With autism rates up, experts renew call for early intervention

Christopher Astacio reads with his daughter Cristina, 2, who was recently diagnosed with a mild form of autism. / AP

(CBS/AP) The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's latest autism report shows rates of the disorder are on the rise, up 23 percent from the previous estimate. The news has sparked experts to advise parents they should learn the signs that may signal a problem with their child's development, because the earlier the intervention, the better.

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The CDC's latest numbers are based on 2008 data from 14 states. The new rate is nearly twice as high than  2002 data estimates of roughly 1 in 150 kids. And it's 23 percent higher than a later estimate of 1 in 110 based on 2006 data. Rates are highest in boys and white children. But the biggest rate increase was among Hispanic children, from 1 in 270 in 2002 to about 1 in 125 in 2008.

Cristina Astacio is one such child. At 18 months, she spoke only a few words, wouldn't respond to her name and shunned other kids in her day care group. Last October, her worried parents found out why - she was diagnosed with a mild form of autism, a diagnosis being given to more U.S. children than ever before, largely because of more awareness and better screening methods.

The definition of autism has changed over the years, and Cristina might not have been considered autistic two decades ago.

But experts say kids like her are lucky in a way, because her parents recognized early that something was wrong. The CDC's report found that 40 percent of kids weren't diagnosed until after age 4. Evidence shows that children who are identified early and get help have the best chance for reaching their potential, said CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends autism screening for all children at age 18 months and 2 years.

Autism diagnoses rely on doctors observing behavior. Autism can't be cured, but treatment including intensive behavior therapy can help many kids function better.

The academy's Dr. Susan Hyman said many children who aren't making eye contact and aren't talking "may have autism, but they may have other things." She said it's important for parents to be persistent about their concerns so their kids can be evaluated by doctors.

Dr. Rebecca Landa, director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Md, says some signs of autism can be seen in children only 6- to 12-months-old.

"We want to encourage parents to become good observers of their children's development so that they can see the earliest indicators of delays in a baby's communication, social and motor skills," Dr. Landa said in a written statement. She cautions however that some children who develop autism don't show signs until after the second birthday or regress after appearing to develop typically.

Kristy Batesole, of Atascadero, Calif., says she suspected something was wrong with her son, Keegan, even when he was a hard-to-calm overly fussy baby. He learned words, but by age 2 stopped talking, would spend hours opening and closing doors and sometimes bang his head on the ground. Though he started getting special help in preschool in Nevada, he wasn't formally diagnosed with autism until last year, at age 6, after the family moved to California, where there are more autism specialists.

Cristina Astacio gets two hours of behavior therapy six days a week. Her mom, Charisse, says the little girl now responds to commands and speaks about 50 words. The most special are two words Cristina never said before. "Now she says `mommy' and `daddy,'" Astacio said. "It's wonderful."

Christina's dad, Christopher, is a special-education teacher in the New York City; most of the kids in his class are Hispanic and many have autism.

"I remember back in the past, a few kids here and there had autism, not like the way it is now," Astacio said. "I'm really curious why so many kids are being diagnosed."

CDC officials say research into causes of autism will help determine if there's been a true increase or just better diagnosis.

Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer for the advocacy group Autism Speaks, said the new figures indicate "a public health emergency that demands immediate attention."

Her group estimates that U.S. autism costs total $126 billion each year, including costs related to diagnosis and treatment. That estimate also includes treatment for severely affected adults and lost wages.

The autism rate increase also is likely due to better awareness. The CDC report says there's no strong evidence of any racial or ethnic difference in risk factors for autism and that it's likely the condition is underdiagnosed in blacks and Hispanics.

"The autism spectrum is so vast, and all of our children are different," said Melissa Miller, a St. Petersburg, Fla., mom whose daughter, Chelsea, was diagnosed last year at age 2. "Many of them don't rock back and forth or have savant skills. They are sweet, affectionate, intelligent, goofy - and exhausting - kids," she said.

Proposed revisions in the manual that doctors use to diagnose mental illness would streamline autism criteria. Critics contend the suggested changes would be too narrow and exclude children who need educational and behavioral services.

Hyman noted that since the manual's last revision, in 1994, much has been learned about autism. "There's a real possibility the new definition will be better for children," she said Thursday at a CDC news conference.

