Prevalence of autism in early 1970s may have been underestimated

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7313.633

BMJ 2001;323:633 ( 15 September )

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Prevalence of autism in early 1970s may have been underestimated

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ Recently, concerns about an apparent increase in the prevalence of autism in the general population, and the pathophysiologybehind this, have been prominent in the press. Before these concernscan be addressed we need to be sure that the prevalence has trulyincreased. A cohort study was thought suitable to provide an insightinto whether the prevalence of autistic disorders hasincreased.

In the British cohort 1970 study (BCS70) only five children were identified as having autism (and one as having suspectedautism) at the age of 5 in disability data files. This gives aprevalence of 6/13 135 (0.45/1000) $---$ comparable with that foundin previous studies. ¹ ²

A focus group consisting of practising consultants (from adult and paediatric disciplines) experienced in the diagnosis ofautistic disorders was convened. This group identified severaldiagnostic features from the available data that they thoughtwere important in making a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder.. . . [Full text of this article]

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