Researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Washington found that one of the reasons is because there are a broad range of symptoms and behaviors that autism covers.
The report, which was published in the journal Autism, also suggests that up to 4 percent of kids are helped when they receive early therapy, or when they outgrow their symptoms.
The authors of the study said pediatricians are encouraged to use developmental screening tests with all kids, even if they don’t show signs of having a problem.
In the report, the researchers said the results of the study suggest some children with developmental delays, attentional flexibility problems or other conditioners may be receiving inaccurate diagnoses of autism from nonspecialists.
As of now, one in 68 children in America are believed to have an autism spectrum disorder. This is a 30 percent increase from earlier estimates. Back in 2012, it was estimated that one in 88 children had an autism spectrum disorder.
About 74 percent of the parents who were surveyed about the reversed diagnoses thought that new information was the reason for the reversals. This means their kids were starting to show developmentally appropriate social or language abilities, as opposed to a child being cured.
There will be more research needed in order to determine if overdiagnosis has become more common.
