Doubt From Public Health Organizations Over Autism Epidemic
While the number of diagnoses related to Autism has increased in recent decades, public health organizations and researchers have not yet determined whether there is an actual increase in the incidence of autism, or whether more incidents of Autism are being reported now, as a result of increased awareness of the disorder. They also suggest that the diagnosis is being applied more broadly than before as a result of the changing definition of the disorder and that there is ongoing substitution of the autism label for less palatable designations such as mental retardation or intellectual disability. They are doubt whether the magnitude of any increase warrants urgent and/or drastic measures.
Whether the true incidence of Autism had been increasing was unclear as recently as 1999. Nevertheless, an increasing prevalence of Autism diagnoses has sparked concerns, especially among parents, which in turn has lead to the initiation of a number of new treatment programs, advocacy groups and support programs. For example, Microsoft became the first major US corporation to offer employees insurance coverage for the cost of behavioral training for their autistic children in 2001.
New Study Suggests There Is No Autism Epidemic
Over the past 20 years, the rates of autism spectrum disorder have been steadily climbing in developing countries, with a reported 30 percent increase in the US in just two years. But scientists have struggled to work out what’s behind this epidemic, and now a new study suggests that we may have been looking in the wrong places. In fact, the epidemic might not exist at all.
A study of more than one million children in Sweden has shown that, over the 10-year period from 1993 to 2002, the number of autism spectrum disorder diagnoses increased significantly , but the number of patients who actually displayed symptoms remained stable.
This suggests that, rather than being in the middle of an ‘autism epidemic’, there might be a range of factors that are simply causing us to diagnose the disorder more often – something that’s previously been suggested, but has been hard to test.
To investigate further, researchers from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden looked at two datasets – one that involved a comprehensive study of nearly 20,000 twins, and one that involved more than one million children, all born in Sweden between 1993 and 2002.
If scientists hadn’t already put to bed the myth that vaccines and autism are linked, this new research could help put the nail in the coffin.
The Real Reasons Autism Rates Are Up In The Us
A hard look at whether the rise comes from more awareness, better diagnosisor something else
The prevalence of autism in the United States has risen steadily since researchers first began tracking it in 2000. The rise in the rate has sparked fears of an autism epidemic. But experts say the bulk of the increase stems from a growing awareness of autism and changes to the conditions diagnostic criteria.
Heres how researchers track autisms prevalence and explain its apparent rise.
How do clinicians diagnose autism?There is no blood test, brain scan or any other objective test that can diagnose autismalthough researchers are actively trying to develop such tests. Clinicians rely on observations of a persons behavior to diagnose the condition.
In the U.S., the criteria for diagnosing autism are laid out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . The criteria are problems with social communication and interactions, and restricted interests or repetitive behaviors. Both of these core features must be present in early development.
What is the prevalence of autism in the U.S.?The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 68children in the U.S. have autism. The prevalence is 1 in 42 for boys and 1 in 189 for girls. These rates yield a gender ratio of about five boys for every girl.
This article is reproduced with permission from Spectrum. The article was first published on March 2, 2017.
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We Have Been Here All Along
Posted July 12, 2016
You are out for a drive, cruising along and enjoying the sights, when you notice a flashing blue light in your rear view mirror a police cruiser is on your rear bumper. You pull over to the shoulder of the road and roll down your window. The police officer steps up to your car, pokes his head inside, glances at your dashboard, then declares I see that you have a full tank of gas. Im giving you a ticket for speeding! This story is preposterous, of course. Not even the greenest rookie would issue a speeding ticket based on your gas gauge. And yet, lots of folks go around making the same error when they quote prevalence data to support their claim were in an epidemic of autism.
It is certainly possible that there has been a change in incidence of ASD. But we cant prove it by citing the prevalence data, any more than our hapless policeman can prove you were speeding by checking your gas gauge, and for the same reason: It wont stand up in court.
Interestingly, a door to door study in England, using modern criteria for ASD, found that the prevalence among todays senior citizens is about the same as among todays school children. In other words, they were there 50 or 60 years ago, but not recognized as having ASD.
Heres a link to one of my presentations that covers the foregoing issues in detail. Still more information is available here.
Who Resolution On Autism Spectrum Disorders
In May 2014, the Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “Comprehensive and coordinated efforts for the management of autism spectrum disorders ,” which was supported by more than 60 countries.
The resolution urges WHO to collaborate with Member States and partner agencies to strengthen national capacities to address ASD and other developmental disabilities.
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Changes In Reporting Practices
The CDC’s report on autism statistics is based on health and school records for 8-year-old children who live in select counties across the United States. The researchers are part of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, which the CDC set up in 2000 to estimate autism prevalence.
