It seems as if the topic of autism las vegas comes up more often these days than it
did in the past. This is no wonder because the rate of children diagnosed with
this developmental disorder has increased dramatically in the last couple of
decades. In the 1980s, about one out of 2,000 children got this diagnosis.
Today, the rate is closer to one child out of 150. Meanwhile, scientists and
doctors have no definite conclusions about the reasons why.
The Diagnosis for Autism is Expanding
It is surely alarming when parents learn that their child has been diagnosed
with autism. One clear reason that more children get this label than did in the
past is because the definition for this condition has expanded in the last
couple of years.
For example, Asperger's syndrome and pervasive development disorder, also
called PDD, used to have their own formal names but be informally considered
mild forms of autism. The diagnosis of autism now includes these disorders, and
they don't formally retain their own names in diagnostic manuals.
Were Children Properly Diagnoses in the Past?
In fact, some children who have the milder forms of this condition may have
never been diagnosed a decade or more ago. At least, they might not have been
diagnosed with autism but something else. Growing awareness of symptoms, even
among medical professionals, may lead to an autism diagnosis today but would
not have in the past.
Ten or twenty years ago, some of these kids might have been diagnosed with
with ADHD Las Vegas or other cities with big medical centers. Many were also
classified as having a low IQ, but that might not have been the case at all.
Instead, problems with communication might have been interfered with these
children's ability to score well on standard IQ tests. Regardless, if the wrong
diagnosis was a low IQ or ADD in Las Vegas, the child might have gotten the
wrong treatment and been terribly misunderstood.
Other children might have just been considered a bit odd because the
condition interfered with their social abilities. This is not to minimize the
severity of this condition for some individuals, but there are plenty of
examples of famous people who seem to have autistic tendencies but never had a
formal diagnosis.
Does it Matter Why Autism Rates are Rising?
Some doctors say that they aren't sure why rates are higher than they were
in the past, but they also add that isn't the most important concern. They
believe researchers should try to focus on why the rates are what they are
today and not worry about the past. Even though scientists believe that autism
is a product of a certain combination of genes and environmental factors, they
are not at all sure what those are or how much they matter.
