A few days ago, as Autism Awareness Month nears the end, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new report regarding how widespread autism is. [To read this report, please click here.] Based upon data collected by The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM), the new rate of autism is the highest ever, with one in 59 children in the United States estimated to have autism.
According to the CDC report, the data collected by the ADDM focused upon children who were eight years old because most children with autism are diagnosed by age eight. However, the report is typically published four years after the survey year, which means those children in the current report are now twelve years old.
Perhaps more enlightening is to observe the increase of autism in the past decade as shown in the ADDM data. [To read this CDC report, please click here.] Specifically, the data on autism prevalence is as follows:
In the 2009 report on 2006 data, the rate of autism was 1 in
110 U.S. children.
In the 2012 report on 2008 data, the rate of autism was 1 in
88 U.S. children.
In the 2014 report on 2010 data, the rate of autism was 1 in
68 U.S. children.
In the recent 2018 report on 2014 data, the current autism
rate is 1 in 59 U.S. children.
Despite these significant increases, the CDC doesn’t seem terribly concerned and only offers two suggestions––early diagnosis of autism and early intervention. However, the CDC report also notes that the median age for the earliest diagnosis of autism is 52 months. Apparently, this figure is relatively the same for both genders and all ethnicities. While 85% of children with autism have documented mentions of developmental concerns by age 36 months, only 42% had been thoroughly evaluated for autism by 36 months.
While early diagnosis and intervention is certainly a good idea, clearly this is not happening. Perhaps more doctors need to be trained in recognizing early signs of autism, and more resources need to be available so that children can benefit from early assessment and intervention. However, with the rapidly increasing numbers of children who have autism, the waiting lists for autism intervention services are also increasing.
In the Public Health Action section of the CDC report, the agency notes that because of the prevalence of autism, “…the need for behavioral, educational, residential, and occupational services remains high, as does the need for increased research on both genetic and nongenetic risk factors for ASD.” Sadly, most of the government-funded research offers little hope toward finding a cure for autism. Consequently, even more government funds will be needed to treat, teach, house, and employ the increasing number of children and adults with autism. At what point will the CDC recognize that autism is a major health crisis in this country?
In response to the recent CDC report, Time magazine published an article online on April 26, 2018, entitled “This May Be Why Autism Diagnoses Are On the Rise, According to the CDC.” [To read this article, please click here.] Written by Jamie Ducharme, the article notes that, according to the CDC, the highest ever rates of autism are probably due to better diagnosis and reporting of autism, especially in the black and Hispanic communities. However, the CDC report actually indicates that age of diagnosis for all ethnicities is fairly similar. Nonetheless, this article perpetuates the myth that the actual rate of autism isn’t increasing; only better diagnosis and data could possibly have caused the increase. To further the improved diagnosis cause, the author quotes a chief medical officer at the CDC, Dr. Stuart Shapira: “It’s likely in part due to better identification, more screening and referral to services.” Even Dr. Shapira hedges the better diagnosis reasoning as the cause for autism increases with his “likely in part” qualification.
Offering only the suggestion of better diagnosis and data for the rising autism rates, the author also echoes the CDC stance on the importance of early diagnosis and intervention. The article quotes CDC expert on developmental disabilities Dr. Daisy Christensen: “The soonest a child can be identified and connected to services, the better chance they have at reaching their full potential.” Again, because so many children have autism now, many must wait to be evaluated, and even after they receive autism diagnoses, they must wait longer to receive funding and services they desperately need. In an ideal world, children would receive autism diagnoses as soon as possible and then immediately begin receiving therapies to develop their skills. In a truly ideal world, no child would have autism.
Ironically, the CDC motto is “Saving Lives, Protecting People,” yet the CDC has failed to make significant progress in determining the true cause of autism. As a result, many children with autism have drowned in deep water and been hit by cars as they wandered from places of safety. Others have struggled with serious medical conditions, such as seizures and severe gastrointestinal disorders. Still others deal with anxiety, bipolar disorder, and OCD. These people with autism, nearly half of whom cannot speak, must be protected.
