A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention medical review found there was an 150 percent increase in autism diagnoses in eight year olds from 2000 to 2014.
Teresa Daly, director of the University of Central Florida’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, says services for children and their parents are not increasing at the same rate as diagnoses.
“We’re not seeing a decrease in the age of identification and the impact that that has on basically pulling time away from where we could be focusing time on the skills the children need to develop.”
The Centers for Control and Prevention says most children can be reliably diagnosed and start treatment by age two. With changes in diet, medication, behavior, or even alternative medicine, a child might have increased chances of being able to walk, talk, or interact in social situations.
