ReviewNeurology2017
The autism "epidemic": Ethical, legal, and social issues in a developmental spectrum disorder.
Review in Neurology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 92 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Emerging Role of Explainable Artificial Intelligence in EEG-Based Autism Research: A Systematic Review.NeuroSci · 2026Review
- Article
- Age, Race, and Ethnicity of Maternal Grandparents in Autism Spectrum Disorder, a California Multigenerational Study.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2025Article
- Factors Associated with Confirmed and Unconfirmed Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis in Children Volunteering for Research.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025Article
- Red flags in global autism data: a forensic analysis of prevalence patterns and official aid dependencies.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Maternal asthma during pregnancy and the likelihood of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring.Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica · 2025Article
- Exploring genetic testing requests, genetic alterations and clinical associations in a cohort of children with autism spectrum disorder.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2024Article
- Heterogeneity of Autism Characteristics in Genetic Syndromes: Key Considerations for Assessment and Support.Current developmental disorders reports · 2023Review
- National and State Trends in autistic Adult Supplemental Security Income Awardees: 2005-2019.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2022Article
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnoses: A Comparison of Countries with Different Income Levels.Clinical epidemiology · 2022Review
- Ethical dimensions of translational developmental neuroscience research in autism.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2021Review
- Diagnosis despite clinical ambiguity: physicians' perspectives on the rise in Autism Spectrum disorder incidence.BMC psychiatry · 2021Article
- Wnt/β-Catenin-Dependent Transcription in Autism Spectrum Disorders.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2021Review
- State of the Field: Differentiating Intellectual Disability From Autism Spectrum Disorder.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2019Review
- Air pollution and Autism in Denmark.Environmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2018Article
- [The epidemiology of mental disorders in youth : A narrative review including Austrian data].Neuropsychiatrie : Klinik, Diagnostik, Therapie und Rehabilitation : Organ der Gesellschaft Osterreichischer Nervenarzte und Psychiater · 2017Review
- Isabelle Rapin (1927-2017).Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Classic autism has gradually evolved into the concept of a larger "spectrum disorder." The rising prevalence of autism and autism spectrum disorder (autism/ASD) diagnoses can be largely attributed to broader diagnostic criteria, adoption of dimensional assessment strategies, increased awareness, linking of services to diagnosis, and the inclusion of milder neurodevelopmental differences bordering on normality. The spectrum disorder diagnosis raises numerous bioethical issues for individuals and society. Three groups of caregivers have important ethical, legal, and social obligations to individuals with autism/ASD: (1) families and advocates of individuals with autism/ASD; (2) health care and other professionals; and (3) governments. Each group may have different views of autism/ASD diagnostic criteria, screening, testing, and the effectiveness of various interventions. All see timely diagnosis as desirable, but earlier diagnosis may not be better, morally or practically. The growing practice of genetic testing in milder ASD raises ethical questions because of its uncertain scientific validity and limited clinical utility. Individuals with autism/ASD have various kinds of needs but all want acceptance and most deserve better accommodations. Governments struggle to provide a fair allocation of appropriate special education and supportive services. This article examines the evolving dimensions of the autism/ASD diagnosis, outlines certain bioethics principles related to its evaluation and management, reviews relevant laws and disability rights, and emphasizes the societal obligation to recognize neurodevelopmental variation and human neurodiversity. Future directions in the evaluation and care of autism/ASD should attempt to integrate the roles and responsibilities of all agents caring for each unique autistic individual.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.