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Researchers from Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in south London, suggest that twice as many children may be affected by autism and similar disorders than previously thought.
The researchers studied 56,946 children in south London and found that almost 0.4 per cent had "classic" childhood autism and just below 1.2 per cent had autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), including Asperger's and milder forms.
Until the 1990s, the generally accepted figure in Britain was four to five cases of autism per 10,000 - 10 times lower than the rate suggested in the new study.
The researchers extrapolated their findings to suggest one in 100 British children may have some form of autism.
Professor Gillian Baird, who led the research, said: "Prevalence of autism and related ASDs is substantially higher than previously recognised.
"Whether the increase is due to better ascertainment, broadening diagnostic criteria or increased incidence is unclear.
"Services in health, education, and social care will need to recognise the needs of children with some form of ASD, who constitute 1% of the child population”.
Similar increases in autism and related disorders have been reported from around the world, but the reasons remain unclear. In a commentary on the latest finding, Hiroshi Kurita, of the Zenkoku Ryoiku Sodan Centre in Tokyo, said genetic factors were the most important cause of autism, but "no study has ever clarified the rising prevalence of pervasive developmental disorders from this aspect".
Two suspects among possible environmental causes are the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, and thimerosal, a vaccine preservative containing mercury.
But Dr Jurita rejects these explanations. "Among many other compelling lines of evidence, the continuous increase in the incidence of pervasive developmental disorders after cessation of use of MMR vaccine in a northern district of Yokohama, Japan, and of thimerosal-containing vaccine use in Denmark, is a strong and overwhelming refutation," he said.
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