UK TIMES: "Explosive growth" in autism is 'meaningless'

Sept 28, 2021, UK Times: Rise of autism makes diagnosis ‘meaningless’ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rise-of-autism-makes-diagnosis-meaningless-6pgssfznt

A diagnosis of autism has become meaningless, one scientist has claimed, after the number of new cases rose by 787 per cent in two decades. There has been an explosive growth in autism diagnoses in England, largely due to an increase in recognition. The rise, between 1998 and 2018, was greater in women than men, and the highest rise recorded in adult diagnosis. Uta Frith, a neuroscientist and emeritus professor of cognitive development at University College London, said the figures showed that urgent changes were needed in how the condition is diagnosed. “It strongly suggests that the diagnosis of autism has been stretched to breaking point and has outgrown its purpose,” she said.