Incidence

The incidence of ASD is estimated to be 60 within 10,000 or 6 in a thousand or 3 in five hundred so it can be assumed that every school will have at least one learner with ASD. ASD tends to affect more boys than girls. It has been estimated that there are four boys to every one girl with the condition (Public Health Institute of Scotland, 2001). This gender issue may not be as simple as the figures state because the recent Audit Commission report Special Needs: A Mainstream Issue noted that more boys than girls are identified with special educational needs generally. Specifically in respect of ASD, the condition may be different or ‘lessened’ in girls who tend to be more social than boys. However, this has not been proved.