In 2014, the estimated number of American children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was 1 in 68. Since there were around 73 million children under 18 in the same year, more than a million children were diagnosed with ASD. In response to autism’s increasing relevancy within American households, more attention has been given to the disorder and the information surrounding it. The media has recently been working to appeal to this large demographic of America which is in some way affected by ASD. The popular children’s tv show “Sesame Street” in 2015 added a new character to the mix; Julia, a girl with ASD. Julia was introduced along with the program “Sesame Street and Autism: See All in Amazing Children,” an initiative meant to generate public awareness about autism and educate people about our friends like Julia.
(http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Julia)
This is a particularly good initiative, because many past portrayals in movies and tv are not entirely accurate to reality. Criticism has always surrounded the movie Rain Main, specifically that its representation of autism is misleading. The other limited portrayals of individuals with ASD are frequently critiqued for similar reasons. Often, characters are not officially diagnosed with the disorder, but show several symptoms which could also be interpreted as character choices by the actor and writers. This ambiguity around ASD diagnosis is especially not helpful to understanding the disorder.
Many questions have been raised as to the origin of the recent rapid increase in ASD diagnoses in America. Some researchers believe that the increase is due to increased awareness and understanding of ASD. With more information discovered and made available about the disorder, medical professionals and the public are more apt to recognize, diagnose, and treat it. Another interpretation under consideration is that the diagnostic procedure for ASD is not yet precise enough to be very accurate in diagnoses, leading to a substantial amount of children misdiagnosed with ASD.
This concern is prompting studies concerning more refined techniques to diagnose ASD, such as the study “Neural correlates of face-processing in etiologically-distinct 12-month-old infants at high risk of autism spectrum disorder” led by Maggie W. Guy. Guy’s research concerned possible early signs of developing ASD, which in time could be part of a sophisticated diagnostic technique used. Guy and her team studied the varying neural specialization in children of high or low risk of developing ASD. The study concluded in finding brain activity patterns that could differentiate between infants of different risk levels.
This study doesn't promise an immediate solution to the problem of misunderstanding ASD, nor does it propose a more accurate technique for early diagnosis of the disorder. However, it has an important role in determining the pathway of future work surrounding ASD. Studies like this one create a hopeful vision for the future with a more comprehensive understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of ASD and the individuals affected by the disorder, either directly or indirectly.
Works Cited
Falco, Miriam. “Autism rates now 1 in 68 U.S. children: CDC.” CNN, Cable News Network, 28 Mar. 2014, www.cnn.com/2014/03/27/health/cdc-autism/.
“Number of Children.” Child Trends, Dec. 2015, www.childtrends.org/indicators/number-of-children/.
Smith, Melodi, and Kerry Chan Laddaran. “Julia, who has austim, joins the 'Sesame Street' gang.” CNN, Cable News Network, 21 Oct. 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/10/21/entertainment/sesame-street-julia-autism/.
Felperin, Leslie. “Autism on film: can cinema get it right?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 4 Apr. 2011, www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2011/apr/04/autism-best-film-portraits.
Christensen, Jen. “Autism: Is over-Diagnosis to blame for high rate?” CNN, Cable News Network, 24 Oct. 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/10/23/health/autism-misdiagnosis-rate/index.html.
Guy, M.W., et al., Neural correlates of face processing in etiologically-distinct 12-month-old infants at high-risk of autism spectrum disorder. Dev. Cogn. Neurosci. (2017), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2017.03.002
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