Clinicians scanned the school records for signs of autism features, such as social problems or repetitive behaviors. They use data from 8-year-olds because most children are enrolled in school and have had routine health assessments by that age. However, the data is not based on whether children have been given an actual diagnosis of ASD.
Up until 1990, autism was not included in legislation aimed at guaranteeing an education to individuals with disabilities. In 1990, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act added autism to its list of conditions covered under the act. The new law also added transition services and assistive technologies to its requirements. Autism had never been tracked as an educational statistic before 1990. Since 1990, the incidence of autism in schools has risen dramatically.
Another set of prevalence estimates published in Pediatrics in 2019 found that the prevalence of autism in the United States rose from 1 in 91 children in 2009 to 1 in 40 in 2017. The results were based on telephone or in-person interviews with the parents of 88,530 children aged 3 to 17 years, collected by the CDC as part of its National Health Interview Survey.
Is There A Path To End The Autism Epidemic
New published science and the screening of at-risk children before they receive any vaccines may provide a middle ground between the all or nothing positions of the two warring sides of the vaccine-autism debate.
On one side of the debate are parents who believe that todays high number of mandatory vaccinations can cause autism in vulnerable children. On the other side are government health officials who deny any link.
However, critics claim the government is being influenced by pharmaceutical companies whose revenues from vaccines exploded from $170 million in the early 1980s to more than $60 billion today. A study published in 2013 in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation concluded that the pharmaceutical industry masterfully influences evidence base production and also exerts direct influences on professional decisions and health consumers.
There are a wealth of relevant scientific studies that prove that autism prevalence has skyrocketed in the United States. And since 2004, there have been 11 groundbreaking discoveries in separate but related scientific fields that, taken together, reveal one of the causes of autism.
All the while, the autism rate has exploded. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention noted that the rates for autism in children went from 1 in 150 children in 2000 to 1 in 36 children in 2017.
These are some of the steps that should be taken to help end the autism epidemic:
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Screening Guidelines For Autism
Continued awareness of autism has resulted in increased routine screening by pediatricians, another contributing factor to a rise in cases. The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that all children be screened for ASD at ages 18 and 24 months, along with regular developmental surveillance.
If There Is No Autism Epidemic Why Do The Statistics Keep Climbing
The prevalence of autism has risen steadily since researchers started tracking the condition in 2000.
Some people refer to the steady increase in cases as an autism epidemic. The condition seems to be more widespread, affecting more families every year. However, experts believe that no more children develop autism today than they did 50 years ago. Instead, they say the increase in cases is due to changes in diagnostic criteria and heightened awareness of the condition.
At Therapeutic Pathways, we utilize the latest scientific research in our individualized treatment plans for children, adolescents, and adults. These treatment plans are based on in-depth assessments and goal-planning. If you are looking for a treatment plan for your child or family member with autism, contact Therapeutic Pathways for more information on each of our programs.
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Perceived Child Impairment And The Autism Epidemic
Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Center for Ethics, Law and Mental health , Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Correspondence
Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Center for Ethics, Law and Mental health , Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
Correspondence
Autism In The African Context
Generally African culture has long-established beliefs about the causes of some disabilities. There are many, especially those outside of urban settings, who believe that disabilities are the result of witchcraft, sin or not following certain rituals correctly. The strange behaviours of individuals with autism are difficult to place in cultures that revere conformity.
Stories and images in the media of those with autism are usually of Caucasian or Asian people, so it is not seen as a common occurrence in African populations.
But, autism doesnt discriminate it is not associated with a specific race, social or economic class.
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The Myth Of An Autism Epidemic
Although folks in the anti-vaccine movement dont want to believe it, there is no autism epidemic.
We hear stories about the rise in autism and the autism epidemic all of the time.
Every few years, the CDC had been releasing a new report which showed a higher prevalence of autism in the United States, including:
- 1 in 150 children in 2000
- 1 in 150 children in 2002
- 1 in 125 children in 2004
- 1 in 110 children in 2006
- 1 in 88 children in 2008
- 1 in 68 children in 2010
- 1 in 68 children in 2012
Looking at those numbers, it is easy to see most people think that the rate of autism is rising.
And if the rate of autism is rising, then there must be a cause.
