An article last month in USA Today says a study released in the journal Pediatrics indicates that the number of children diagnosed with a developmental disability has been on the increase, with a total of more than 15%, or about 10 million children, currently affected.
Included in the study were parent-reported diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, autism, seizures, stuttering or stammering, moderate to profound hearing loss, blindness, learning disorders and other developmental delays.
The study’s author, Sheree Boulet of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested that the increase might be due to the increase in the number of babies born prematurely, which often results in long-term effects for the child.
The USA Today article touches on various opinions regarding the finding, such as the involvement of chemicals or the parental push for a diagnosis.
Read an abstract on the study published in Pediatrics.
