Overdoing It
It is a possibility, just as we saw in the sudden eruption of people getting diagnosed with the Human Papilloma Virus 3 years ago even though HPV has been around since humans have inhabited the Earth. As in the case of HPV where the virus generally clears out on its own with the body`s natural antibodies--that may also be the case with Autism, or at least that is what a new study from researchers at John Hopkins Bloomberg School for Public Health wrote in the journal Pediatrics.
The severity of Autism varies from person to person but is classically defined as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) which encompasses 5 complex brain disorders that affect a person behaviorally and socially as well as their communication skills. The team at John Hopkins Bloomberg School for Public Health that was headed by Andrew W. Zimmerman, M.D. began this study it as an attempt to find out what relationship (if any) might be concerning co-occurring conditions and how they applied to the initial ASD diagnosis. Using data gathered from the National Survey of Children`s Health 2007, the team determined that a percentage of children diagnosed with ASD had noticeable changes in the behaviors and criteria`s usually associated with Autistic patients.
In the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (pediatrics.aappublications.org/), the authors concluded in abstract: ``These findings suggest that the presence of co-occurring psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions are associated with a change in ASD diagnosis. Questions remain as to whether changes in diagnosis of an ASD are due to true etiologic differences or shifts in diagnostic determination.``