Autism 'Epidemic' Fueled by Special-Ed Funding, Shift in Diagnoses: ; Analysis

Summary

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ATLANTA - A few decades ago, people probably would have said kids like Ryan Massey and Eddie Scheuplein were just odd. Or difficult.

Each boy is bright. Ryan, 11, is hyper and prone to angry outbursts, though, sometimes trying to strangle another kid in his class who annoys him. Eddie, 7, has a strange habit of sticking his shirt into his mouth and sucking on it.

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Autism 'Epidemic' Fueled by Special-Ed Funding, Shift in Diagnoses: ; Analysis

Each was diagnosed with a form of autism, and it's partly because of children like them that autism appears to be skyrocketing: In the latest estimate, as many as one in 150 children have some form of this disorder. Groups advocating more research money call autism "the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States."

Indeed, doctors are concerned that there might be even more cases out there, unrecognized: T...

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