A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows autism now impacts 1-in-31 children in the United States. 

The study, which concluded in 2022, found the children, from 4- to 8-years-old, had an autism spectrum disorder. 

The agency's previous and most recent study, released in 2020, showed 1-in-36 children had autism, an increase from a 2018 study where it was 1-in-44.

The study authors attributed the increase to improvements in early identification of autism that they "might be due to differences in [the] availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said last week that the agency is conducting a research project that will provide answers by September into what causes the disorder. 

"We've launched a massive testing and research effort that's going to involve hundreds of scientists from around the world," he said. "By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic, and we will be able to eliminate those exposures."

The agency has not declared autism an epidemic.