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National Association ofResidential Providers for Adults

with AutismNARPAA ECLASS

Autism Education for Direct

Care Staff

www.narpaa.org

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MODULE FIVE

PREVALENCE

www.narpaa.org

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MODULE FIVE COMPETENCIES

As a result of completion of this module, theparticipant will be able to:

Identify the currently accepted prevalence ofAutism.

Recall the estimated total number of peoplein the United States who have Autism.

Identify possible reasons for the increase inprevalence of Autism.

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PREVALENCE

As discussed earlier, the current prevalence of Autism isgenerally accepted as one person in every 110 births inthe United States. This accepted, although often debated,number has grown considerably over the last ten years to

what some describe as an epidemic.

In the United States, this translates to as many as 1.5million Americans who may have some form of Autism,

including milder variants, and the number is rising.Epidemiologists estimate the number of people withAutism in the U.S. could reach 4 million in the next

decade.

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PREVALENCE

The advent of a possible Autism epidemic hasbecome a concern in many communities andprofessional groups alike. As the number of reportedcases of Autism has increased dramatically over thepast decade, members of the medical and scientificcommunity are generally quite skeptical about theincreasing numbers as indicators of an 'epidemic'.

Some individuals and groups also dispute that anyincrease in diagnoses be labeled an 'epidemic', as intheir opinion, this may imply that Autism is a disease.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=Epidemichttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=Epidemic

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PREVALENCE

Some scientists attribute the dramatic rise inAutism rates to more effective and inclusivediagnostic criteria and detection tools, notingthat the diagnosis of Autism was only createdin the 1940s and that the Autism spectrumconcept only entered the mainstream later in

the last century.

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PREVALENCE

It is clear, however, that at least some part ofthe rise in diagnoses is due to increasedscreening, earlier diagnosis, and betterrecognition. Changes in diagnosticcategories in the Diagnostic and StatisticalManual of Mental Disorders (DSM) affect the

numbers diagnosed as autistic, especiallychanges set out in DSM-III-R and DSM-IV.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=Diagnostic%20and%20Statistical%20Manual%20of%20Mental%20Disordershttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=Diagnostic%20and%20Statistical%20Manual%20of%20Mental%20Disordershttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=Diagnostic%20and%20Statistical%20Manual%20of%20Mental%20Disordershttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=Diagnostic%20and%20Statistical%20Manual%20of%20Mental%20Disorders

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PREVALENCE

In the 1990s, Autism began to be recognized asoccurring in a broad spectrum of severity. In1994, Asperger Syndrome was included in theDSM-IV. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) isgenerally thought to include Autism,Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD-NOS)

and Asperger's Syndrome.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=Asperger%20syndromehttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=DSM-IVhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDD-NOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDD-NOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDD-NOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDD-NOShttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=DSM-IVhttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=DSM-IVhttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=DSM-IVhttp://www.google.com/search?hl=en&wikititle=1&q=Asperger%20syndrome

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PREVALENCE

While the number of diagnoses related to Autism hasincreased in recent decades, public health organizationsand researchers dont always agree whether there is anactual increase in the incidence of Autism or if actually:

More incidents of Autism are being reported now, as aresult of increased awareness of the disorder;

The diagnosis is being applied more broadly than beforeas a result of the changing definition of the disorder; or

There is ongoing substitution of the 'Autism' label for lesspalatable designations such as mental retardation

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PREVALENCE

Whether the true incidence of Autism had beenincreasing was unclear as recently as 1999.

Nevertheless, an increasing prevalence of Autismdiagnoses has sparked concerns, especially amongparents, which in turn has lead to the initiation of anumber of new treatment programs, advocacygroups and support programs.

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PREVALENCE

In the absence of a universally accepted causeof Autism, many people, including parents,

teachers, health professionals, andpoliticians, are demanding furtherindependent studies into a number ofpossible causes for the increase in diagnosis.