Another busy day … here’s an article that offers an explanation for the rise in autism spectrum diagnoses that we’ve been seeing lately.
A New Theory About the ‘Autism Epidemic’
In summary, the article states that the “epidemic” is not due to environmental factors, or vaccines, but to living near (and being in the same social circles) as another person with an ASD.
The author also mentions that much of the increase is on the mild end of the spectrum — so those who were the “weird kids” are now getting a diagnosis. The rest of the increase, in more severely affected kids, is with those who were previously labelled “mentally retarded”.
This fits with what I’ve observed … most Aspies, especially those of us who did/do well academically at school, only get diagnosed when their parents (or themselves, if we’re talking about an adult) see someone else with Aspergers and think “that kid is just like mine!”
