Autism

[blackhawkxx]

ATLANTA (AP) — An estimated 1 in 31 U.S. children have autism, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday, marking another jump in a long string of increases.

The CDC’s data was from 14 states and Puerto Rico in 2022. The previous estimate — from 2020 — was 1 in 36.

As late as the early 1990s, only 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism. 

 

In the first decade of this century, the estimate rose to 1 in 150. In 2018, it was 1 in 44. In 2020, it was up to 1 in 36.

 

[poida]

it's going to be ok,your boy is onto it

RFK Jr pledges to find the cause of autism by September

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj0z9nmzvdlo

[SwampNut]

Yeah, for the first time in history, we've figured out that these aren't just "bad people," but there's a miswiring of the brain.  Also I assume that everyone know that rates of diagnosis are more about our ability to diagnose it, than the incidence.  I know this is obvious, but in our current anti-science culture, many are claiming the opposite.

 

[DaveK]

Claims of being “on the spectrum” seemed to be a catch all in the last decade for other medical issues. I’ve got nothing to go on by claiming that other than seemingly normal people saying it. 
 

Girl on Survivor this season says she is on the spectrum. Does that mean she has “autism” ??

 

You tell me. 

 

 

[DaveK]

One of my favorite shows on Netflix. 
 

 

[SwampNut]

45 minutes ago, DaveK said:

Claims of being “on the spectrum” seemed to be a catch all in the last decade for other medical issues. I’ve got nothing to go on by claiming that other than seemingly normal people saying it. 
 

Girl on Survivor this season says she is on the spectrum. Does that mean she has “autism” ??

 

You tell me. 

 

 

 

 

You do have to be retarded to watch or be involved with that shit, so that's concrete evidence.

 

[DaveK]

I love Survivor. Haven’t missed a single season. 
 

I enjoy reality TV. 

[Zero Knievel]

20 hours ago, SwampNut said:

Yeah, for the first time in history, we've figured out that these aren't just "bad people," but there's a miswiring of the brain.  Also I assume that everyone know that rates of diagnosis are more about our ability to diagnose it, than the incidence.  I know this is obvious, but in our current anti-science culture, many are claiming the opposite.

Somewhat disagree.  The incidence of “classic” autism has exploded.  The increase in diagnoses by the adoption of more inclusive standards does account for the numbers of people with autism who would either not have been diagnosed in the past or improperly diagnosed based on a comorbidity like anxiety or depression.

 

As this explosion of cases is not uniform on a global scale but rather predominantly in first world countries, there very likely are environmental factors that negatively impact healthy/normal neurological development.

[SwampNut]

36 minutes ago, Zero Knievel said:

Somewhat disagree.

 

Of course, actual experts are never right.

36 minutes ago, Zero Knievel said:

predominantly in first world countries, there very likely are 

 

Certainly it cannot be that we have more and better medical care as well as a wilingness to properly diagnose.  Can't be.

[tecman]

1 hour ago, SwampNut said:

 

Of course, actual experts are never right.

 

 

Come on, you know Zero is THE expert.  On EVERYTHING.  Why even argue?

[Zero Knievel]

6 hours ago, SwampNut said:

Of course, actual experts are never right.

 

Certainly it cannot be that we have more and better medical care as well as a wilingness to properly diagnose.  Can't be.

Which does not explain the explosion of classic autism cases.  It’s “classic” because you really can’t miss the symptoms.  Diagnosis or no diagnosis, it is apparent the person is impaired.  The improvement in diagnostic criteria means people who are on the “milder” side of the spectrum who don’t have the traditional, easy to see symptoms have been able to get a diagnosis for being on the autism spectrum where they were normally dismissed as just being eccentric.

[SwampNut]

It's the opposite, of course, we are better able to figure out non-obvious cases.  Which should be obvious.

 

If you care, and I'm guessing you don't, find the neuro-divergence podcasts from a few months ago by Allie Ward.  Warning, she has real experts on instead of making shit up.

 

[jon haney]

16 hours ago, SwampNut said:

 

Of course, actual experts are never right.

 

Certainly it cannot be that we have more and better medical care as well as a wilingness to properly diagnose.  Can't be.

Don't forget lot's of pharmaceutical companies just itching to sell you medication.

[SwampNut]

27 minutes ago, jon haney said:

Don't forget lot's of pharmaceutical companies just itching to sell you medication.

 

I love a conspiracy theory, but...name one med for autism.

 

[DaveK]

[blackhawkxx]

4 hours ago, SwampNut said:

It's the opposite, of course, we are better able to figure out non-obvious cases.  Which should be obvious.

