You may have noticed the number of children and adults being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder is on the rise.
This doesn’t necessarily mean there are a lot more people living with autism.
When you get new glasses, you can see better. That’s what’s happened with autism diagnoses. Autism is not more prevalent than it was 20 years ago. It’s just being diagnosed more frequently because we can see it. Just like you can now see that road sign that was blurry last week, doctors and psychologists can now see the symptoms of autism with a clearer focus.
What’s also improved? Clinical monitoring, screenings, awareness and access to services.
About 1 in 36 children has been identified with ASD according to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. In 2010 the number was 1 in 68. In 2000, it was 1 in 150.
Autism is now generally diagnosed before age 3 and is a lifelong disorder, although symptoms can change over time. It’s more commonly identified in boys than girls.
The CDC defines ASD as “a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.” The abilities of those with ASD can vary widely. Those with ASD can behave, communicate and learn in ways different from most people, making life challenging. Yet, you can’t tell if someone has autism simply by looking at them.
Public discourse about the causes of autism has ramped up recently because of President-elect Donald Trump’s current pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Unfortunately RFK Jr. doesn’t quite have the right glasses. Not only does he refuse to see the correlation between improved methods of diagnosis and rising cases of autism, he has also helped resurface the thoroughly debunked myth that vaccines cause autism. This myth can lead families to wrong conclusions. It can lead them to look for solutions in the wrong places for years, causing much frustration and also leaving children with autism without the services of which they might benefit. It can also leave all children susceptible to diseases they wouldn’t have to worry about with a population that is regularly vaccinated.
“Scientists believe there are multiple causes of ASD that act together to change the most common ways people develop,” according to the CDC. What we do know is that autism is caused by differences in the brain and genetic conditions.
Researchers are currently exploring whether environmental factors also play a role. Those could include factors such as infections, medications and complications during birth.
Although some causes are not yet known, many can be ruled out, as is the case with the vaccine myth. Despite extensive research, no reliable study has found a link between the two.
Facts are facts. Autism has been around since before any of us were born. We just didn’t have a name for it yet.
Even though there is no cure, intensive and early treatment can make a big difference in the lives of those with ASD.
There’s a danger in adding in conspiracy theories and myths. They get in the way of research and solutions that could change lives drastically — now and in the future.
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