As we near the end of another Autism Awareness Month, the CDC appears to be no closer to solving the puzzle of autism. We need to stop counting eight-year-old children with autism and figure out how to help them and all the other people with autism. Furthermore, the CDC must allocate funds more judiciously to find the cause of autism in order to find a cure. In less than ten years, the rate of children with autism has nearly doubled. Those eight-year-old children with autism grow up to be adults with autism. Ignoring or even minimizing this public health crisis will not come to a good end. As the parent support group Talk About Curing Autism wisely proclaimed in response to the CDC report last week: “It’s time to care.”
Despite these significant increases, the CDC doesn’t seem terribly concerned and only offers two suggestions––early diagnosis of autism and early intervention. However, the CDC report also notes that the median age for the earliest diagnosis of autism is 52 months. Apparently, this figure is relatively the same for both genders and all ethnicities. While 85% of children with autism have documented mentions of developmental concerns by age 36 months, only 42% had been thoroughly evaluated for autism by 36 months.
While early diagnosis and intervention is certainly a good idea, clearly this is not happening. Perhaps more doctors need to be trained in recognizing early signs of autism, and more resources need to be available so that children can benefit from early assessment and intervention. However, with the rapidly increasing numbers of children who have autism, the waiting lists for autism intervention services are also increasing.
In the Public Health Action section of the CDC report, the agency notes that because of the prevalence of autism, “…the need for behavioral, educational, residential, and occupational services remains high, as does the need for increased research on both genetic and nongenetic risk factors for ASD.” Sadly, most of the government-funded research offers little hope toward finding a cure for autism. Consequently, even more government funds will be needed to treat, teach, house, and employ the increasing number of children and adults with autism. At what point will the CDC recognize that autism is a major health crisis in this country?
In response to the recent CDC report, Time magazine published an article online on April 26, 2018, entitled “This May Be Why Autism Diagnoses Are On the Rise, According to the CDC.” [To read this article, please click here.] Written by Jamie Ducharme, the article notes that, according to the CDC, the highest ever rates of autism are probably due to better diagnosis and reporting of autism, especially in the black and Hispanic communities. However, the CDC report actually indicates that age of diagnosis for all ethnicities is fairly similar. Nonetheless, this article perpetuates the myth that the actual rate of autism isn’t increasing; only better diagnosis and data could possibly have caused the increase. To further the improved diagnosis cause, the author quotes a chief medical officer at the CDC, Dr. Stuart Shapira: “It’s likely in part due to better identification, more screening and referral to services.” Even Dr. Shapira hedges the better diagnosis reasoning as the cause for autism increases with his “likely in part” qualification.
Offering only the suggestion of better diagnosis and data for the rising autism rates, the author also echoes the CDC stance on the importance of early diagnosis and intervention. The article quotes CDC expert on developmental disabilities Dr. Daisy Christensen: “The soonest a child can be identified and connected to services, the better chance they have at reaching their full potential.” Again, because so many children have autism now, many must wait to be evaluated, and even after they receive autism diagnoses, they must wait longer to receive funding and services they desperately need. In an ideal world, children would receive autism diagnoses as soon as possible and then immediately begin receiving therapies to develop their skills. In a truly ideal world, no child would have autism.
Ironically, the CDC motto is “Saving Lives, Protecting People,” yet the CDC has failed to make significant progress in determining the true cause of autism. As a result, many children with autism have drowned in deep water and been hit by cars as they wandered from places of safety. Others have struggled with serious medical conditions, such as seizures and severe gastrointestinal disorders. Still others deal with anxiety, bipolar disorder, and OCD. These people with autism, nearly half of whom cannot speak, must be protected.
As we near the end of another Autism Awareness Month, the CDC appears to be no closer to solving the puzzle of autism. We need to stop counting eight-year-old children with autism and figure out how to help them and all the other people with autism. Furthermore, the CDC must allocate funds more judiciously to find the cause of autism in order to find a cure. In less than ten years, the rate of children with autism has nearly doubled. Those eight-year-old children with autism grow up to be adults with autism. Ignoring or even minimizing this public health crisis will not come to a good end. As the parent support group Talk About Curing Autism wisely proclaimed in response to the CDC report last week: “It’s time to care.”
“The Lord hears His people when they call to Him for help.
He rescues them from all their troubles.” Psalm 34:17
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