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Diliet Kubrom

Ms. Gardner

English 10H-period 4

9 May 2017

An Understanding to the Public:

Autisms Diagnosis Rates

Is the overdiagnosis of autism the cause of its high increase rates? Or have the improved

diagnostic tools led to more children being accurately diagnosed as autistic? Autism is a serious

developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism

affects as many as 1 in 45 American children and while though there is not a cure, we must focus

on helping our children have a better life (Healy). Although the diagnosis rate of autism has

soared over the last decade, the improved and newly developed diagnostic tools have led to more

children being accurately diagnosed, family members have been more educated on the disease,

and education plans set up ahead of time for the childs future.

Initially, many would say the increased rate in Autism is because many children are

being misdiagnosed. Since 1975, he prevalence of autism in the US was just 1 in 5,000 . It

jumped to 1 in 150 in 2002, and reached 1 in 68 in 2012, according to the US Centres for Disease

Control and Prevention (ABC). Views from the medical field was unsettling:

California-based psychologist Enrico Gnaulati, author of Back to Normal: Why Ordinary

Childhood Behavior Is Mistaken for ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, and Autism Spectrum

Disorder, says ADHD is now "as prevalent as the common cold" and argues the epidemic

may be less of a mental health crisis and more of a societal one. His book argues the

rising rates of both ADHD and autism are an indication of misdiagnoses (Evans).
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To summarize, few scientist of genetic diseases believe the rising rate of Autism diagnosis are

misdiagnosis and must be looked at again. Indeed, some believe children have been

misdiagnosed, especially those who were diagnosed before medical equipment became more

advanced. However, the improved and newly developed diagnostic tools have led to more

children being accurately diagnosed, thousands of dollars saved, and education plans set up

ahead of time for the childs future.

Admittedly, possibly a number of children have been misdiagnosed for the disease.

Nevertheless, when there are possibly hundreds and thousands of future children with the

disease, the help of improved and new diagnostic tools will help us in great ways. For one thing,

autism is a relatively new diagnostic option, and the definition of the condition has changed over

time, meaning many children could be considered autistic or not (C. McGinty). We are able to

understand the brain of a child with autism because of these tools. Thinking back to the 1988

movie "Rain Man" or the capability of Temple Grandin, an expert in animal behavior, the

common denominator among the full spectrum of disorders is the negative impact in their ability

to socialize or develop relationships (Templeton).The movies developed a door to a big, curious

question till this day: Why does autism affect the social ability and IQ? Based on this research,

Autism should not be labeled as a continuously misdiagnosed disease. This disability needs more

testing and producing results that can lead to cures being made and questions answered. In

summation, if thousands of children are possibly at risk of this disability, shouldnt we allow and

keep improved diagnostic tools for accurate diagnosis?

Furthermore, research shows that family members are more educated and now know how

to take care of their child effectively. In early 2000, Alison Singer, who gave birth to her
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daughter, was later diagnosed with autism. Referring to a common autistic treatment Singer

states, "I set up the home program -- 40 hours a week of applied behavioral analysis therapy."

(qtd. in Doheny) Eight years later in 2008, with the help from Singers daughter, Lauren, and her

husband Dan, she had become the executive vice president of Autism Speaks, an advocacy group

for Autism (Doheny). Kathleen Patrick, who is the VP of services for Easter Seals New Jersey

reveals that finding out your child is disabled is compared to planning a vacation trip to Italy,

then finding out you're actually going to Holland. She encourages families to enjoy Holland

and not dwell on that fact that youre not in Italy (Doheny). To elaborate, with new studies and

new findings from parents of autistic children, families have been more keen in the growth and

development of their child with the disability. As a result, many children have been integrated

with the main population because of the help from better understanding family members.

Ultimately, Individual Education Programs for autistic children can be set up while at

young ages that allows parents to be involved in their child's education. Each IEP is designed

specifically for the child with its purpose to set goals and objectives for a child to reach

(Bhandari). Parents have the right to choose where their kids will be educated. This choice

includes public or private elementary schools and secondary schools, including religious schools.

A legislation in 1975, known then as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) was

established to ensure that families would not pay for equal education that normal children

would receive (Portland). Based on this information we know that children with disabilities

struggle more than most in school and need all possible help. The results of medical equipment

evolving has helped many children being correctly and accurately diagnosed to well ensure a

better education. Overall, without the accurate diagnosis of disabilities, specifically Autism,
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children would not have the option of a more special, education services that establishes a child's

equality and potential to grow.

In conclusion, while the diagnosis rate of autism has soared over the last decade, the

improved and newly developed diagnostic tools have led to more children being accurately

diagnosed, family members being more educated on the disease, and the special education plans

set up ahead of time for the childs future. Our society should be based on equality and people

with diseases must be ensured the equality a person without a disease receives. Anyone can

educated themselves on autism and what it does. You could become an advocate and one day

help children with the disease and also help scientifically solve the case for the cure.

Works Cited (ABC)

Autism: Sharp spike in cases a result of shifting diagnosis methods, researchers say. ABC

News. 22 July, 2015, http://www.abc.net.au/news

Bachrach, Steven J. Individualized Education Programs. Kids Health, September, 2016,

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Kidshealth.org, http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/iep.html#

Doheny, Kathleen. Autism and Family Relationships. WebMD, 29 May, 2008, WebMD.com,

http://www.webmd.com/brain

Evans, Lisa. "Autism, ADHD Misdiagnosis." Ottawa Citizen, 11 Oct, 2014, pp. I.4, SIRS Issues

Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Healy, Melissa. "CDC Finds Higher Rate of Autism Cases." Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov, 2015,

pp. A.8, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for Autism. WebMD, 31 May, 2016, WebMD.com,

http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/individualized

McGinty, Jo C. "'Diagnostic Substitution' Drives Autism Spike." Wall Street Journal Online, 16

Sep, 2015, SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Past, Present, and Future of Special Education. Concordia University Portland, Oregon, 5

October, 2015, http://education.cu-portland.edu

Templeton, David. "Nature Or Nurture?" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 04 Nov, 2014, pp. E.1, SIRS

Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

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