Numbers, Numbers and More Numbers
Maybe its just me, but i am a bit confused by the new CDC numbers of 1 in 68 children in America has Autism. It was just 2 weeks ago I read online the new number was 1 in 50 kids in America had autism. The last time the CDC released a number it was 1 in 88 children in America had Autism. My initial thought was who is doing the math. Did they just make a mistake? How do they come up with these statistics?
As it turns out they have 2 methods of calculating the stats. Back in the year 2000 the CDC took data from 8 year old children to determine how many children might be affected with autism. Every 2 years they took another sampling of data on 8 year old children. The data was compiled from 6 to 14 different ADDM sites. Basicly they took information from various states to determine these numbers. The last 1 in 88 count came from the study in 2008 and the new release of 1 in 68 comes from data compiled in 2010.
In March 2013, the CDC released statistics from a 2011 National Survey of Children's Health based on children ages 6 through 17 which showed 1 in 50 children in America were Autistic. This large increase is believed to be from doctors being able to better diagnose Autism. It could be that there was a larger segment of children being looked at than simply 8 year olds. I am not a researcher or a doctor, just a dad who is trying to understand it.
So, after reading lots of articles, more than once in some cases, I ask myself, does it really matter the number. 1 in 88, 1 in 68, 1 in 50. I have 3 kids so i have 1 in 3. No matter how i spin it or the CDC or for that matter anyone spins it, the numbers are scary. Autism is here to stay. Its scary that with todays technology, no one is sure what causes it or how to cure it. I know that there is not a cure for a disability, its not a disease, but for me, if there was a magic pill to take or a shot of some kind which allowed Aidan to be the kid he is, minus the disability, to be considered normal in this society that we live in, I would be first online to get it for him.
