Autism Diagnoses Surge by 30 Percent in Kids, CDC Reports

NBC News ^ | 03/27/2014 | Maggie Fox

[SeekAndFind]

e latest look at autism in the U.S. shows a startling 30 percent jump among 8-year-olds diagnosed with the disorder in a two-year period, to one in every 68 children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which did the survey, says the numbers almost certainly reflect more awareness and diagnosis of kids who would have been missed in years past. The new estimate for 2010 was a jump from one in 88 children in 2008, the last year for which numbers had been available.

“The number of children diagnosed with autism continues to rise,” the agency’s Dr. Coleen Boyle told reporters.

But the CDC noted that the numbers vary greatly from state to state, and it did not use a nationally representative sample, but a look at groups of children in 11 states.

“The number of children identified with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) ranged from 1 in 175 children in Alabama to 1 in 45 children in New Jersey,” CDC says in its report, based on a survey taken in 2010. The numbers from 2008 were first reported in 2012.

This would work out to about 1.2 million children under 18, Boyle says.

Dr. Max Wiznitzer, a child neurologist at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, who was not involved in the study, said he believed the numbers, but thought they reflected a rise in diagnosis, not "the true prevalence of autism."

“I'm not convinced that the true numbers of autism are rising, rising, rising every time we survey them,” Wiznitzer told NBC News in an interview.

“Over time, more children are being identified,” agreed Dr. Lisa Shulman, a specialist in autism at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York.

[goonie4life9]

That is great that you found something that works for your child. Unfortunately, it may have nothing to do with autism. Autism is diagnosed based on a collection of behavior. The problem is, much of that behavior also occurs in other disorders. It may be the case that something is called autism when it is, in fact, it is an entirely different disorder. In your case, it could be a dietary/digestive/etc.disorder (again, that looks like autism because no behavior is unique to autism).

At the end of the day, autism is not a disorder of diet or digestion and, therefore, is not resolved by changing a diet. Regardless, if you’ve found something that works for you, that’s great and, in the end, the label is rather unimportant.

[goodnesswins]

I am SURE there are genetic components to autism. I am also sure that sometimes genetic components have to do with things other than autism, but which are diagnosed as autism. I don’t know why you’ve got such a bug up your hiney....but, sheesh. If you’ve been affected by autism then I understand your passion... I don’t know Jenny McCarthy or who she is or what she does....but, apparently you do. I read the writings of doctors. Have a good night.

[ilovesarah2012]

“It’s not surprising that grains still make up such a large portion of the calories people in the developed world consume. Our entire food culture has been underpinned by the need to eat grains for thousands of years. Everything about food — our recipes, our tastes, our idea of what’s appropriate for breakfast, lunch and dinner, our idea of an appropriate number of meals per day, our idea of an appropriate quantity of food to eat — has developed and evolved around a grain-based diet.”

http://supplementsos.com/blog/why-do-we-eat-grains/

[Bigg Red]

So sorry to hear of your condition. Prayers that our Lord will send you healing and strength.

Prayers also for you and for your family. I, too, am a grandmother, and I know how your heart must hurt for the anguish of your son and his wife. I will pray also for a breakthrough in the treatment of this heartbreaking disorder. A long distance hug to your grandson and to you....

[Wyatt's Torch]

No.

[Wyatt's Torch]

That’s a good plan. People here are impossibly ignorant/stupid when it comes to Autism/ADHS/Nut Allergies etc. It’s just best to stay away.

[Wyatt's Torch]

Diet plays a critical role in the management of ADHD. Take a look at Dr. Daniel Amen’s work on the issue.

[grania]

no wheat/gluten

What works for me is only 100% whole grain wheat, no added gluten. Only eat whole grains, no preservatives or additives that don't belong. It might be the processing and the added gluten that are the problem for a lot of people, not the wheat itself. Also, many "wheat" products include HFCS.

Around here, Aldi's has at a very reasonable price German whole grain breads.

[grania]

My theory on Asperger's is television. Too much stimulation too early

The modern classroom is overstimulating. Walls are covered with stuff, lessons are presented on screens via technology, the computer is the baby sitter. Oftentimes, people with Autism/Asperger's sympoms are more hands on. Just the physical activity of holding a book and turning pages, or doing puzzles/crosswords paper and pen, or doing some form of weaving or knotting project provides that focus and contact with the information.

Could it be that part of the explanation could be that simple? More hands on activities away from technology will get a child's senses more involved?

I only have suspicions....never did formal research into anything but how to teach math.

[AppyPappy]

Aspergers is usually recognized before elementary school. My wife was a pre-K teacher (3 year olds) and she could spot it as early as 3. Her test: If they acted like me, she called in a specialist.
They usually are lone players, unnaturally fearful of human contact, fixated on certain things to the point of obsession, either non-verbal or way too advanced verbally. She had one that would stare at fans. You had to turn them off or he became catatonic.
One of her kids got it from his father who is ASD. He’s a noted children’s author.
My theory is that Aspergers can get worse or better depending on how you respond to it.

