U.S. Rates of Autism, ADHD Continue to Rise: Report

Reader Comments
Back to article

(1). you list autism first in the tittle along with the numbers "1 in 6" for shock factor, but even in your own article say only 0.74 percent of kids had received in autism diagnosis in 2006-2008, up from 0.19 percent in 1997-1999. It't a minor contributor to the rates you're are reporting. That's a dramatic misrepresentation.
‎(2). for ADHD, you report 7.6 percent of children were diagnosed with ADHD in 2006-2008, up from 5.7 percent in 1997-1999. But fail to mention overall in the US, the misdiagnosis rate is about 1 in 5 - around 900,000 of the 4.5 million children currently diagnosed with ADHD have been misdiagnosed! Many simply due to being the youngest in their Kindergarten classes, because they had missed the cut off date. The youngest diagnosed children are twice as likely to be on some sort of ADHD stimulant medication.
http://www.huliq.com/10017/adhd-misdiagnosis-rates-higher-ever
(3). you also buried these details, "boys were more likely to have a developmental disability than girls." "Hispanic children were the least likely to be diagnosed with a number of disabilities, compared with white and black children." "vChildren with public insurance, mainly Medicaid, were more likely to have disabilities than those on private insurance plans."
And FAILED to mention these are ALL class and gender factors, not due to general genes or general universal environmental issues. But those encountered in the specific life experience of kids in specific situations. Such as poor diet, social gender expectations, poor education, class related family stress like less stable home lives and economic issues. These are all huge factors in the behaviours we often diagnose as ADHD & ADD. not to mention depression.

Salgood 6:58PM May 23, 2011

Did the study think to ask the question, "was the child on Medicaid before the diagnosis?" In many states, children with developmental disabilities qualify for Medicaid and it is used to cover services like speech and occupational therapy as well as behavioral therapy. These services are necessary to fill in the gaps left by private insurance and the educational system.

Married Christian Disiplinarian Autism Mom of PA 6:21PM May 23, 2011

Fact is, the psychiatrists nor psychologists have a quantifiable definition of these "ailments" which they diagnose. Scratch the surface and one finds them in bed with the pharmacies making these stupifying drugs to render the li'l tykes compliant.

Daniel Davis of CA 4:37PM May 23, 2011

While current research looks at Medicare patient numbers and early diagnosis and treatment as a reason why these problems are going up in number, little is said about our social pressures, testing/academic pressures, food quality (preservatives and chemical additives etc.) and life styles as possible causes.
Later conception, fathering and better infant saving rates for disabled babies does lead to higher numbers, without a doubt, but as a 1st grade teacher of 44 years, I have long been disturbed by the home conditions and social expectations of many of my affected students.
Are the numbers in the United States consistent with other countries? I think not, and wonder if WE are causing the problem.

Donna Starr of WA 4:00PM May 23, 2011

While current research looks at Medicare patient numbers and early diagnosis and treatment as a reason why these problems are going up in number, little is said about our social pressures, testing/academic pressures, food quality (preservatives and chemical additives etc.) and life styles as possible causes.
Later conception, fathering and better infant saving rates for disabled babies does lead to higher numbers, without a doubt, but as a 1st grade teacher of 44 years, I have long been disturbed by the home conditions and social expectations of many of my affected students.
Are the numbers in the United States consistent with other countries? I think not, and wonder if WE are causing the problem.

Donna Starr of WA 3:58PM May 23, 2011

"So, are the number of children with developmental disabilities on the rise, or are parents and doctors getting better at detecting cases?"
Or, are large pharmaceutical companies providing more and more funding (both to "scientists" that would otherwise not have any job at all and to politicians for whom they are buying elections) to identify these "diseases" that--miraculously!--they happen to have a drug that can used to treat them. (Note!: Always treat, never cure! If you cure it they only have to buy once but if you "treat" it they have to buy every day! Legalized drug addiction!)
This scam, if allowed to continue, will ruin the future of America. 99.9% of these diagnosed kids could be cured with two things:
1.) A father in the household as a head of the household
2.) Discipline
I would like to see what the rates are for these diseases in middle class Christian (or other religious) households headed by a father. In my church the rate is zero.

Mike of WA 3:26PM May 23, 2011

and the behaviors exist on a continuum. Individuals who meet a cut off score for the diagnostic instrument are labeled, those who do not have no disability. Both disorders at their less severe levels can be seen as a failure to meet societal expectations of behavior. Both at their more severe levels are clearly intrinsic to the child's being. Perhaps kids are pretty much the same these days, but society's expectations have changed? I am a Nationally Certified School Psychologist who no longer practices, in part due to feeling uncomfortable about labeling children who do not meet parental or societal expectations as "disabled."

Lee of NC 1:48PM May 23, 2011

When your child is born, you want the world for them. When they seem to be slower at advancing than other kids, you pass it off as "everyone advances differently". When they seem to become obsessed with stacking cans, lining things up in rows for hours on end, spinning in circles turning their eyes to the sides... you pass it off as a very structured and unique child who is very organized... and likes to spin around. When your child's language is non existent by three despite everything you've tried, screams and howls for hours because they are woken up from a nap, acts feral despite living in a structured environment, won't eat similar foods because of shape and texture.
With these and similar oddities, people seek help. When vision and hearing tests turn up fine, and physical exams show nothing wrong, parents start to worry. Why? Most worried parents don't expect their children to be perfect, but developmentally there are milestones that children need to meet so they can continue to advance and mature. Not just for the U.S. system, but for a natural developmental system in the human body as the brain grows and advances. If children don't get the right help, speech therapy, physical therapy, or socialization then they will be branded as those "bad kids/people" and ostracized for life more so than with treatment.
As far as doctors and money? Yes, there are many worthless doctors, "specialists" who don't know their butts from a hole in a ground. But do you know what's worse than a doctor who runs a bunch of tests? One who says there's nothing wrong with you, or your child when there legitimately is.
After almost a year, my child after many tests and evaluations, was diagnosed with developmental conditions and has genetic deletion of material for reasons unknown.
Sadly though, my child will still struggle where I am at even if I can get assistance. Therapy is 25 miles away, gas and cars are expensive, and insurance won't cover speech therapy unless the child earned it from a Traumatic Brain Injury such as a car wreck or a stroke, and our Social Security system is being drained by people who walk around with neck braces one day and go roofing the next. It's easier to get assistance for "depression" than it is for "autism". The further away you are from major cities the harder it is to get help... not that working class can afford what insurance don't cover, and who can realistically drive 50 miles a day three plus days a week for therapy WHILE working 40+ hours a week?

Helpless in Ohio of OH 11:32AM May 23, 2011

The experts attribute the rise to better awareness or better methods of diagnosis. They make it sound like a good thing. Many of the comments I’ve read seem a lot more plausible to me, such as all the chemicals we are adding to our diets (especially in America). There is one sentence in this report that stands out: “Children with public insurance, mainly Medicaid, were more likely to have disabilities than those on private insurance plans.” Statistically, children with public insurance are less likely to have better methods of diagnosis available to them and are more likely to have unhealthy diets.

Truman 11:09AM May 23, 2011