Stats show autism rising, but who’s really autistic?
Earlier this week the federal government released new data indicating that autism is diagnosed in 1 percent of American children, far more than the 1 in 150 children previously thought to be affected.
But a new documentary suggests that the rising number of autism diagnoses does not actually represent an increase in the number of kids who have the developmental disorder. Rather, the filmmakers say that autism is becoming an umbrella term latched onto by parents and diagnosticians alike in their efforts to get services for children whose needs are not easily defined.
Earlier this week the federal government released new data indicating that autism is diagnosed in 1 percent of American children, far more than the 1 in 150 children previously thought to be affected.
But a new documentary suggests that the rising number of autism diagnoses does not actually represent an increase in the number of kids who have the developmental disorder. Rather, the filmmakers say that autism is becoming an umbrella term latched onto by parents and diagnosticians alike in their efforts to get services for children whose needs are not easily defined.
1 Comment
October 31, 2009 at 10:26 pm
After working in a classroom for children with disabilities, I can more assuredly say that autism is wayyy overdiagnosed. It’s sad.