[Mase]

Stop offering patently false advice to those who have children/others suffering from autism and we'll get along just fine. It would be the responsible thing to do since there is absolutely no legitimate scientific evidence that gluten has anything to do with autism. Serving up this falsehood and then promoting it as a fact on every thread is flagrantly irresponsible. Jenny McCarthy is a celebrity who claims vaccines caused her child to become autistic. She then came out and claimed her child had been cured by a gluten free diet. I can't imagine in all your reading on the subject you've not come across her claims about gluten. She's not that much different than you, except that people actually listened to her and jumped on the anti-vaccine crazy wagon. You two have a lot in common, and it all begins with not having any idea what you're talking about. But that sad fact, for some unknown reason, won't stop you from offering up your fiction here. You should stop, really.

[GOPJ]

Thanks for your insight Pappy... interesting stuff.

[goodnesswins]

You do not know me and you really should just STHU...I never said it was a cure ...now go away...

[goodnesswins]

Wheat products just make me hungry...altho pure whole grain bread may be worth a try...my substitute is now “OOPSIES”...

[goodnesswins]

Thanja...Maybe I should have said “wheat”....interesting statement in 2nd to last paragraph about last “century”.

Also...I believe we ancestors relied on seeds more..rather than adulterated stuff of past century...I will try to find a documentary on this we watched and get you the link.

[goodnesswins]

Er...Thanks!

[Black Agnes]

The wheat we’ve been eating since the 1970’s is NOT the amber waves of grain our ancestors ate for thousands of years.

[muggs]

I’m ASD(Aspergers). We were just never diagnosed when I was a kid. We had full-blown autistic kids but they were sometimes kept out of school. Many of us just grew out of it although it still comes back. I work in an office full of IT types who only talk to their shoes. We have one guy on the hall who won’t speak at all. Diagnoses surge when they start labeling kids in the Aspergers range.

Hi AppyPappy. Yes, I do think that although Aspergers is on the spectrum many can either outgrow it or learn to cope. Many go into the computer field where they don't need to interact with people frequently.

Those on the lower end, as my grand son is, will never outgrow it. They can make progress but will never be able to live on their own. I am sure in the past many of these children where kept at home and no one talked about it. Now that there is more awareness, it is DX'ed more often. Doctors and parents are on the look out for it, the earlier treatment is started the more progress that can be made. I'm not even sure that my son didn't have Aspergers. He had so many sensory issues but did well in school and loved working with computers. As a matter of fact, and I say this with shame, he even got in serious trouble for computer hacking. Thankfully he has outgrown it but it is a real condition.

I am apartment community manager and we are located within 3 miles of a company that hires lots of computer engineers and IT people. Many of them have Appergers. They will rent an apartment via email and pay deposit and application fee on line. Arrive, sign lease, get keys and barely say a word. Some have lived here for years and don't speak to anyone as far as I know. They will walk past my glass office door and drop their rent payment in the drop slot. If they have packages delivered here, they will come in and nod their head and I am able to determine they are here to pick up their package, no words exchanged. I see them in the grocery store and they are either starring at the ground or straight ahead. They are able to function in the world and make good money because they have skills where they don't need to talk to people.

As for my grandson, and many like him, we can't even get him near a grocery store. It must cause him some kind of pain.

This part is not directed at you AppyPappy, I'm sure it happens occasionally that someone is gaming the system to get money but a lot of the time it seems that husbands/boyfriends can't deal with the situation and walk out. It's nearly impossible to find decent daycare that is affordable so that mom can work, so many do apply and qualify for assistance. What are they suppose to do, give their kids away or shot them. They love their children. I have talked with many women that at the end of the month don't have enough food so they go without so their children can eat. It is very sad.

Now that I know autism up close and personal, I can spot it a mile away and let tell everyone, there are lots of people with autism and the numbers are growing. Maybe not as fast as the latest numbers claim, but it is growing none the less, even if you don't believe it

[goonie4life9]

Unfortunately, there is little to no scientific evidence that what he does actually works. The “areas” of ADHD and autism are rife with pseudoscience and downright dishonesty. What is need are additional EMPIRICAL evaluations, not “see so-and-so’s work.” Unfortunately, at this point, there is no “quick fix,” and anyone offering one is suspect.

[goonie4life9]

Unfortunately, it is frustrating for many to have to continually “knock-down” the claim that wheat and gluten have something to do with autism. Autism is a neurological disorder (and may be established before birth) - eating certain foods, taking certain medications, etc., have nothing to do with it (good or bad).

Interestingly, what Jenny McCarthy never talks about is the 40-hours per week of intensive behavioral therapy her child was receiving. If a simple diet change or pill will “cure” autism, why waste time and money with any other therapy?