Ann Griswold graduated from the University of Florida with a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences. Since then she has worked as a researcher for molecular microbiology and genetics, as a medical writer. She helps prove that autism cases are increasing due to earlier diagnosis, point out that the major rise in autism diagnoses began around 1990 which was when the American Psychiatric Association made autism more public and easier to detect (Ballaro and Griswold). Early diagnosis is becoming much more common. Autism used to be detected when a child was eight years old. Nancy Sprague graduated from the University of New Hampshire and obtained a BS degree and also now holds a masters degree in health policy which she obtained at Dartmouth College’s Center for the Evaluative and Clinical Sciences. She found that autism can now be detected when a child is eighteen months (Chittom and Sprague). This early detection began in 2001 when the American Academy of Pediatrics, also known as the AAP, provided clinicians with autism guidelines. Then, in 2006, the AAP made a policy statement that strongly encouraged autism screenings for all eighteen to twenty-four month year old’s. The AAP’s policy statement made more parents aware that they should bring their children to get an autism diagnosis (Ballaro and Griswold). The supporters of the viewpoint that says autism individuals are not increasing say that early diagnosis has been …show more content…
One other diagnostic tool is easy to do a test that takes one minute. This test detects specific eye gaze patterns that autistic individuals possess. One other new diagnostic test has been developed that takes five minutes to complete. This diagnostic test has a low price and short checklist that guardians of the child check to complete. The checklist includes different questions about the child’s emotions, eye gaze, communication, different gestures, and other unusual behaviors. There are many other diagnostic tests that are available to the general public today (Guttmacher