W. Virginia: Doctor has seen the rise in autism; goal should be "increasing the number of providers"

May 6, 2018, Beckley (WV) Register—Herald: Autism more prevalent than previously reported http://www.register-herald.com/news/autism-more-prevalent-than-previously-reported/article_df87a76a-46ce-5edc-afa9-7bc99932110b.html “Autism was considered rare in the 1940s, even through 1960s,” said Dr. Susannah Poe, a professor in the West Virginia University Department of Pediatrics and the vice president of Mountaineer Autism Project. “But back then, we didn’t have kids in day care early on.” She said the rise in autism is a true rise in the number of cases, but she acknowledged better diagnostic tools are available and there’s a better awareness of the condition. … The next hurdle, she said, is increasing the number of providers. As a diagnostician at WVU School of Medicine for the past 18 years, Poe said she’s seen the rise. And she’s seen kids waiting up to eight months to receive services because of wait lists.