Why are rates of autism rising in the US?
Let’s talk about it!
There has been a lot of information AND misinformation in the news lately surrounding the increasing rate of autism. According to the BACB ethics code, we as professionals in our field have a responsibility to dispel pseudoscience and to promote only evidence based science in our field. Evidence based is defined as having been researched according to the scientific method (including a control group & a large sample size), replicated, and published in peer reviewed journals. Please understand that these layers of inquiry are essential to ensuring that the results of the study are both reliable and valid.
Autism is not a disease. It is a neurotype. There is a significant body of data (evidence based research studies) that have demonstrated repeatedly (replicability), that the majority of autism cases can be linked to inherited genetic mutations. Basically, it’s almost always passed on genetically from parents to their children, similar to ADHD. There is also a significant body of research proving that vaccines are not an “environmental exposure” that can cause a neurotypical child to become autistic.
Neurodivergence is a part of the natural biological diversity of life. Neurodivergent people have always and will always exist. Over the past 15 years in the United States, the diagnostic criteria for autism have expanded to more accurately represent the full spectrum of autism. Additionally, services have become more available for autistic individuals, but these services require a diagnosis for insurance to cover them. These factors contribute immensely to the increased rates. Please see the resources linked below for more information.
