The Trends
Welcome to the “Trends” section of Autism Reading Room. You recently learned that research on autism physiology is becoming more prominent. To learn more about the history of autism research and diagnosis, we encourage you to read “Autism Over the Decades” in this section. You may also like to try out Google Tools with the word combinations we have already selected to identify autism-related trends on the Internet.
In this corner of Autism Reading Room, you will:
- Learn the history of autism research and diagnosis
- Put the latest autism news in context
- Interpret statistical analysis
- Expose common autism misconceptions
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is estimated to be nearly 1 in 110 children in the United States. Today, the percentage of children expected to have ASD is much larger than in past decades. What has changed? Has the number of cases of ASD actually increased, or has our medical system become more attuned to behaviors associated with an ASD diagnosis?
Statistics have a powerful ability to support beliefs and shape attitudes, but the statistics surrounding ASD can be difficult to interpret without context. To address commonly held assumptions about ASD, our statisticians examine trends in ASD prevalence and diagnosis.