Kristie McNealy, MD

There are many theories behind the rising rate of autism diagnosis, including vaccinations, cell phones, cord clamping, rising rates of prematurity, cable TV, etc, etc.  Obviously, some ideas are more credible than others, but one possibility has always been the idea that perhaps changes in diagnostic criteria and awareness are to blame, and not an actual increase in autism prevalence.

A small study funded by the Wellcome Trust suggests that many children who were diagnosed with severe language disorders in the 1980s and 1990s would today be diagnosed as having autism.  The study looked at records from 38 adults who were diagnosed with developmental language disorders as children, and determined whether their previously documented behavior in childhood or their current behavior as adults met the current diagnostic criteria for autism.

Results showed that one quarter of the adults in the study currently met autism spectrum diagnostic criteria.  While this study was small, when considered along with the results of a UK study which found that the rise in autism was mirrored by a concurrent decline in the frequency of language disorders, it lends credibility to the fact that at least some of the increase in autism is related to changes in diagnosis.  Although this study doesn’t prove that there hasn’t also been a real rise in autism prevalence, along with an increase in diagnosis, more research into this area is clearly warranted.

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