Rising autism diagnoses: improved detection or increasing incidence?

Psychology -- Autism -- Literature Review

Are the numbers of Autistic children being born increasing, or were they always there but now being diagnosed more?

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a collection of persistent neurodevelopmental disorders typically diagnosed in early childhood. They are currently diagnosed by detection of a group of core symptoms, including disabilities in social interaction skills, disabilities in communication skills and repetitive stereotypical behaviors. In the mid-1970s, 1 in 5,000 American children were diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorders; however, in 2013, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asserted that 1 in 55 children were diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorders. As traits and diagnostic tools are constantly refined, a significant research question becomes: "Are the numbers of Autistic children being born increasing, or were they always there but now being diagnosed more?" Literature review reveals that diagnostic criteria have drastically changed in the past several decades, diagnostic tools have undergone intense scrutiny and refinement, and healthcare providers are more thoroughly trained to recognize ASD symptoms. Consequently, at this research juncture, it appears that the higher incidence of ASD diagnoses is due to scientific advancements in diagnosis.

B. Literature Review

1. Asimenia, A., Francis, K., Vasiadi, M., Alysandratos, K.-D., Zhang, B., Theoharides, A., . . . Theoharides, T. C. (2010, August 23). Neurotensin is increased in serum of young children with autistic disorder. Retrieved from jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com: http://jneuroinflammation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1742-2094-7-48

2. Davide-Rivera, J. (2012). Twirling naked in the streets and no one noticed: Growing up with undiagnosed autism. New York: David and Goliath Publishing.

3. Hallett, V., Ronald, A., Rijsdijk, F., & Happe, F. (2010). Association of autistic-like and internalizing traits during childhood: A longitudinal twin study. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 167(7), 809-817.

4. Machado, C., Estevez, M., Leisman, G., Melillo, R., & Rodriguez, R. (2015). QEEG spectral and coherence assessment of autistic children in three different experimental conditions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(2), 406-424.

5. Majewska, M. D., Hill, M., Urbanowicz, E., Rok-bujko, P., & Biekowski, P. (2014). Marked elevation of adrenal steroids, especially androgens, in saliva of prepubertal autistic children. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 23(6), 485-498.

6. Mitchell, C. (2014). The search for a timely diagnosis: Parents' experiences of their child being diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 26(1), 49-62.

7. Pellicano, E. (2012). Do autistic symptoms persist across time? Evidence of substantial change in symptomatology over a 3-year period in cognitively able children with autism. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 117(2), 156-166.

8. Russell, G., Ford, T., Steer, C., & Golding, J. (2010). Identification of children with the same level of impairment as children on the autistic spectrum, and analysis of their service use. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 51(6), 643-651.

9. Russell, G., Golding, J., Norwich, B., Edmond, A., Ford, T., & Steer, C. (2012). Social and behavioural outcomes in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders: a longitudinal cohort study. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 53(7), 735-744.