Daria Sova
Dr. Huculak
English 135
15 December 2014
Are There Any Convincing Explanations of the Rise In Autism Cases in Children?
Autism is a word that every modern parent is aware, and even afraid of. This word autism, however, has become common quite recently. It first appeared in 1943-1944 when Leo Kanner in Baltimore and Hans Asperger in Vienna, published articles describing a childhood disorder named “autism”. They actually borrowed this term from Kraepelin and Bleuler, who used it to “describe the escape from reality and withdrawal seen in schizophrenia” (Catherine and Frédérique 2431-2443). Now the term “autism spectrum disorder”(ASD) refers to a “condition of early childhood characterized by multiple impairments in socialization and communication, as well as unusual interests and repetitive behavior”(Lawrence and Karen 51-53). According to Dr.Jose Cordero, director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, autism has become an “urgent public health issue”(Caroline). It is a global phenomenon occurring in industrialized countries. Statistics shows a huge increase of autism in children: in 2000 every one in 150 children was autistic compared to one in 68 now(Alice). The most well known causes of autism are the use of vaccines, the increasing age of parents, and genetically modified foods. In addition, most researchers now believe that autism is caused by a complex interaction of genetic and environmental triggers and possibly the use of
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
Autism has become an increasingly important public health concern as the number of yearly diagnoses of the disorder has increased since the late 20th century. The National Institute of Health estimates that 1 in 88 children in the United States are classified as having an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (NINDS, 2009), a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs children 's ability to learn and causes issues with social interaction and communication. Symptoms of ASD include delays in speech and language, issues with social interaction, and unusual behaviors/routines.
The article “Autism Is a Serious Public Health Crisis” is presented in manner intended to generate a shock reaction in its selective audience. It does this by using scare tactics and repetitious trigger words such as lies, epidemic and crisis. Though this piece is intended to be informative about the autism crisis and the author’s perception of the truth behind its cause, the argument ultimately is one based in ignorance and heavily driven by pathos.
Every year one in 68 Americans is diagnosed with autism. There are more than 3.5 million Americans living with an autism spectrum disorder (Autism Society), which makes it the fastest growing developmental disorder in the United States, hence the significant amount of studies being done to explore its characteristics and find solutions. Autism, also known as ASD, is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that is categorized by dysfunctions in social situations, communications, constrained interests, and repetitive stereotypic behaviors (Siniscalco et al). These behaviors can range from mild to very severe, and may be accompanied with other disorders. Autism can be diagnosed during early childhood, while symptoms begin to show during the first
In the United States, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between 1 in 80 and 1 in 240, for an average of 1 in 110 children have an autism spectrum disorder, “ASD” (Nirv, Shah 2011). According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, up to six out of every 1,000 children may be diagnosed with some form of autism. In addition, boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism. This means that as many as 1.5 million Americans today are believed to have some form of autism. Unfortunately, the numbers appear to be increasing rapidly. Autism is a disability that frequently appears during the first three years of life. It is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the
Although it is 2017, a lot of controversies lurk around the term; Autism, in so far as it remains to be mystifying while we are advancing and improving the quality of life on nearly a daily basis. Furthermore, its linkage to vaccination continues to be the source of parental outcries among different cultures and populations.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, deficits in social skills, and repetitive or restricted behavior. In recent years, the number of diagnosis for autism and pervasive developmental disorders have been rising drastically. Many areas have been explored as a means of describing this phenomenon, but no one reason has proven definitive. Some possible explanations include but are not limited to: changes in mental health care, an overall increase in maternal and paternal age, and an introduction of multiple vaccines. The increase in autism is far from being fully explained and more research is needed to understand this proliferation.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or autism is a general term that people use to describe a series of complex brain development disorders. This disease affects a person’s social skills and causes the brain to react differently in social situations than most peoples. Autism is most commonly found in a child’s first 3 years of their life, but it is not uncommon for an adult to be diagnosed with autism. ASD affects more than 2 million people in the United States alone. It is said that there is a 1 in 42 chance of autism in boys, and a 1 in 168
Autism affects a broad range of children and can occur abruptly without warning; a healthy toddler can simply deteriorate into an autistic world and stop advancing through social and communicative milestones (Sears, 2010). Nonetheless, most infants appear to display traits of ASD from birth leading to an early diagnosis (Sears, 2010). A recent 2014 population report conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded that 1 in 68 children in the United States are affected by autism (Autism speaks, 2014; Fournier, 2014). As reported by
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.
