Autism diagnoses on the rise
So much about autism is a mystery to scientists -- no one knows what causes it and there is no cure. But in recent years one aspect of the puzzling neurobiological disorder appears clear: more children are being diagnosed with autism.
New research suggests that previous estimates of the number of children with autism are too low. As many as 1 in 100 children may have autism -- higher than the 1 in 150 estimate widely cited.
The findings come from the journal Pediatrics and an unpublished paper from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Pediatrics study was based on a phone survey of some 78,000 parents of children ages 3 to 17 and asked if they had been told by a health care provider that their child had autism, Asperger disorder or a related disorder. The results showed 1 in 91 children had received such a diagnosis. Parents who answered yes were asked about the severity of the disorder.
For years, researchers have been trying to understand the causes of autism and whether there is a true increase in its prevalence. Some specialists think genetics are its main cause while others see environmental factors. And other experts attribute some of the growth to better diagnosis and a broadening of autism's definition.
Now researchers think the figures might reflect a real rise in cases.
"The concern here is that buried in these numbers is a true increase," said Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health told the Associated Press. "We're going to have to think very hard about what we're going to do for the 1 in 100."
And here's an interesting finding. Many parents believe their children once diagnosed with autism had "lost" the disorder. About 38 percent of the children diagnosed with autism or a related disorder were reported by their parents to no longer have that diagnosis.
It's not really clear why. Autism is actually a wide range of disabilities known as autism spectrum disorders and is marked by impaired communication and social interaction. Researchers said it's difficult to diagnose young children and some may no longer fit the criteria for the disorders as they get old. Others may have different kids of developmental disabilities or mental health problems mistakenly thought to be autism.
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The University of California study proves that autism's numbers cannot be explained away by artificial factors, such as misclassification and criteria changes, according to the results of a large statewide epidemiological study.
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/news/mindepi_study.html
Published in the January 2009 issue of the journal Epidemiology, results from the study also suggest that research should shift from genetics to the host of chemicals and infectious microbes in the environment that are likely at the root of changes in the neurodevelopment of California's children.
The methodology eliminated migration as a potential cause of the increase in the number of autism cases. It also revealed that no more than 56 percent of the estimated 600-to-700 percent increase, that is, less than one-tenth of the increased number of reported autism cases, could be attributed to the inclusion of milder cases of autism. Only 24 percent of the increase could be attributed to earlier age at diagnosis.
"These are fairly small percentages compared to the size of the increase that we've seen in the state," Hertz-Picciotto said.
Hertz-Picciotto said that the study is a clarion call to researchers and policy makers who have focused attention and money on understanding the genetic components of autism. She said that the rise in cases of autism in California cannot be attributed to the state's increasingly diverse population because the disorder affects ethnic groups at fairly similar rates.
"Right now, about 10 to 20 times more research dollars are spent on studies of the genetic causes of autism than on environmental ones. We need to even out the funding," Hertz-Picciotto said.
Also in regards to associating autism to a genetic cause that the identical twin study on autism was Folstein & Rutter (1977). It found a concordance of 36% in identical twins. The number usually cited for concordance of intelligence in identical twins is 80%. This, of course, must depend on the IQ range used to determine concordance. Aggregating various studies, there's about 87% concordance in identical twins reared together, 76% in identical twins reared apart, and 56% in fraternal twins reared together. Autism concordance in identical twins is not 100%, which suggests there is high probability that some kind of environmental influence in autism etiology.
Autism is a serious disability, John Travolta's autistic son recently died from seizures associated with his autism.
Posted by: bensmyson | October 6, 2009 9:13 AM
It's so sad, we are a nation in denial on autism. "Better diagnosis" as a cause for this epidemic is nonsense and political cover. I highly doubt that our family doctors had waiting rooms full of squealing, arm-flapping three year-olds 20 years ago.
Something needs to be done to manage this crisis - all of these kids are going to be severely disabled grown-ups in the coming decades. Early intervention is tremendously effective, that's the only reason why many kids are getting better and losing the diagnosis.
Posted by: Doug C | October 6, 2009 9:57 AM
The figures reflect a rise in autism because there is a real rise. We're so tired of the government and the AAP making excuses for the new numbers. It just makes them look like lousy scientists and doctors because they cannot find the cause. We neveer had the numbers we have today. I taught special ed. There were no kids with autism. You could not miss autism. Kids don't just outgrow autism. Parents do bio-medical treatments and remove toxins to recover them.
Where is our vaccinateed vs unvaccinated study on children? Government and AAP afriad to do one? Study vaccines, vaccines, and more vaccines
Posted by: Maurine meleck | October 6, 2009 10:57 AM
I wonder how or if this will affect the public school system. Students with autism require a very individualized approach in the classroom. Will we see more specialized schools or simply more inclusive approaches in all schools?
Posted by: Carolyn M. | October 6, 2009 11:17 AM
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a God-send for autistic children! My friend Dave took his son to Advanced Hyperbaric Recovery because they have real hyperbaric chambers made of steel—not the inflatable ones. He said the chamber fit them both comfortably and that they got 100% oxygen saturation.
I guess the oxygen that saturates the tissues and bodily fluids can help repair damage, get brain cells working correctly, enhance stem cell growth and help cleanse the body of toxins, which we all know is a major culprit for so many of our children’s problems. My friend Dave’s son is doing so well, every time I see him, something has improved: His speech is less jumbled, his social skills are better; he looks you in the eyes now instead of staring off when he’s talking to you… It’s truly remarkable to see. I suggest contacting these people if you live in the Bay area or are in a position to go there for a few weeks to do their treatment. Their Doctor is a pediatric specialist, I’m told. It doesn’t hurt to call them!
I only know their webpage
www.ImproveHealing.com
Posted by: Hope | October 6, 2009 7:41 PM
The operative question is, if there wasn't a rise in autism rates over the last 20 years, where are all of the adults with autism now?
Posted by: Robin Hausman Morris | October 6, 2009 8:18 PM