And the question is: why is the rate of ASD increasing? What’s changed?
The government schools get more money when they have kids that are diagnosed with special needs. Does that incentive cause the increase?
One in 59 eight-year-olds has autism spectrum disorder, according to a new Centers for Disease Control report.
The rate of autism diagnoses has risen sharply since 200, when one in 150 children were diagnosed with autism, reports Karen Weintraub in USA Today.
The children of educated, affluent white and Asian-American parents are the most likely to be diagnosed with autism, but African-American and Hispanic children are narrowing the gap.
The CDC found no environmental factors explaining the rise.
Autism rates vary, notes USA Today. “New Jersey diagnosing nearly 3% of its schoolchildren with autism while Arkansas is closer to 1%.”
Were too few children being diagnosed with autism in the past? Or are too many receiving an autism spectrum disorder label now?
Enrique Duarte’s mother fought with the school district to recognize his autism diagnosis, he writes on La Comadre. She homeschooled him until she found a charter school with the flexibility to meet his needs. He’s earned a college scholarship to study music.