As shown to be an epidemic, autism ranges in differences of initial cause, symptoms, precautions taken, and responses to interventions, as well as the possibility of a cure, is at the least described as complex. Autism Spectrum Disorder, which was rare in the 1980’s started to increasingly spread in early diagnoses, rising exponentially during the mid-1990. Before the increase it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a general practitioner and pediatricians to go their whole practice without seeing a single case. Autism Spectrum Disorder is described as a Biological and Neurological disorder that both genetics and the toxic environment around us trigger a range of symptoms, affecting the immunological system, neurological and gastrointestinal systems,
Autism, formally known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), was first recognized in 1943 by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner while studying a group of children. He observed that these individuals “did not seem to be interested in other people, socially or emotionally (Bardhan-Quallen, 2005).” This complex genetic disorder impacts the brain in the early stages of development and produces a wide range of complications in one’s communication skills, social interactions, and educational performance. The cause of this condition has been linked to too few or too many genes on chromosome 15 and is associated with fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis (Whiteman, 2015). In addition, research has indicated that ASD primarily affects the white matter of the brain which is responsible for connecting different parts of the brain via nerve fibers. Throughout the past decades, the number of autism cases has increased drastically and is now considered to be the fastest-growing developmental disability. In fact, more people are diagnosed with autism than cancer, AIDS, and diabetes combined (Rosenblatt & Carbone, 2012).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is about 1 in every 68 American children who are on the autism spectrum. This is a ten-fold rise in prevalence for 40 years. This increase has been elaborated by the explained by improved and arising diagnosis and awareness of the condition. Further, a study reveals that 1 out of 42 boys is autistic in the United States whereas for the girls it’s 1 in 189. According to the National Center for Health Center for Health Statistics report, between the ages 3 to 17, children diagnosed with autism rose by about 80 % in the year 2014 more than it was previously as recorded in 2011 to 2013. A writer of the Washington post reported that the health officials were alarmed by the research that the prevalence rate is at 1 in every 45 children in
One in 100 children will be born with a type of Autism. This number has doubled since the mid-1990’s (Nature Education). Autism affects 1.5 million people (Howard). Autism develops within the first years of life and is four times more likely to be present in boys than in girls (Kinsey). Some researchers believe autism caused by failure to prune sufficient nerve cells, or to get rid of damaged nerve cells in the proper manner (Howard). There is treatment for all types of autism and are available but none are known to be curable. Autos, which means self is the Greek work for Autism (Kinsey). In the 1920’s Dr. Leo Kanner concluded that the cause of Autism was because of “refrigerator mother”. Kanner used that term to refer to mothers that were cold and distant from their children and reasoned that it was the mothers fault for the child having autism (Parks). Autism actually has nothing to do with parenting and you cannot grow out of it (Freedman). Intensive behavior and/or developmental therapy, along with speech, occupational and physical therapies- are likely to be similar no matter what the official autism spectrum diagnosis (Rudy). There is no single cause for any of these disorders and they are all due to abnormalities in the structure or function of the brain (Kinsey). Therapy that all disorders use is behavior therapy, psychotherapy, special education, structured treatment, program with speech therapy, and occupational therapists (Kinsey). Treatments work better than
Throughout the years interest in Autism has significantly increase. The numbers of children who have autism and autism spectrum disorder have also increased. Many people have become more aware of autism and have developed a deep knowledge regarding such disorder. According to Center for Disease Control 1 of every 110 children has an autism spectrum disorder (CDC, 2010). Autism disorders are usually display around the age of three but might be unknown or not diagnosed until later (Overton). Autism is defined as a developmental disorder that features impairment in social functions and communication, also include repetitive/ restrictive behavior (Corsello, 2005). Overton goes further and clarify that these behaviors are considered as pervasive, they are categorized by major complications in ability for social reciprocity, communication delays, and repetitive behavior.