Click here for complete coverage of World Autism Awareness Month on CBSNews.com

[kjjetfan]

As a parent of an Autistic child, I'm astounded the rates are increasing at such alarming speeds and yet nothing seems to be done about it. When the CDC tripled the amount of mandated vaccines we started to see a dramatic increase in Autism in our children. It certainly seems as though this has reached epidemic proportions.
Karen Finn Executive Director; A Road to Recovery http://www.aroadtorecovery.org/

[JChrisa]

My name is Christopher Astacio, I am the father of Cristina, the beautiful little girl in the picture. First, she is my world and I will go to the ends of the earth for her. I did not want to believe that my daughter was autistic rather I felt that maybe this was a phase that she will grow out of eventually. When she was born at just only 4lbs, Cristina failed to gain weight and bled internally from her intestines for the first 3 months of her life. After repeated tests, Cristina was found to be suffering from a severe milk allergy. I thought the worst was over but I was wrong. At a year old, I will call her name repeatedly and she would never respond. She would cover her ears after hearing a loud sound and she could care less for interacting with her older brother as well as her mother and me. Once I came home from shopping for groceries and placed a 24-pack of water bottles on the floor. I opened the pack to drink one and as I turned my back, Cristina slowly crept up behind me and began to take the bottle out the package. What she did next startled me. She lined the bottles perfectly and just sat and stared at them. I wanted to encourage her creation so I gave her praise and told her that it was not time to clean up. As soon as I touched one bottle, she reacted as if I was hurting her, screaming as if something catastrophic had just occurred. She cried for an hour, flinging her arms and legs. I wanted to believe that it was just a mere temper tantrum but her behavior got worst. Around 1 year and a half, Cristina barely had 5 words in her vocabulary. It was usually a guessing game with her when trying to calm her down during her tantrums. She began to hit, bite, and throw things out of frustrating, mainly because she could not communicate what she wanted. One morning, Cristina walked into the living room and she stood, staring at the wall, lost in her own little world. I tried to play with her but my presence only provoked a tantrum. I felt as if I was losing my daughter slowly. I thank God for my wife who got her an appointment to be evaluated. Since I am a teacher and could not attend the evaluation, I eagerly waited for my wife's call for the results. Being in the field of special education, I was expecting some sort of behavioral problem or speech delay and never autism even though in my gut, I knew that was the case. My wife, Charisse, finally called, barely able to speak, she confirmed my fears.... my daughter was autistic. While standing my classroom, my knees became week and I slowly feel to the ground. My daughter's life and the struggles she now faced flashed before my eyes. I felt like someone just cheated my daughter out of having a normal life... I was wrong... my daughter is the most special little girl in the world. We rearranged our lives to accommodate her 6 days a week intensive therapy. My wife was forced to take a pay cut to work from home 2 days out of the week. I took over my son's therapy visits since he suffers from anxiety disorder. After 4 months of therapy, my daughter called me papi and even gave me a hug. Something I thought she would never do. I thank God for getting me through stomach cancer and for giving my daughter back to me. My wife and I thank everyone who has supported and continues to support us.

[inbethlehem]

Prayers for you. My nephew has a three-year old son who was recently diagnosed. We all knew something was wrong as he matured from a very "cholic-y" baby to a generally unhappy two-year old. Often inconsolable--for no apparent reason, and just didn't seem to engage well with his brothers or sister. Hopefully, he will achieve the same level of success as your daughter.

[ATTCRAP]

It takes the Medical and Scientific communities an average of 80 years to propose, research, accept, and understand almost any new kind of theory or aliment. Autism has a long way to go before they are even close to knowing how to treat it properly. And as of yet there is no known cure, only ways to lessen some of the symptoms of a small percentage of the cases. Anyone with a child diagnosed really needs to check out anything that Temple Grandin has published.

[inbethlehem]

Saw the movie. Amazing story.

[debz150]

Early Intervention!

We need to find out what these parents or children are coming in contact with in our ex: environmental chemicals/pesticides/hormones in foods, toxins in our environment, injections, etc. to cause this shocking and alarming rise in autism.

Research is desperately needed before this number doubles again. Research without influence from any special interest groups that might be able to control the outcome; due to financial interests in current products that might be creating this.

[inbethlehem]

I second that. Better diagnosis is not a satisfactory explanation for this rapid increase. Sure there are cases of lesser severity that are now being diagnosed, but the this epidemic falls well outside what one would expect from the typical "bell curve" of symptoms. Hard to deny something else is going on.