Autism has now become a household name because it is very popular. There has been a lot of debate as to whether there has been a genuine de novo increase in the number of people coming down with autism spectrum disorder or have diagnostic tools become a lot better at recognising autism at a very early age?
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has made it clear that the prevalence of autism among children has risen significantly in recent years. In the year 2000, it was estimated that 6.7 out of 1000 children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. However, that number has risen to 27.6 in 1000 children as of 2020. These numbers are obviously for the US, but they reveal a fundamental issue globally worthy of noting.
What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Have you seen The Big Bang Theory? If you have, then you must have encountered Sheldon Cooper, the genius of the show. From an early age, he showed exceptional brilliance in sciences, especially physical sciences. However, Sheldon has extreme difficulty relating in social situations.
Sheldon is unable to see subtle social cues, understand sarcasm, or contextualise human emotion. This makes it really difficult for him to relate with other people, have friends, and make meaningful social impact. If you understand Sheldon Cooper, you probably, to a some extent, understand autism.
Autism is a problem of brain development that manifests itself in difficulty with social communication and interaction in different contexts. It also manifests as repetitive behaviour, interests, or activities.
There are other manifestations of autism spectrum disorder. However, the two most important manifestations are the ones listed above: difficulty with social communication and interaction, as well as repetitive behaviour, interests, or activities.
Is Autism Really on the Rise?
The truth is there are a lot more people with autism today than there were 40 years ago. There have been many studies that suggest that this is due to the fact that there is a present overdiagnosis of the condition.
Could this be because there are a lot more diagnostic tools available to us today than there were 40 years ago? Could this be because there is increased access to autism diagnostic tools on the internet today and anyone can basically diagnose himself?
Whatever the reason for the increase in the number of people with autism today, the burden of the disease/illness is becoming a problem that everyone needs to contribute to dealing with.
Social Media and Autism
Media platforms have become important in shaping the understanding of people regarding autism spectrum disorder. They have been able to offer spaces for individuals with autism to share their experiences, thereby enhancing the awareness of society as well as getting them accepted. This increased visibility that social media has provided may lead to more individuals recognising the traits of autism in themselves or others, potentially increasing the number of people being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
Although social media has been important in providing information regarding autism and promoting its acceptance in society, there has been a huge potential for misinformation as a result. A recent study analysing TikTok content found that only about 27% of videos provided information that was accurate concerning autism. About 41% of videos were inaccurate and about 32% were overgeneralised.
Does Screen Time Increase the Likelihood of Autism in Children?
In this day and age, we are all glued to our mobile phones, and children are being exposed to screen time a lot earlier in life. Has this led to an increase in children with autism?
There was a study that was published in a public health journal that found that there was a significant association between children who used electronic devices for more than three hours a day and an increase in symptoms that looked like autism.
There has not been any direct causal link established between autism and the use of screens in children (although more research is still needed to understand this), but it is something to keep in mind.
The Spectrum
Autism is a spectrum. That means that there will be people with autism that are functioning properly, and there will be people who are barely able to function with autism.
There are people who are known as people living with high-functioning autism, which has the symptoms of social awkwardness as well as repetitive behaviours, but does not affect their activities of daily living.
There will be people in the middle of the spectrum who would need a bit of support but will generally be able to handle themselves to a large extent.
Bottom Line
Autism can be a really debilitating illness. Whether due to better awareness or other factors, one thing is clear—autism is not rare, and recognizing it helps ensure that individuals get the help they need. The more we learn about autism, the better we can support those living with it.
If you or someone you know may have autism, seeking professional guidance can be the first step toward understanding and support!
This character popularized the image of the Autism Spectrum, but the creators of the show always tried to avoid using the word autism, to avoid accusations that they were discriminating against people with this condition.
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Well I think they can rest easy now because there are a lot more people with autism and there is a lot of acceptance of the condition
I think they were also afraid of touching on someone's sensitivity, as it could be interpreted that they were making fun of a medical condition. Personally, I thought it was a bit exaggerated when I read about it, but I understand that I am from another generation, and I find it hard to understand heightened sensitivities. To the point that there are people of my generation who call some young people the “Crystal Generation” because of how fragile and hypersensitive they can be.
Personally, I don't like to label people so badly, I understand that points of view can change in each generation, and what seemed like a common joke to us decades ago, can be a very offensive joke (or even an insult) to more current generations.
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There has been a high rate of autistic kids being born these days but maybe we are just finding this out because we have better technologies to diagnose such disorders.
However, there may also be some underlying factors to this development.
Thanks for your submission and please do reference your statistics in subsequent posts.
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