 

If you care, and I'm guessing you don't, find the neuro-divergence podcasts from a few months ago by Allie Ward.  Warning, she has real experts on instead of making shit up.

 

So in your opinion from what you have read, has autism increased, decreased or remained the same in the last 25 years?  

[SwampNut]

20 minutes ago, blackhawkxx said:

So in your opinion from what you have read, has autism increased, decreased or remained the same in the last 25 years?  

 

I am not qualified to have an opinion on this, just like everyone else here.

 

I do have the opinion, based on data, that we can't really know.

 

[jon haney]

3 hours ago, SwampNut said:

 

I love a conspiracy theory, but...name one med for autism.

 

Not a pharmacist, so I can't.  However, that doesn't mean they, or doctors, won't try to sell you something for symptoms.  If not them, the "supplement" industry will be all over it (with outlandish claims).

 

[Zero Knievel]

10 hours ago, jon haney said:

Not a pharmacist, so I can't.  However, that doesn't mean they, or doctors, won't try to sell you something for symptoms.  If not them, the "supplement" industry will be all over it (with outlandish claims).

The harm done for decades for people who were misdiagnosed with comorbidities is that the doctor treat the symptoms.

 

Simple enough to understand…you can’t treat anxiety or depression that’s caused by autism the same way you’d treat it if it was a standalone issue.

[SwampNut]

Even worse are the people NOT treated for the symptoms.  My neighbor's kid exists in society only because he's significantly medicated for the symptoms which include some violence.  20 years ago they'd just lock him up as a criminal and keep him in solitary, which would be fucked up.  All of the drugs he's on are generics, no big pharma conspiracy though.  Sorry guys, nothing to see here, move along now.

 

Our local police are trained on this, and more importantly, have shifted funding from cops to people who are useful for this.  When called, a psych worker is first in, with guns as backup.  Not run in with guns and start shooting.  This is glaringly different from a few miles down the road where the other PD literally did that.

 

[jon haney]

4 hours ago, SwampNut said:

Even worse are the people NOT treated for the symptoms.  My neighbor's kid exists in society only because he's significantly medicated for the symptoms which include some violence.  20 years ago they'd just lock him up as a criminal and keep him in solitary, which would be fucked up.  All of the drugs he's on are generics, no big pharma conspiracy though.  Sorry guys, nothing to see here, move along now.

 

Our local police are trained on this, and more importantly, have shifted funding from cops to people who are useful for this.  When called, a psych worker is first in, with guns as backup.  Not run in with guns and start shooting.  This is glaringly different from a few miles down the road where the other PD literally did that.

 

I wasn't speaking to severe cases where it's obvious, and needs professional attention.

What you described sounds more like bi-polar disorder than autism, but I'm not an expert.

[SwampNut]

7 minutes ago, jon haney said:

What you described sounds more like bi-polar disorder than autism

 

His case is well known and documented.  He's become a case study for a lot of journals.

 

Also my answer was really to the claim that just treating symptoms is bad.

[jon haney]

14 minutes ago, SwampNut said:

 

Also my answer was really to the claim that just treating symptoms is bad.

What if it's unnecessary?  Remember Ritalin?  Lot's of parents unnecessarily medicating their kids, because they felt they couldn't handle their high energy, and claiming ADD.  Maybe what they couldn't handle was discipline.  Wimps.  I hardly hear anyone talk about ADD or ADHD anymore.  Did we cure it, suppress it, or is it just no longer trendy?

 

When criteria for autism diagnosis is so severely relaxed, (1 in 10K to 1 in 31) you have to ask the questions:

1.  Was it really that big of an under-diagnosis problem, or is it just now becoming an epidemic?  Why?

2.  Are they now over-diagnosing?

3.  Who is benefiting most from the avalanche of autism diagnoses?  The patient?  The doctors?  The drug companies?  (Probably, not the insurance companies)

 

I don't really know the answers to any of these questions, but I do know they should be asked when such a drastic change is documented.

[SwampNut]

1.  Yes.

2.  Yes.

3.  The patients and the parents.  Oh and teachers.

 

[SwampNut]

On 4/19/2025 at 6:11 PM, blackhawkxx said:

ATLANTA (AP) — An estimated 1 in 31 U.S. children have autism, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday, marking another jump in a long string of increases.

The CDC’s data was from 14 states and Puerto Rico in 2022. The previous estimate — from 2020 — was 1 in 36.

As late as the early 1990s, only 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism. 

 

In the first decade of this century, the estimate rose to 1 in 150. In 2018, it was 1 in 44. In 2020, it was up to 1 in 36.

 

 

Reminds me, what was the original point here?