The «Alleged Epidemic» of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Claudio Coscarella, Amalia Prenzato, Giulia Vanni, Ambra Cravero, Elisa Casini, Alice Mastrofrancesco, Martina Brizzi, Chiara Niccolai
The objective of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on the island of Elba in the 2301 cohort of children born between 2009 and 2018. Diagnoses of ASD have drastically increased since the 2000s, partly due to the diagnostic practice of DSM 5, an increase in media information and an increase in state welfare programmes for ASD. The incidence of ASD in children born per year is estimated at 1/82 with large fluctuations in values over the years. Neurodevelopmental disorders are estimated at 1/54 children born per year. This paper ends with a positive reflection on M-Chat screening for early diagnosis of ASD. Health policies saving the state expenditure have caused public problems in health services for ASD. Therefore, early diagnosis may not be followed by adequate rehabilitation therapies.
Keywords
Epidemiology of ASD, Epidemiology of neurodevelopment disorders, Specificity and sensitivity of ASD diagnosis, M-Chat screening of ASD.
