What is the age of identification of autism?

Share this page

Findings from 2022 data

In Minnesota

Age of clinical autism diagnosis: 4 years, 7 months

Of the children identified with autism in MN, 48.6% had an evaluation by 36 months.

In the United States

Age of autism clinical diagnosis: 47 months (3 years, 11 months)

Of the children identified with autism, 50% had an evaluation recorded by age 36 months

Median age at clinical diagnosis

In the 8-year-old group, the median age at which they received a clinical diagnosis of autism was 4 years, 7 months. Of the 8-year-old children with autism, 48.6% had an evaluation for developmental concerns by 36 months of age.

Graphic showing 10 figures of children, each representing 10% of Minnesota 8-year- olds with autism in 2022. The first 4 child figures, and a large proportion of the 5th, are maroon in color. A small part of the 5th child figure, and the remaining 5, are gray in color.
  • Each of the 10 children represents 10% of Minnesota 8-year-olds with autism in 2022.
  • The maroon color indicates that 48.6% of the children were evaluated by the time they had turned 36 months old.
  • The gray color indicates that 51.4% were found to have autism after that age.

Median age of identification in clinics and schools in months by race/ethnicity

Bar chart showing the median ages in number of months when Minnesota 8-year-olds with autism were identified as having autism, overall and across six racial or ethnic groups. The top or gold bars are the median ages when they received clinical diagnosis, and the bottom or maroon bars are the median ages when they were found to be eligible for special education.