The overview
According to a 2022 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in 31 children aged eight years old have been identified with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD.
That number is nearly double the amount compared to 2012, as one in 69 children aged eight years old were identified with ASD, the CDC study shows.
This increase has led to a rise in local autism centers, including the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, or CARD, with one location in Pearland.
“Certainly, incident rates are going up,” CARD’s Strategic Development Director John Galle said. “The great thing about CARD is we've been around for so long that we've been able to build out infrastructure, both curriculum, refine our training and onboarding processes for new staff coming on so that we can scale up to meet the demand.”
Other businesses in the Pearland-Friendswood area include three Action Behavior Centers locations, two Behavioral Innovations locations and Autism Pediatric Therapy, among others.
Diving in deeper
The rise in ASD among children had also led local school districts to partner with outside services, along with providing in-house support.
Alvin, Friendswood and Pearland ISDs have a shared services agreement with autism therapy service KYO Care Inc. through a shared Therapeutic Education Center, which is housed at FISD, but shared among the three districts.
The center serves students with autism, a low incidence disability or an emotional disability who require extensive self-contained support for behavior and who have progressed through all other in-district options, the center’s website reads.
“As the prevalence of autism continues to rise across the country, our district recognizes how crucial it is to not only meet the growing need but to do so with compassion, innovation and collaboration,” a statement from FISD reads. “These services—both internal and external—are vital in helping us build learning environments where all students are seen, supported, and empowered to succeed."
