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Editorial
Bad news, good news on autism
Friday, March 30, 2012
That bad news is more and more children are being diagnosed with autism.
The good news is, more and more children are being diagnosed with autism, at a younger age, when treatment is most effective.
The newest estimates from an autism monitoring network shows that one in 88 children has been identified with an autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 23 percent increase since the last report in 2009 and a 78 percent increase since the first report two years earlier.
The survey uses data collected in 14 areas of the United States during, comprising 8 percent of the population of 8-year-olds. That age was chosen because previous studies have shown that, by this age, most children with Autism Spectrum Disorder have been identified for services.
But the sampling was scientifically valid, and showed some interesting revelations:
* ASDs are almost five times more common among boys (1 in 54) than among girls (1 in 25)
* The largest increase are among Hispanic children (110 percent) and black children (91 percent). This can partially be explained by increasing awareness, but more children in all groups are being diagnosed with ASDs.
* More children are being diagnosed at earlier ages, many by age 3, but most are not diagnosed until after they reach age 4.
We still don't know the reason for the increasing numbers of children with autism. The theory that it is linked to childhood vaccinations has been discredited, but some harmful drugs taken during pregnancy have been linked to higher risk of autism, such as thalidomide and valporic acid.
Children born to older parents are at a slightly higher risk, as are a small percentage of children born prematurely or with low birth weight.
While there are few "absolute indicators" that a child should be evaluated for autism, if your baby shows any of the following signs, get in touch with your pediatrician or family practitioner for an immediate evaluation:
* No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
* No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter
* No babbling by 12 months
* No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
* No words by 16 months
* No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
* Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age
More information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/CountingAutism/