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Showing posts from October, 2009

Conflicting Studies, Good/Bad Science

Time magazine has two stories on autism diagnostic rates. One report is on a careful census of adults, trying to determine if there is a real difference between generations. The second report is on a telephone survey that shows a sudden spike in rates based on poorly worded questions. I never trust phone surveys -- they have numerous validity issues. Article 1: For the First Time, a Census of Autistic Adults By CLAUDIA WALLIS Saturday, Oct. 03, 2009 On Sept. 22, England's National Health Service (NHS) released the first study of autism in the general adult population. The findings confirm the intuitive assumption: that ASD is just as common in adults as it is in children. Researchers at the University of Leicester, working with the NHS Information Center found that roughly 1 in 100 adults are on the spectrum — the same rate found for children in England, Japan, Canada and, for that matter, New Jersey. Article 2: New Study Sees a Higher Rate of Autism: Is the Jump Real? By