The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has released information stating that approximately 1 in 100 children have been diagnosed with a form of Autism. This is higher than their last study which found that 1 in 150 children were affected by the disorder. The question now is why there is a sudden raise in cases. Are that many more children affected by autism or is the additional awareness causing more children to be diagnosed at a much younger age?
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental disorders which can affect a child’s ability to socialize, communicate or behavior. Because ASD is a “spectrum,” meaning that each child will be affected differently, from a very slight case or an extremely severe. According to the CDC, there are three different types of ASD’s.
- Autistic Disorder (also called “classic” autism)
This is what most people think of when hearing the word “autism.” People with autistic disorder usually have significant language delays, social and communication challenges, and unusual behaviors and interests. Many people with autistic disorder also have intellectual disability.
- Asperger Syndrome
People with Asperger syndrome usually have some milder symptoms of autistic disorder. They might have social challenges and unusual behaviors and interests. However, they typically do not have problems with language or intellectual disability.
- Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PPD-NOS; also called “atypical autism”)
People who meet some of the criteria for autistic disorder or Asperger syndrome, but not all, may be diagnosed with PDD-NOS. People with PDD-NOS usually have fewer and milder symptoms than those with autistic disorder. The symptoms might cause only social and communication challenges.
Because ASD’s are developmental disorders, there are no blood tests to show if a child does or does not have the disorder. A child is diagnosed after a doctor looks into their behavior and development. Because there is no clear cut way to say if a child does or does not have it, some children could be miss diagnosed based on the feelings of that particular doctor.
Disorders like this are very bothersome to me. I have a friend whose son is Autistic and it is very challenging. Being around her son for any amount of time, you could tell he had some type of disorder. The moderate cases are what raise the question in my head, what if they really don’t have this disorder? Some doctors will diagnose a child as young as 18 months as having an ASD. What if that child is just learning at a different pace than the “norm?” My son was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) at five years old. He was put on medication and it seemed to have helped. Over the summer I quit giving him medication because I wanted to see how he could do without it, guess what? He did just fine. I don’t know that he ever had ADD, but the doctors took a questionnaire that both myself and his teachers filled out. They made the diagnosis based on the check marks we filled out. Was he incorrectly diagnosed? I think so. Could this be the case in ASD children as well? Probably.
Scientists are still not sure what causes ASD’s. Some people believe it is due to various vaccines that children are given. Many believe some children are sensitive to the vaccines, causing adverse reactions. This, in part, has caused a big increase in the number of parents that are not vaccinating their children.
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