Study Finds Adult Autism Rate Same as Childhood Autism Rate
I’ve often heard anti-vaccine folks ask the question, “If autism rates aren’t rising, then where are all the autistic adults?” This study seems to have found them.
The NHS Information Centre found one in every hundred adults living in England has autism, which is identical to the rate in children.
This information could dispel the myth that the MMR causes autism in children:
If the vaccine was to blame, autism rates among children should be higher because the MMR has only been available since the early 1990s, the centre says.
Link via Skepchick Quickies.
For a totally anecdotal take on this issue, when I was in the airport with my son, a woman waiting next to us was watching him play. She said, “Is he about 14 months old?” I said yes, great guess. Most people think our son is older, because he’s very tall for his age. She said she was a child psychologist and she was judging only based on his behavior. Then she said she worked mostly with autistic children, and she could see that our son was neurotypical quite easily. So that was obviously great to hear. I asked her what she thought was causing the rise in autism diagnoses, and she said without hesitation that it was the change in diagnostic criteria and nothing more. She was certain of it. She said, “It’s not the vaccinations!” and I had to reassure her that I didn’t even suspect them.
So it seems that the changing of diagnostic criteria might actually be the culprit, if it’s true that there are just as many adults with autism as kids.
Jodi Said,
September 26, 2009 @ 5:36 pm
So, some of our Twitter followers have already responded to this post. They claim that the study has already been discredited. I haven’t had much time to digest the argument, but here’s the link:
http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/09/uks-nhs-report-suggests-autism-increase-due-to-oversight.html
Thoughts anyone?
Julie Said,
September 26, 2009 @ 6:27 pm
Thanks, Twitter followers!
That Age of Autism site seems pretty anti-MMR. Doesn’t mean that the British study is so great. The post you linked to seems to point out genuine flaws, Jodi. But here’s another post that kinda lets you see where this site is coming from.
http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/09/uk-government-farce-over-new-adult-autism-study-.html
A couple revealing quotes:
“Purporting” really implies that there must be a link between the MMR and autism and that the study just is trying really super hard to disprove that link, but it can’t.
A cover-up? Really?
If you poke around more, you will see that this site is very anti-vaccine and conspiracy theory minded. So maybe this British study is flawed, but Age of Autism is pretty biased. I don’t think I trust them as a source.
thordora Said,
September 26, 2009 @ 7:29 pm
Would NOT trust age of autism, but I’d love to see a run down of that study. Anything that doesn’t support “vaccines did it!” tends to get run into the ground, so it would be nice to see something firm either way.
Fiona Said,
September 26, 2009 @ 10:06 pm
As a Speech Pahologist, I see a lot of kids with ASD, and definately feel we’re just better at picking Autism and Aspergers up.