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1-in-50 U.S. school kids has autism: Gov't survey
NEW YORK A government survey of parents says 1-in-50 U.S. schoolchildren has autism, surpassing earlier federal estimate for the disorder.
Health officials say the new number doesn't mean autism is occurring more often. But it does suggest that doctors are diagnosing autism more frequently, especially in children with milder problems.
The earlier government estimate of 1-in-88 comes from a study that many consider more rigorous. It looks at medical and school records instead of relying on parents.
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For decades, autism meant kids with severe language, intellectual and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors. But the definition has gradually expanded and now includes milder, related conditions.
The new report released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would mean at least 1 million children have autism.
The number is important: Government officials look at how common each illness or disorder is when weighing how to spend limited public health funds.
It's also controversial.
The new statistic comes from a national phone survey of more than 95,000 parents in 2011 and 2012. Less than a quarter of the parents contacted agreed to answer questions, and it's likely that those with autistic kids were more interested than other parents in participating in a survey on children's health, CDC officials said.
Still, CDC officials believe the survey provides a valid snapshot of how many families are affected by autism, said Stephen Blumberg, the CDC report's lead author.
The study that came up with the 1-in-88 estimate had its own limitations. It focused on 14 states, only on children 8 years old, and the data came from 2008. Updated figures based on medical and school records are expected next year.
"We've been underestimating" how common autism is, said Michael Rosanoff of Autism Speaks, an advocacy group. He believes the figure is at least 1-in-50.
There are no blood or biologic tests for autism, so diagnosis is not an exact science. It's identified by making judgments about a child's behavior.
Doctors have been looking for autism at younger and younger ages, and experts have tended to believe most diagnoses are made in children by age 8.
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However, the new study found significant proportions of children were diagnosed at older ages.
Dr. Roula Choueiri, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said she's seen that happening at her clinic. Those kids "tend to be the mild ones, who may have had some speech delays, some social difficulties," she wrote in an email. But they have more problems as school becomes more demanding and social situations grow more complex, she added.
The greatest change in prevalence estimates was seen in boys and for adolescents aged 14 to 17 years old. Also, children who were first diagnosed in or after 2008 were more likely to have milder autism than those diagnosed in or before 2007, which may be because of increased awareness among parents and doctors and better diagnostic testing.
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-Dean Jean Quam, University of Minnesota - College of Education and Human Development
What a crock. Thirty years ago nobody ever heard of autism. It's largely an invented condition, and may be related to lack of proper human interaction when children are very young. Instead of setting children in front of the boob tube as an electronic nanny or throwing them into daycare, they need attention from their parents.
I look around the office in which I work...I can tell who are the people like me...about 1 in 50 sounds about right...
However, the campaign to label vast portions of the population autistic has gone too far. Now every kid who is a little quirky is labeled autistic. Jimmy just sits in the corner and reads all the time - he MUST be autistic. Sally spends all of her free time drawing pictures of dolphins - autism strikes again! The kids haven't changed, the label has.
By the new definitions, I have a form of autism because I prefer to be super focused on a few solitary activities rather than interacting with people. I have lived happily for 50 years not even knowing I was autistic - glad the experts set me straight! Now I suppose I'll need drugs and extensive therapy. Who knew?
Sorry, 2.5 in 50 have Dyslexia.
Right now I am fighting my grandson's school because they want to expel him for saying something stupid to someone. He has NEVER been in trouble in school, and in fact, has not attended a public school since my daughter had him in a Cyber school since second grade, due to his genius IQ and the school wouldn't educate him at his level. He has some Asperger's and I believe they are trying to use him as an example and to prove they are making sure their schools are safe. If they thought he was so much of a threat, why did they leave him in the classroom for hours after they knew he was the one to make the stupid remark? They accused him of threatening someone, but he didn't do that. In fact, the police won't press charges because he made no threat. But the school is digging their heels in and are determined to get him out. He has one of the brightest futures of anyone I've ever known and they are trying to crush it. I refuse to let that happen.
I have worked long and hard to make sure my grandson has whatever counseling he needs, love, attention, etc. I keep after him with his school work, limit his TV, no violent Wii games and even took his DS away from him because he would be obsessed with it and I didn't think that was healthy. I agree that the dialogue about kids and guns is out of whack. We should be focusing on the lack of parenting in this country, though that, obviously, does not apply to everyone.
The main thought to this post, though, is that the media needs to STOP pushing autism as the reason these kids are killing. You are burying the innocent and we are not going to let you do that to our kids!!
If you do-not have a child with Autism (then you have NO clue what these parent's go through). Some parents have 3 children on honor role and 1 child with autism or speech..etc. You have no idea what you are talking about!!
You should not be so opinionated without getting the facts yourself.
My son has mild autism and I have read to him EVERY day of his life. He's never played with a Leapfrog and only uses Ipads in therapy. Autism is a complex Neurological disorder, if it were as simple as turning an electronic device on too much don't you think the real Scientists and Doctors would have figured that out by now? Your complete and utter ignorance is nothing more than disgusting and sad.
They really should have gotten right to the point and just made this the headline. It's all about two things--the marketing of "disease" and the perverse eagerness of some parents to believe their children have a myriad of ailments, preferably ones that can never be tested for (and thus disproved). This way not only are they exempted from any requirement to actually validate their claims but they get the pleasure of claiming the moral high ground in the process, claiming anyone who doubts them couldn't possibly "understand."
Apparently "making judgments about a child's behavior" is now considered as valid as an MRI or an x-ray or a pathology report as medical proof. But only, of course, if your judgment agrees with the politically correct opinion. If you agree with it, you practically glow with understanding and enlightenment; if your judgment differs, you're "opinionated."