Autism Epidemic
The majority of people in America are affected by autism in some way. A study done by Dr. Russell L. Blaylock in 2008 says, “In the early 1980s, the incidence of children diagnosed with an ASD was about 1 in 10,000 children. By 2005, the incidence had leaped to about 1 in 250 and today it is more than 1 in 150 and appears to be still climbing…” even in the past ten years, the number of autistic children has grown. There is no ignoring this fact. This significant rise in autism can be attributed to an increase in vaccinations, diagnostic substitution, and wireless phones.
Looking back to the time that our grandparents were children, there were little to no ‘mandatory’ vaccinations. The image to the right shows the increase in vaccinations and the number of people diagnosed with autism
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In the previous decade, there could have been plenty of autistic children that weren’t labeled as such. The opposite is also true. Many children who have a learning disorder may have been seen as autistic. Dr. Paul Shattuck says, “A kid labeled autistic today could have been labeled mentally retarded 10 years ago in the same school system.” Shattuck believes that children are simply just being reclassified in an attempt to manipulate the facts. The definition of autism is constantly being broadened, and as a result, the number of children that fall into the category of ‘autistic’ is increased. “In the 1990’s the diagnosis of autism was changed to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) - the new name reflecting the changing concept of autism to include a broader spectrum of symptoms...” Professor Dorothy Bishop studied adults who were diagnosed with a language disorder. She then compared their symptoms to our new criteria and found that 25% of them would be considered autistic by today’s standards. With a more generic definition of this disorder comes more children diagnosed with
Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.
No. Autism is a condition that affects the brain and makes it very hard to communicate, interact and staying focus around others. The cause of autism, also can be called autism spectrum disorder has not been identified in the world of medicine. However genetics and the environments we expose ourselves to sometimes have contribution to children developing this condition.
“Today one in every 150 children has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum; 20 years ago that statistic was one in 10,000” (Mooney, 2009, p. 58). There are many vaccines that are administered to children today that protect them from measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, tetanus, invasive Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) infections, etc. (Miller & Reynolds, 2009, p. 167). Among these and many other diseases children are currently being vaccinated against 14 diseases, and these take place from infancy until the start of kindergarten. These childhood vaccinations are given as early as they can be to make sure the children are protected against any diseases that can occur in their
vaccinations are said to cause autism and other mental disorders for the children later on
People in today’s society hear more about autism and its prevalence in school systems than they did ten years ago. A study was done between 2002 and 2006 in the state of New Jersey to determine whether or not autism was becoming more and more prevalent. “For 2006, a total of 533 children with autism spectrum disorder were identified, consistent with prevalence of 17.4 per 1000, indicating a significant increase in the disorder from 2002 where the prevalence was
Autism is a syndrome that is characterized by the impairment of social interaction skills, verbal and nonverbal communication, and a decreased interest in participating in a variety of activities. In 1943, Kanner, the man who is attributed with the identification of this disease, hypothesized that autism might be a biological disorder as opposed to a psychological one. Numerous studies have been conducted supporting Kanner’s hypothesis. These studies have ranged from examining the effects of rubella to investigating certain purine metabolic disorders as possible etiological agents. Recently, the areas of neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and genetics have played a crucial role in developing a clearer picture into
“Autism is a disorder characterized by severe difficulties in social interaction and communication and with unusual behaviors.” (Dr. David Pauls 2003). This disorder is assumed to be caused by genetics, environmental toxins and/or prenatal care. (Harvard Medical School 2013). Social behaviors/interactions affected by Autism is the ability to process learning, communication and family/peer relationships. Autism is a disorder in which its cause makes it impossible to prevent and it takes a toll on its victim’s everyday life tasks.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is defined as a neurodevelopmental condition that is classified by a triad of impairments. These impairments are in communication, socialization, and repetitive patterns of behavior (Wolf, 2004). Autism affects about 1% of the current population (Shishido, Branko, & Norio, 2013). This disorder seems like a common diagnosis in the current day in age but the disorder was only discovered around sixty years ago. The two founding researchers that discovered the disorder are Kanner and Asperger. Since then there has been a significant amount of research on the disorder and they have narrowed down the criteria associated with Autism. Since the discovery of Autism Spectrum Disorder, there has been many debates on what causes this condition. When it was, a recent discovery scientist thought it could have been caused by many factors including psychological conditions and poor parenting. Now research has shifted in another direction (Wolf, 2004). In recent years, there has been a debate if childhood vaccinations or genetic mutations cause the disorder. This debate has led many parents to stop vaccinating their children in case it does cause the disorder. In 2010 (de los Reyes) the immunization rates fell to 80%. These parents’ decisions greatly effects the nation’s public health so it has fueled even more research to find the cause. A very common vaccine that has been said to cause the disorder is the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine or the MMR vaccine. This
Autistic infants often show little or no interest in other people and lack typical social behaviors. For example, they may not smile at their mother's voice or make eye contact with caregivers. Autistic children fail to develop normal relationships with their parents, brothers or sisters, and other children. Often they seem unaware of the needs and feelings of other people, and may not respond if another person is hurt or in distress. They also fail to make friends.
In the United States, autism may affect up to 115,000 children between one and 15 years of age with an uncertain prevalence in adults (Rapin, 1998). Because of the high number of cases in the United States alone, testing has grown and encompasses many different ages and areas of autistic patients and their symptoms. Because of increased testing, researchers have found different options to meet the challenges autism presents.
What is Autism? How is Autism classified? What causes Autism? Why do Autism happen? There are some many questions about Autism, and what it is. Many of those questions are still unknown. Everyday researchers are exploring reasons for these questions.
In 2011, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that on average, 1 in 10 children each year are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 304). However, the number of children diagnosed with autism in recent years is
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Autism is a developmental disability that affects all areas of behavior and perception. Approximately 10 out of every 10,000 children are diagnosed with autism and four out of five are males. Autism is the third most common developmental disability, more common than Down Syndrome. Children with Autism are characterized by impairment in several areas of development such as: Cognitive, Language, Play/Socialization skills and exhibit many challenging behaviors. Behavior Patterns of Autism:
In recent years there has been an increasing amount of media coverage on the rising number of children who have been diagnosed with autism. On social media, there are people who have stated that autism wasn’t a problem when they were a kid, so why is it a problem now? The context of this question is saying that not many people had autism then, and now more children are being diagnosed with the disorder. However this question can also be taken as someone asking why society as a whole now sees autism as a problem.