The California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) reported 841 new cases of autism during the 3rd quarter. Most of the increase was due to older children entering the system as opposed to younger children in the past. Various explanations for this difference are offered in the article. My question is where have these older children been? Why did they all show up during the third quarter? I am seeing more case of autism in my clinic, but I am also seeing more cases of misdiagnosis. Children diagnosed with autism that would have received a different, or no diagnosis, in the past. I still think the question regarding an autism epidemic has not been answered,
The California DDS numbers are here:
http://www.sarnet.org/lib/QrtData-AllCategoryChange.xls
