The prevalence of autism as reported by the federal government has increased substantially in recent years. The latest figures, published in April 2025 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), show that among eight-year-olds at selected study sites, 1 in 31 were identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 2022, up from 1 in 36 in 2020.
What this reported rise in the prevalence of autism means, and what has caused it, are subjects of fierce debate. Contrary to debunked claims that vaccines are linked with autism, what is clear is that “much of autism is genetic,” writes FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC). As the CDC notes: “Scientific studies and reviews continue to show no relationship between vaccines and autism.”
For adolescents diagnosed with autism, the transition to adulthood is replete with challenges beyond the usual ones that all teens face. To help them, their parents, and other caregivers navigate this terrain, Oxford University Press has published the new book “If Your Adolescent Has Autism: An Essential Resource for Parents,” by Emily J. Willingham, Ph.D. (Oxford University Press, 2025), the latest in a series overseen by APPC for parents of teens who have been diagnosed with a variety of mental health conditions, including depression and bipolar disorder.
This concise, authoritative guide to understanding and helping an autistic teenager offers the latest in evidence-based information about the intersection between adolescence and autism, covering the years from middle school to adulthood, including college and employment. The book features the real-life stories of autistic people and their parents, as well as an extensive list of resources to help them through this transition. This accessible guide addresses autism along with co-occurring medical and mental health issues, social connections, puberty and hygiene, and sexuality.
“This book is a wonderful combination of knowledge and suggestions about how to support adolescents with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions,” says Catherine L. Lord, Ph.D., George Tarjan Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Education at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. She describes the book as “relevant for any reader who wants to better understand and support an autistic adolescent anywhere on the spectrum.”
The book is part of a series developed by the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, working under the guidance of series editor Patrick E. Jamieson, Ph.D., director of APPC’s Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute.
“This book fills an important gap between childhood and adulthood by providing a reader-friendly guide for caregivers of adolescent autistic persons by addressing the specific challenges that autism poses,” Jamieson said.
In December, Oxford University Press will publish an updated, third edition of “Treating and Preventing Adolescent Mental Health Disorders,” an extensive overview for clinicians and others of the major mental health disorders that emerge during adolescence. The updated volume, co-edited by Dan Romer, APPC’s research director, includes treatment and prevention approaches in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to greater use of online interventions. The book also features the latest knowledge about problematic internet use, gambling, stigma reduction, and positive youth development.
About the author
Emily J. Willingham is a developmental biologist and journalist who earned a Ph.D. in biology at the University of Texas at Austin, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular developmental genetics. The author of several books, Willingham’s writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Aeon, Undark, and other outlets. She has been a regular contributor to Scientific American.
About the series
If Your Adolescent Has Autism is the latest in a series developed by the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative for parents, caregivers, teachers and others seeking guidance and support in helping adolescents with a range of adolescent mental health conditions. Other books in the series focus on teens with bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, ADHD, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia. Learn more about them and download free PDFs of the older books in the series on the Annenberg Public Policy Center website.
Read an excerpt from “If Your Adolescent Has Autism” on Medium. The book on autism is available in hardcover and paperback, and from online book sellers as an eBook.
If Your Adolescent Has Autism | Oxford University Press | November 2025 | Paperback | $19.99 | ISBN: 9780197513132.
If Your Adolescent Has Autism | Oxford University Press | November 2025 |Hardcover | $99.00 | ISBN: 9780197513149.
