About Autism, also called Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) opr Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), are developmental disabilities that cover a wide range of impairments in social interaction and communication. Those who are plagued by an ASD may exhibit unusual behaviors and interests and have unusual ways of learning – either being very gifted or very challenged. No two people with an ASD will have the same symptoms. Diagnosis usually occurs before the age of three, but the patient will show signs of autism through his or her life.
The cause of autism is still not known and there is no cure. Health care professionals refer to autism as a “spectrum” disorder because of the many “subgroups” associated with the disease. Children who are diagnosed as autistic have problems communicating; they may be unable to look at the person they are talking to or the person talking to them. They may repeat the same sentence or phrase over and over to try and calm themselves down. Some may never learn to speak at all.
Today, 1 in 150 American children are diagnosed with a form of autism – making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined. Autism isn’t picky – it reaches across all social, racial, ethnic and economic groups, but it is four times more likely to affect boys than girls.
It’s true that the statistics have worsened. Autism was diagnosed in a little less than 5 out of every 10,000 American children in 1990. Those numbers jumped to 60 out of every 10,000 American children by the end of 2006. But is the sign of an autism epidemic or simply an increase of awareness of this developmental disability? Or could it be that there have been changes in policies and clinical definitions among medical professionals who study diseases among children?
Autism is typically characterized by difficulties in communication skills, social interaction and even play or leisure activities. But since the original discovery of the disability, doctors have developed broader definitions.
Schools have been required for many years to report the number of students needing special education. Autism wasn’t added to the list until the 1991-1992 school year. In 1995, more than 22,000 American students were receiving autism-related services and by 2004, more than 140,000 were receiving those same services, likely because of the broader definitions passed down my medical professionals.
In addition to the broader definitions, some states are offering financial incentives for diagnosing autism. These incentives can include Medicaid eligibility and affordable health programs for developmental disabilities.
Given this recent information, it is difficult to determine if there is truly an autism epidemic. One thing is not so difficult to understand, however, and that’s the fact there is definitely an increased awareness of the disability, as it should be if we ever hope to discover a cure.