Autism may be more common worldwide than previously thought, with 2.6 percent of school-age children in South Korea (1 in 38 children) classified as having an autism spectrum disorder, according to researchers from the George Washington University and Yale University.
The study screened approximately 55,000 children between the ages of 7 and 12 in South Korea regardless of whether they had a record of special needs, aiming to uncover cases that may have been overlooked by previous researchers.
Though cultural factors may affect diagnostic practices and prevalence estimates, the researchers emphasise that autism transcends cultural, geographic and ethnic boundaries.
Read more at The George Washington University