26% of the Increase in California’s Autism Cases May Be Due to Diagnostic Changes

OPEN MINDS Weekly News Wire Hot News From 1992 and 2005, changes in practices for diagnosing autism may have added 26.4% of autism cases diagnosed in California during the 13 year period. Diagnostic practice changes occurred in 1994, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2002. The changes in diagnostic practices increased the chances of a patient receiving an autism diagnosis. Each year that practices were changed—except for 2002—represented an increase from the year before. These are findings of a study, “Diagnostic Change and the Increased Prevalence of Autism,” by Marissa King and Peter Bearman, Ph.D. The researchers noted . . .