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Autism Rate Rises in US, May Begin In Utero

posted by janrinok on Friday March 28 2014, @06:42PM   Printer-friendly
from the who-cares-what-Jenny-McCarthy-thinks dept.

GungnirSniper writes:

An abstract of a study released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that the study's "2010 [Autism Spectrum Disorder] prevalence estimate of 14.7 per 1,000 (95% CI = 14.3-15.1), or one in 68 children aged 8 years, was 29% higher than the preceding estimate of 11.3 per 1,000 (95% CI = 11.0-11.7), or one in 88 children aged 8 years in 2008." Of the sites surveyed, four counties in New Jersey had the highest prevalence estimate, with 21.9 per 1,000 (95% CI = 20.4-23.6).

National Public Radio quotes CDC experts that "skyrocketing estimates don't necessarily mean that kids are more likely to have autism now than they were 10 years ago."

"It may be that we're getting better at identifying autism," says , director of the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.
Researchers say intervention in early childhood may help the developing brain compensate by rewiring to work around the trouble spots.

Another abstract of a "small, explorative study" from The New England Journal of Medicine describes Patches of Disorganization in the Neocortex of Children with Autism and suggests "a probable dysregulation of layer formation and layer-specific neuronal differentiation at prenatal developmental stages." CBS News demystifies the study as "brain abnormalities may begin in utero." [Ed's note: Link intermittent]

Last month, we discussed findings that suggest that delaying fatherhood may increase the risk of fathering children with disorders including Autism.

 
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  • (Score: 1) by pjbgravely on Sunday March 30 2014, @02:52AM

    by pjbgravely (1681) <pjbgravelyNO@SPAMyahoo.com> on Sunday March 30 2014, @02:52AM (#23022) Homepage
    My child with mild Autism and ADHD enjoyed their best school experience while on stimulants. They had to stop because of heart problems and has been a mediocre student since. If they are in a class jumping from one thing to the next is a benefit then they excel.

    I know it is the educational system that is at fault but it is all we could afford.

  • (Score: 2) by sjames on Sunday March 30 2014, @03:49AM

    by sjames (2882) on Sunday March 30 2014, @03:49AM (#23031) Journal

    There are other contexts where the stimulants work. Possibly even in cases where the child's ability to focus is insufficient (that is, the intended use).

    In many other cases, the actual educational outcome is unlikely to improve, but the school's perception of it might. In others, of course, a different educational environment would probably work even better and without side effects.

    But yeah, it is hard to get an appropriate school environment if none is offered.