Are other countries experiencing an increase in autism or is this an American epidemic?

Answer 1

It's increasing world wide. But think about for a minute here..We have better education and resources then we have had in the past years for evaluating/diagnosing Autism. Think back 30+ years ago..if you had a child with the characteristics of Autism...1st they really didn't know what it was, 2nd the child was taken away from the parents and put into an institution because they were "different" - socially unacceptable. I have a child who is autitisc and if this was 30+ years ago I would never even took him to be evaluated because of the fear of him being taken away. Now that the child is not institutionalized unless by parents choice you have more people getting their kids evaluated and diagnosed over the past years. The sad part is that no one can specifically pinpoint the cause of autism, everyone has their theories but no one knows 100% - there could be several different factors that contribute to having Autism; that no one can cure autism..it can improve but never be cured; that it's on an increase of 10-17% per year and that by 2015 they expect it to jump from 1 in every 150 births to 1 in every 9-10 births.. it's just a matter of time before it affects every birth; that it affects more people than Diabetes does but yet people know more about Diabetes than Autism, which most people have little to no clue what it is or what it all involves.

I hope you don't mind me sharing this with you..it's a little long but I think you might find it somewhat interesting.

I Am Autism

Hello. Allow me to introduce myself to you. My name is Autism. Perhaps you know me or know of me. I am a condition, a "disorder" that affects many people. I strike at will, when and where I want. Unlike Downs Syndrome or other birth "defects," I leave no marks on those I strike. In fact, I pride myself on the ability to infiltrate a childs life, while leaving him or her strikingly handsome. Many people may not even know that I am there. They blame the child for what I cause him or her to do.

I am Autism and I do as I please.

I am Autism. I strike boys and girls, infants and toddlers. I find my best victims to be boys around the age of 2, but any child will do. I like children and they are always the true victims, though I take hostage the others in the child's family as well. It is a bit like getting two for the price of one. I affect one child and infect the entire family.

I am Autism. I strike rich and poor alike. The rich combat me with education and therapy. The poor shut their children away and cannot afford to fight me. I am able to win in the lives of poor children more than I am of the wealthy, but I will try to take root anywhere.

I am Autism. I am an equal opportunity disorder. I like whites, blacks, Mexicans, Ukrainians, Russians, Poles, Slavs, Japanese, Koreans and Fins. In fact, I strike everywhere on earth. I know no goegraphical bounds.

I am Autism. I do not discriminate based upon religon either. I strike Jews and Christians, Muslims and Buddhists, Atheists and Agnostics, Hindus and Rastafarians. I do not care what religon a person is or what beliefs he may hold. When I strike, there will be little time for any of that anyway. When they find me, they will question everything they believe in, so why would I strike any one group? I have affected followers of every religion on the planet.

I am Autism and I am strong and getting stronger every year, every month, every day, every minute, and every second. I am concerned that money might be alloted to combat me and my takeover of children, but so far I have little to fear. Some countries, like Kuwait, are spending quite a bit of money to assist those who I have targeted and some, like the United States, would rather spend money on such ludicrous things as discovering the number of American Indians who practice voodoo, as opposed to combating me. In an atmosphere as that, I can flourish and wreck havoc at will. In places such as that, I rub my hands with glee at the problem I can cause to children, families and to the society at large.

I am Autism. When I come, I come to stay. I take the dreams and hopes of every parent and trample them with glee. I see the fear and confusion in the eyes of my victims and I see the formation of wrinkles, worries and ulcers and the pain on the face of their parents. I see the embarrassment their child causes because of me and the parents unsuccessfull attempt to hide their child and, me. I see tears and the parents cry and feel the tears of their child.

I am Autism. I leave sorrow in my wake.

I am Autism. I taketh and give nothing but bewilderment and loathing in return. I take speech and learning, I take socialization and understanding. I take away "common sense" and if I am allowed to flourish, I take away all but their physical life. What I leave behind, is almost worse than death.

I am Autism. I fear nothing except courage, which I thankfully see little of. I fear those who take a stand against me and attempt to fight me and bring others into the fight as well. I fear those who try to make it safe and easier for my victims in the community, and their families. I fear those who push ahead, despite the fact that I am in tow. I fear the day that I will be eradicated from the planet. Yet, I do not fear too much right now. There is no need.

I am Autism and I bet you know me or know of me. If you don't, you probably will soon. I am marching forward faster than I ever have before. I am looking for new children all the time. I dread the day I will be looked on with pity, or worse yet, understanding, for that day, is the day I will begin to die. But, I don't think that will happen for a long long time though, do you? In the meantime, I prowl onward, looking to cause pain and suffering wherever I go. I have so much work to do and thankfully, no one is stopping me.

Hello my name is Austim. Perhaps you know me or know of me.................................

written by: © Marty Murphy

Marty Murphy is an adult with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Answer 2

Autism has become a world wide epidemic. Many people question if the number of autistic children are actually increasing or are professionals getting better at diagnosing. The answer is both. Autism has always been around but for many years autistic children were given psychiatric labels such as "schizophrenic" and "bipolar." France was one of the last countries (and there are still some who do not), to recognize and use the label autism. So yes, autism is a world wide epidemic.

Answer 3

Do you think that there really is an increase, or are more people just aware of the signs of autism?? Think how many people your grandparents, great-grandparents, etc said were just "not right". Don't you imagine that those people had some form of autism, yet the medical profession at that time did not know enough to diagnose those people then. So they were either institutionalized or their families hid them at home. I do think that the more chemicals, etc that we use in our foods now does have an affect on autism. I think that both of these factors have contributed to the "rise" in autism cases.

Answer 4

I've done some preliminary research and it is not only increasing in the united states it is increasing worldwide as well. I wish they would figure out the exact cause and find a cure because my 15 year old son named michael has it. It would sure make life a lot better for a lot of folks. I have multiple sclerosis and they say approximately 15% off all mothers who have ms have an increased chances of having an autistic child. Hopefully they will find out why soon

Answer 5

I am organizing a workshop on this next month. It seems its a growing phenomenon in Southeast Asia also. Of course, part of the reason could be that most of the current literature are from the USA, and would therefore follow the definitions (and classifications) adopted by the American experts.