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Autistic spectrum disorder: what should you know?

7 mins read Special care dentistry
I am a paediatric dentist who has been working for over 20 years with the families of children who are on the autistic spectrum. This article is based not only on my own experience but also the feedback from those families whose children I have seen grow up under my care

I am sure that many of you are wondering why we seem to be seeing more autistic people not only in public, but also in our surgeries. Why is this? Are we really in the middle of an epidemic?

The answer is complex. It is generally accepted that the apparent increase in autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is due to a combination of changing diagnostic criteria, more highly trained diagnosticians, a willingness to accept diagnosis, earlier detection, and better recording systems. There has been a certain amount of under-diagnosis in the past, with children who may have been given the diagnosis of ‘developmental delay’ being reclassified as having ASD.

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