Research paper design and methodology

Autism, first identified in around the 1930s, has been described as a clinical disorder that is characterized by impairment in individuals towards social interaction and communication. Such individuals are also restricted and stereotyped in the patterns of interests and behaviors [1]. At present, the prevalence of autism in the population in the United States is around one in every 68 children; which include roughly 1 in every 42 boys identified (2) Such figures have increased significantly over the years. When compared to the similar figures in the early 1970s, the rates of prevalence of diagnosed autism were estimated to be about 1 in 2,500 in the early 1970s [3] which is many times lower than the present rates.

While the above numbers suggest that there has been a dramatic increase in the prevalence of diagnosed autism over the past few decades, it has also fueled an ongoing debate and an uncertainty about what portion of the rise in diagnosed autism is because of a real increase in the condition and how much is due to the fact that more cases are being diagnosed due to better and expanding diagnosis. In this study, we would conduct an in-depth study to find out answers to this question as well as investigate the methods and the ways that researchers have used to arrive at a conclusion in researcher previously done on this issue. For this purpose, this research would require undertaking a close examination of both qualitative and quantitative aspects of research and incorporate ideas and proven facts from previous researchers.

According to a research done by Rice et al., on the changes in the prevalence of the Autism Spectrum Disorders, the disease is expected to happen in about one percent of children in the United States. The researchers claim that this rate of prevalence is very similar to the rates that of the disease that is seen in other countries (Rice et al., n.d.). Also, in a research work titled "A comparison of temporal trends in the United States autism prevalence to trends in suspected environmental factors," researcher Cynthia D Nevison conducts a study on figures that indicate a significant rise in cases of diagnosed autism in the U.S. since the early 1970s. The researcher, while studying the reality of the phenomenal rise in the incidents concludes: "The increase is mainly real and has occurred mostly since the late 1980s. In contrast, children's exposure to most of the top ten toxic compounds has remained flat or decreased over this same time frame. Environmental factors with increasing temporal trends can help suggest hypotheses for drivers of autism that merit further investigation" (Nevison, 2014).