81)

  1. aThe number of participants overall and with any developmental disability were unweighted.
  2. bPrevalence estimates were weighted.
  3. cP values were estimated for the difference in prevalence by strata.
  4. dRace and ethnicity were self-reported and classified based on the 1997 Office of Management and Budget standards.
  5. eOther races and ethnicities included non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native individual only, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native and any other group, non-Hispanic Asian individual only, and other single and multiple races, or declined to respond, no response, or unknown.
  6. gThe ratio is the total family income divided by the poverty threshold.
Back to article page