Autism increase may reflect greater awareness: “Physicians say the developmental disorder is more commonly diagnosed as the definition broadens.”
By CHRISTINE S. MOYER, amednews staff. Posted Jan. 4, 2010.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the autism rate is going up markedly. From 2002 to 2006, the rate of autism spectrum disorders among 8-year-olds jumped 40%, from one in 154 to one in 110, according to a study released Dec. 18, 2009, in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
“Autism is probably one of the most devastating diagnoses a parent can hear. … It’s being seen as a life sentence,” Dr. Melmed said. “It’s never easy [to give parents this diagnosis].
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Of societal concern is that autism, as of 2006, is present in nearly 1 percent of the population. It is thus is a common illness, which has a devastating effect on affected persons and society.