The number of children receiving a diagnosis of autism is spiking once again. But what do these numbers really mean?
Parents like me, whose children are over the age of 20, have a good idea.
When our toddlers were losing language and exhibiting peculiar behavior in the late eighties, it was very difficult to get a diagnosis. Back then, pediatricians referred patients for evaluation by a speech therapist. It was up to the speech therapist to direct parents to a developmental specialist when red flags were evident.
Matthew at age two
The child psychologist we saw used words like ‘“developmental delay” and “pervasive developmental disorder. I thought that meant that Matthew could catch up.” Looking back it was SO obvious that Matthew had autism. His pediatrician admitted later that he’d had little training about autism spectrum disorders in medical school. Then, only 2 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism. Matthew didn’t receive a diagnosis until he was 6 years old.
About 1 in 100 of America’s 8-year-olds have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers, who will be releasing details of their study later this year.
That’s a 50% increase from two years ago, when the government estimated the rate at 1 in 150.
“It is not clear more children are affected rather than just changes in our ability to detect,” said Dr. Tom Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.
The good news is that pediatricians and developmental specialist have designed tools to detect cases of autism early. Early detection means early intervention for more hopeful outcomes.
As I said last week, I am pleased with Matthew’s progress (at least lately!)
But I wonder how much better he’d be doing if he’d had the early intervention programs that are available today.
Laura
Laura Shumaker is the author of A REGULAR GUY: GROWING UP WITH AUTISM
and a contributor to A CUP OF COMFORT FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.
For more info: Go to the this article in the New York Times