Thinking about it like that, it becomes easy to see why vaccines became the scapegoat for causing autism, especially after Andrew Wakefield told everyone that it is my feeling, that the, the risk of this particular syndrome developing is related to the combined vaccine, the MMR
Other Reasons Not To Believe In An Autism Epidemic
In this article we have detailed three reasons why some laypersons mistakenly believe that there is an autism epidemic. They are unaware of the purposeful broadening of diagnostic criteria, coupled with deliberately greater public awareness they accept the unwarranted conclusions of the M.I.N.D. Institute study and they fail to realize that autism was not even an IDEA reporting category until the early 1990s and incremental increases will most likely continue until the schools are identifying and serving the number of children identified in epidemiological studies. Apart from a desire to be aligned with scientific reasoning, there are other reasons not to believe in an autism epidemic.
Epidemics solicit causes false epidemics solicit false causes. Google autism and epidemic to witness the range of suspected causes of the mythical autism epidemic. Epidemics also connote danger. What message do we send autistic children and adults when we call their increasing number an epidemic? A pandemic? A scourge? Realizing that the increasing prevalence rates are most likely due to noncatastrophic mechanisms, such as purposely broader diagnostic criteria and greater public awareness, should not, however, diminish societal responsibility to support the increasing numbers of individuals being diagnosed with autism. Neither should enthusiasm for scientific inquiry into the variety and extent of human behavioral, neuroanatomical, and genotypic diversity in our population be dampened.
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Why Autism Diagnoses Have Soared
The number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has risen consistently and dramatically since the 1990s. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , as of 2016, approximately 1 in 54 children in the United States was diagnosed with autism. In 2000, the corresponding rate was approximately 1 in 150 children. The rate is notably higher in boys than in girls .
There’s no way to pinpoint an exact reason for this increase, but it’s likely that significant changes in diagnostic criteria and reporting practices, in addition to greater awareness and possibly environmental factors, are responsible.
Here’s a look at some of the main theories about why autism is on the rise.
Why Is There An Autism Epidemic
Although the mainstream media continues a non-stop propaganda campaign spreading of misinformation concerning the autism epidemic, an ever-growing body of research suggests that there can be many factors contributing to the epidemic of autism, with multiple causes triggering the manifestation of symptoms of autism even in a single person:
Factors include:
- pollution of food, air, and water with pesticides, herbicides, various man-made chemicals and pharmaceuticals , and GMO crops
- unsafe medical practices and drugs
- depletion of essential nutrients in foods, including sulfur and Omega 3/DHA oils
- genetic factors that may predispose a person to autism
Genetic factors seem to point to those with an impaired ability to remove toxins. These genetic factors tend to run in families with a history:
- auto-immune diseases
- neurological issues
Pollution of food and water:
- GMO Crops have over 500 studies indicating they cause liver damage, cancer, reduce size of new-born lab animals, and ultimately cause infertility when consumed over several generations.
- Man-made chemicals – pesticides, herbicides, petroleum products, often act even in parts per billion as endocrine system disruptors and making epigentic changes – skewing the development of the fetus in the womb and young children. The average newborn in the United States has 200-300 man-made chemicals in its body.
Increased incidences of autism are found in communities:
Further info
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Autism Is An Unrecognised Epidemic
Imagine not being able to verbally express your feelings and thoughts , being highly sensitive to certain sounds, sights, tastes, smell or touch but unable to regulate sensory input or not fully understanding social cues?
This is the experience of many children and adults who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder . Although autism presents itself in various ways, there are some characteristics that are common among most people.
This became our reality when our then two-year-old daughter, Inam, was diagnosed with autism in 2014.
The rise in cases of children diagnosed with autism has reached epidemic proportions in South Africa and the rest of the world. According to a 2020 report, one in 54 children are diagnosed with ASD in the United States, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Preventions 2016 data. Although these are American statistics it is fair to assume that it is a reasonable reflection of this global phenomenon.
What To Know About The Autism Epidemic Myth
There is no autism epidemic.
- There are adults and older people with autism. Did you know that the the first meeting of the National Society of Autistic Children was held in 1965?
- The idea that the autism epidemic is a myth is not new experts have been talking about it for over 10 years, which makes you wonder why some people still push the idea. An idea that hurts autistic families.
- A 2015 study concluded that Changes in reporting practices can account for most of the increase in the observed prevalence of ASDs in children born from 1980 through 1991 in Denmark. Hence, the study supports the argument that the apparent increase in ASDs in recent years is in large part attributable to changes in reporting practices.
- Autism is thought to be genetically based.
Some folks, especially those in the anti-vaccine movement, dont want to believe that there is no autism epidemic though.
If there is no autism epidemic, if there is a stable incidence of autism over recent decades, then this alone is powerful evidence against the vaccine hypothesis and in fact removes the primary piece of evidence for a vaccine-autism connection.
Steven Novella on The Increase in Autism Diagnoses: Two Hypotheses
After all, if there is no autism epidemic, then they cant blame vaccines for be causing an autism epidemic
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