Articles labeled: austism spectrum disorders

We’ve all heard about the “explosion” in autism cases, which naturally leads one to believe that the number of kids afflicted with the disease is on an alarming rise. Well another school of thought is proposing that the numbers are caused by an advance in diagnosing autism, as well as the relatively recent expansion of the “autism umbrella” into a range “autism spectrum disorders” and that the actual number of cases may not really be on the rise at all:

But many experts believe these unsociable behaviors were just about as common 30 or 40 years ago. The recent explosion of cases appears to be mostly caused by a surge in special education services for autistic children, and by a corresponding shift in what doctors call autism.

Autism has always been diagnosed by making judgments about a child’s behavior; there are no blood or biologic tests. For decades, the diagnosis was given only to kids with severe language and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors.

Many children with severe autism hit themselves or others, don’t speak and don’t make eye contact.