MADISON, Wis. April 4 - An apparent increase over the past decade in the prevalence of children labeled as autistic in special education programs may be a phantom conjured by diagnostic substitution, according to an investigator here.
"My research indicates that the increase in the number of kids with an autism label in special education is strongly associated with a declining usage of the mental retardation and learning disabilities labels in special education during the same period," said Paul T. Shattuck Ph.D., MSSW, a pediatrics researcher at the University of Wisconsin
"Many of the children now being counted in the autism category would probably have been counted in the mental retardation or learning disabilities categories if they were being labeled 10 years ago instead of today," Dr. Shattuck added. He outlined his case for the rise in autism being due largely to diagnostic substitution in the April issue of Pediatrics.
Full Article by Neil Osterweil
# posted by madthumbs @ 10:02 AM
