Is Autism Really Still on the Rise?

Many believe that with increased awareness of autism spectrum disorder came a more powerful effort to diagnose it, especially among children, whereas many doctors might have previously dismissed many symptoms. This could be a potential factor in the argument that there are no more children with autism spectrum disorder today than previously, simply more diagnoses.

A study done by David S. Mandell, a children's psychiatric epidemiology expert at the University of Pennsylvania, illuminated that states that have higher education-related spending have a higher prevalence of autism spectrum disorder. Mandell and his co-author state that education-related spending "may be associated with better-trained educational staff who can recognize, and more and better trained in-school specialists who can provide screening." Not only was a higher prevalence associated with states with higher spending on the education system, but also in states where there are more pediatricians and health centers based in schools, which they say shows "access to pediatricians and school-based health centers may lead to improved recognition of ASD." The authors believe that these differences should be factored into estimates that people use to analyze the rates of autism spectrum disorder among children.