Autism: more adults going undiagnosed
The majority of adult autism sufferers from England in the United Kingdom go undiagnosed and are completely in the dark about having the condition, according to new European research. The study, published in the journal General Psychiatry, also found that autism is more common in males, those without higher education, and those who live in social housing. The research, carried out by researchers from the United Kingdom, used data from a 2007 general population survey of autism in adulthood carried out by the team. This took the form of a two-phase epidemiological survey of 618 people. Not one of the people found to suffer from autism was previously under the impression that they were autistic, let alone subject to any official diagnosis of autism or Asperger's syndrome. Using the recommended threshold of a score of 10 or more on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 1 % of the adult population were found to have an autism spectrum disorder. This figure corresponds to existing statistics about the prevalence of the condition among children, also around 1 %: this means the adult rate is no higher than the rate among children. 'It is very concerning that none of the cases we confirmed using rigorous diagnostic assessment methods in the community knew that they had the condition or had an official diagnosis,' explains Dr Traolach Brugha, lead author of the study from the University of Leicester. However, he stresses that these cases were for the most part relatively mild and few were severe. 'We know that severe autism, particularly when accompanied by learning disability, is much more likely to be recognised.' Although the study shows people are indeed going undiagnosed, the authors emphasise that they found no evidence of any great increase in the number of people with the condition, countering recent fears of an 'autism epidemic'. As the rates of autism were similar for those aged 16 and those aged 80, this suggests that the number of people developing the condition has not changed much over the last 80 years. If the rate of autism was in fact increasing, the rates would be much lower in older adults, and higher in children and young people. Dr Traolach Brugha adds: 'Overall, our findings suggest that prevalence is neither rising nor falling significantly over time. This favours the interpretation that methods of ascertainment (case finding) have changed in more recent surveys of children compared to the earliest surveys in which the rates reported were considerably lower.' The study's authors explain that autism occurs as a result of several genetic and environmental factors that remain unchanged; therefore, any changes in the levels of autism among the population are reflective of better case-finding and diagnosis rather than an environmental factor. The 'autism epidemic' idea can be explained by better awareness of the syndrome. The lack of an association between autism and age is consistent with the theory that there has been no increase in occurrence and that the causes remain constants. As adults with autism are more likely to be victims of social exclusion, research into the diagnostics of the condition are crucial for reaching out to these forgotten sufferers in the community.For more information, please visit: University of Leicester: http://www2.le.ac.uk/
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