Children who do not meet the ­criteria for autism are being diagnosed with the condition, as desperate parents take their kids to private practitioners in a bid to gain a label, according to frank ­admissions from health professionals.

By Christina A. Samuels

After years of steady decline, the nationwide count of school-age students covered under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has shown an upswing since the 2011-12 school year based on the most recently available federal data, driven by rapid growth in such disability categories as autism.

The count of students ages 6-21 with disabilities fell to a low of 5.67 million in fall 2011, but had risen to 5.83 million by fall 2014, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

Arlene Harris reports on the possible misdiagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Editor: the word "threat" only appears in the headline — what is that about? An imminent report shows that just 2% of Australian clinicians may have ever over-diagnosed (knowingly misdiagnosed) autism on at least one occasion.

IT IS estimated globally that every year up to six children out of every 1,000 will be diagnosed as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Undoubtedly these figures seem to be on the rise but expert Professor Tony Attwood says some children are possibly being misdiagnosed.

A report from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) said that in February 2014 the Department of Social Security (formerly FaHCSIA) funded $50,000 worth of research to establish "the extent of [ASD] over-diagnosis nationally".

A Deputy Secretary of DSS wrote back that

this wording is not intended to presuppose the findings of the Autism CRC report.

The following is the current editorial in the Newsletter issued monthly by ATAC  [Action for Tasmanian Autistic Children].  ATAC  was established to provide free advocacy for all those who have difficulty with government and other bureaucratic bodies when they want to gain services for members of their families who are on the spectrum.  Another key function of ATAC  is to fight for the  recognition of Autism as a brain disorder based in neurol

Members

Board of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)

Dear Board Member,

Sarah C. Bauer, Jessica Winegar, Sandra Waxman

Behaviors that are considered red flags in the U.S. and Western Europe are considered normal, even desirable, in other parts of the world

How do we determine who has autism, and is this the same around the world?