Autism News Beat

Tweet 8:07 am – They dropped the epidemic reference. The hearing is now called “Examining the federal response to autism spectrum disorders.” Rep. John Mica (R-FL) is the chair, instead of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Arson). The purpose of the hearing is to examine federal spending on autism related research and services. Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) […]

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Tweet The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 68 children (or 14.7 per 1,000 eight-year-olds) in multiple communities in the United States has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  This new estimate is roughly 30 percent higher than previous estimates reported in 2012 of 1 in 88 children (11.3 per […]

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Tweet April is Autism Awareness Month, when the words “Somebody get me an autism story” can be heard in newsrooms across the country. Some reporters will answer the call with factually accurate, nuanced, informative pieces that add value to the public’s store of knowledge. Others will just phone in their reports, literally and figuratively. And […]

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Tweet The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) is sometimes called the Bible of modern psychiatry. First published in 1952 as DSM I, the reference book lays out the diagnostic criteria for most psychiatric conditions and illnesses. The current DSM IV was published in 1994, then revised in 2000. And now it’s due for a rewrite. […]

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Tweet New research published today in the American Journal of Psychiatry shows a 1:38 autism prevalence in South Korea – more than twice what was found in a much quoted but less rigorous 2006 CDC study. Two-thirds of the Korean children diagnosed with an ASD had no previous diagnosis, and were attending mainstream schools with […]

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Tweet A belated response to ANB reader Joanna who asks about peer review. Hat tip to ANB reader Ms. Clark, who points us to senseaboutscience.org . SUMMARY Science has a system for assessing the quality of research before it is published. This system is called peer review. Peer review means that other scientific experts in […]

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