Teeqoz said:
That's how many children per thousand are diagnosed with autism. As you can see, there's a more than 200% increase since 2000. Now I don't know why that is, but it has to be something. |
It is simply because the definition of autism has been continually expanding. In the past century, an autism diagnosis was rarely issued, as there were both a reluctance to use such label as well as a shortage of professionals qualified to give such diagnosis. More often than not, autistic children were categorized in many different mental disability categories.
As more knowledge was obtained, better diagnostic tools developed, more children now fit into that very broad category of autism, which encompasses people from highly functioning, independent individuals to those that require 24/7 attention for all their needs.
