Rise in Autism?

Is there really a huge increase in autism? Yes, but not as much as some would have you believe. There is an increase in moderate to severe autism cases. However, the 1 in 110 statistic is a bit misleading. Autism awareness is also at an all time high. That 1 in 110 stat also includes many children with Aspergers syndrome that in previous years did not receive a diagnosis. Aspergers has been around forever. They were previously known as "nerds". Everyone of us can think back to our childhood and remember 2 or 3 people we knew with terrible social skills but extremely smart in some areas. That statistic also includes children that now carry a dual diagnosis. Many children with Down's syndrome and other disabilities also fall under autism when looking at diagnostic criteria. As you can see, the statistic of 1 in 110 is misleading.