Autism Spectrum Disorders |
 | Signs of Autism |
| Facts and Myths |
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| FACTS AND MYTHS |
- 1 in 110 children are diagnosed with autism. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009)
- Autism affects all races, ethnicities, household incomes and lifestyles.
- 1 in 70 boys is diagnosed on the autism spectrum. (Autism Speaks)
- A child is diagnosed with autism every 20 minutes.
- It is estimated that autism diagnoses are growing at an annual rate of 10-17%. (Autism Society of America)
- Boys are four to five times more likely than girls to have autism.
- There is no medical test or cure for autism.
- There is no known cause of autism.
- Autism can occur with other conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Down Syndrome and Hyperlexia.
- Autism is more common than childhood cancer, Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome and Juvenile Diabetes combined.
- Autism is not a mental illness.
- Autism is not reflection of a choice not to behave. It is a developmental and neurological disorder.
- Poor parenting does not cause autism.
- Autism is not always associated with mental impairment.
- Autism is not always associated with behavioral challenges. Behavior often improves with age.
- Autism is not diagnosed by a single medical test of a brief observation. It requires a subjective, comprehensive evaluation.
| Condition Pediatric AIDS Leukemia Muscular Dystrophy Juvenile Diabetes Autism | Incidence 1 in 8,000 1 in 25,000 1 in 20,000 1 in 500 1 in 150 | Private Funding $394 million $310 million $175 million $130 million $42 million |
(Source: Autism Speaks, Generation Rescue and National Institutes of Health Funds Allocation, 2007)
What Causes Autism?
It is likely that ASDs are not caused by a single factor. It is generally accepted that autism may be caused by brain abnormalities or a genetic event, but no single gene or group of genes can be attributed to all cases. Some have theorized that individuals may be predisposed to autism and that its development is influenced by environmental factors, but this has yet to be scientifically proven.
There is a consensus among most health professionals that the prevalence of ASDs is increasing because of changes in diagnostic criteria (a broader view of the spectrum), increasing awareness of ASDs and recognition that ASDs can be associated with other disorders.
(Sources: Some information on this page was provided by The National Autism Association, Kyle’s Treehouse, Autism Speaks, the American Psychiatric Association and the Center for Disease Control and Nebraska Autism Spectrum Disorders Network.)