Autism rates in schoolchildren jumped 15% between 2012 and 2014, continuing a two-decade rise, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which does not detail the reasons for the increase.

In a count of 11 communities across the United States, about one in 59 8-year-olds had autism in 2014, up from one in 68 in 2012. Overall, autism rates have climbed 150% since 2000, when the figure was one in 150 children.

The rise is partly driven by increasing diagnoses among African-American and Hispanic children, who are narrowing the diagnostic gap with their white classmates.

In the 2012 report, white children were diagnosed 50% more often than Hispanic children and 20% more than African-American children. In the latest report, that gap shrunk to 20% among Hispanics and 10% among blacks.

Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by a range of communication and social challenges, as well as repetitive behaviors like rocking, hand-flapping or obsessions.

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