Autism Street

From the discussion section of a post over at Orac’s place at ScienceBlogs:

Hi Dr. Gordon,

On your website there’s a video ad for your “Vaccinations” book.
In the video, I noticed a slide that contained the following:

Autism by the Numbers:
U.S. and Europe
USA - 1980′S: 1-2 per 10,000
USA - Late 1990’s: 1 in 500
USA - 2000: 1 in 250
USA - 2004: 1 in 166

Given that the video is not much more than a short advertisement, if you mention the changes in diagnositic critera as well of the very definition of “autism,” it’s not evident in the clip.

Aside from diagnostic substitution, earlier diagnosis, increased awareness, and better recognition, etc., from a scientific perspective, to what degree do you think the following changes impact the numbers you have presented?

1. Autism was first added to the DSM in 1980.
2. PDD-NOS was added to the DSM in 1987.
3. The criteria for autism was changed (greatly broadened) in 1994.
4. Aspergers’s Syndrome was added to the DSM in 1994.

In formulating a response, please keep in mind that the numbers you presented are for all autism spectrum disorders (which were not even all acknowledged in terms of diagnosis until well into the 1990’s. Also, please keep in mind that two-thirds of the estimated prevalence of “autism” is PDD-NOS and Asperger’s, according to current epidemiology.

Given that the numbers you present in this slide cover a wide range of changing diagnostic criteria, are they even meaningfully comparable?

Your best scientific response would be most appreciated.

Posted by: Do’C | July 25, 2008 2:05 AM

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From the Chicago Tribune Web Edition, blogger Julie Deardorff writes:

Originally posted: July 3, 2008

The AAP responds to ‘vaccine dissenters’

Below, I’ve posted the response by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to my recent blog item The AAP gets tough on vaccine dissenters.

In the piece, I pointed out that some parents are unnerved by the sheer number of shots that are currently recommended and in many cases, mandated. The new combo vaccines are sure to raise more questions and concerns, especially since parents are currently trying to unbundle the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) shot.

In the rebuttal, which will appear Wednesday in the Chicago Tribune’s Voice of the People section, AAP president Renee Jenkins emphasized the safety of vaccines, even though I never directly addressed the issue. She added: “The number of vaccines has increased because new vaccines have been developed to prevent more diseases. That is a good thing.”

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