Autism Epidemic Continues to Expand In California
According to figures just released by the California Department of
Developmental Services (DDS), the number of new children entering
California's developmental services system is continuing to increase at an
alarming rate.
The latest figures from DDS show that 566 new children with professionally
diagnosed DSM IV autism, NOT including any children with PDD, NOS,
Asperger's or any other autism spectrum disorder, have entered the system in
the past 90 days.
A rate of over 6 new children a day.....seven days a week.
It should be noted that in 1994, there were 667 new cases for the entire
year. In the fourth quarter of 2000 alone (three short months) we added 556
new children.
Since the release of the California Report, which documented a 273% increase
in autism from 1987-98, there have been 3,871 new children added to the
system, 1,927 new children in 2000 alone.... a 38% increase in two-years.
It took over 25 years, from the inception of the establishment of
California's developmental services system in 1969 to 1994 to have 5,100
persons with autism in the system.
Remarkably between 1994 to 1999 we DOUBLED the number of cases by adding an
additional 5,100 new children in just five years!
Most disturbing of all is the fact that in 1999, 2000, and the first half of
2001 we will add at least another 5,100 new cases.... this time in just 2
1/2 years!!
Since the autism epidemic began, the percentage of overall caseload growth
for autism in the California system has increased from a steady 3% of the
total caseload, which also includes mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and
epilepsy, to the current 30 to 34% of the caseload.
An astonishing 1,000% plus increase over a 20 year period.
Again, these numbers do not include any autism spectrum disorders other than
full-blown professionally diagnosed cases of DSM IV autism.
The most recent 556 new intakes, as always, are children under 10 years of
age. There is no evidence of "underdiagnosed" or missing adults or teenagers
who have now been discovered with autism coming into the system.
These are newly diagnosed children, not adults or teenagers. The California
system has been diagnosing autism for over 30 years. It is absolutely
astonishing to me that anyone could suggest that somehow in the past we have
missed or misdiagnosed a condition that anyone who spends less than 1/2 hour
with a person with autism couldn't recognize from across an airport, be it
in 1969, 1979, 1989, 1999, or today.
As the best data source in the world on autism, California continues to lead
the way in documenting the number one public health care crisis in the
United States today...the autism epidemic.
The Department of Developmental Services estimates that it costs taxpayers
at least $2 million for each child added to the system for a lifetime of
care....California's contribution to that taxpayer liability in the last 90
days has been $1.132 billion. No figure can ever be put on the cost to the
children and their families...6 new children and their families everyday of
the week in California alone.
Rick Rollens of the M.I.N.D. Institute of California
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
There is a new caucus called the Congressional Autism Caucus
Autism, a developmental disability that has been described as a sort of
"mind blindness," afflicts 1 in every 500 children in America. It's more
common than Down Syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy, or Cystic
Fibrosis.
Autism often robs children of their ability to communicate and interact with
the outside world. And caring for children with autism can be stressful for
their parents.
The Congressional Autism Caucus cited the "neglect" of autism by "federal
health, medical and scientific research programs." And it told the media
what parents of autistic children already know, that
"there are no diagnostic laboratory tests for autism, and there are no [FDA]
approved treatments for its symptoms."
|
