autism

Autism seems to be the latest fad these days. Go autism, go.

Autism, today, is what ADHD was years ago: Every child had it. Every child needed to be medicated for it. No one questioned it. Thousands of children were unnecessarily drugged for it -- ADHD is waning, but autism is the new monster.

Every time I listen to the radio or watch the television, there're adds claiming that 1 out of 160 children is diagnosed with autism. It's 160 or 166. I'm close to what's being shoved down my throat. Regardless, it's a very low ratio.

Everytime I hear that statistic, I think to myself: If this were true, I should be tripping over autistic children everywhere I go -- the mall, in schools, and on the streets. But, I'm not.

I've worked in psychiatric hospitals with autistic children. They kind of stand out. It's a very unfortunate developmental issue. But, regardless of the visceral, emotional reaction to the word "autism" one may have, what I believe is happening is this: Mental Health is a business, a big business, plain and simple. The criteria for autism is being altered/lowered so that more children can be diagnosed with autism so that the parents of that child will seek out the specialists, the pharmaceutical companies [especially them], and the support services that, for a fee, (a rather large fee), will counsel, medicate, and/or rehabilitate the alleged autistic child.

Money. Money. Money.

1 out of 160 children is autistic; I think it's bullcrap.

Parents, please don't walk blindly into this.