There's no autism epidemic. It's an autism diagnosis epidemic

A provocative headline! Do we also have diagnosis epidemics in other areas of healthcare? I bet. How about Covid-19 pandemic related deaths, hospitalizations, infections etc.?

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a nebulous term under which almost anything and everything can be diagnosed. It is questionable if this is helpful to the patients

"s there an autism epidemic? No. The increase in the autism rate recently reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention represent an autism diagnosis epidemic.

Writing in the weekly journal MMWR, CDC researchers reported that autism rates in the United States increased from 1 in 150 children in 2000 to 1 in 54 in 2016, and the rate now stands at 1 in 44 children. ...

I believe that the rise in the autism rate is social, not biological. It’s not that more children are developing symptoms of autism, but multifaceted sociological and political factors are increasing the diagnoses and documentation of this condition.  
The first of these factors was a diagnosis of autism fit the message of the deinstitutionalization movement better than mental retardation because the public believed that children with autism lagged behind only in some areas and could improve with behavioral therapies. In contrast, children with mental retardation were believed to lag behind in all areas and could not improve with therapy, justifying banishing them to institutions away from society. ...
a diagnosis of autism fit the message of the deinstitutionalization movement better than mental retardation because the public believed that children with autism lagged behind only in some areas and could improve with behavioral therapies. In contrast, children with mental retardation were believed to lag behind in all areas and could not improve with therapy ... As autism diagnoses increased, diagnoses of mental retardation and other learning disabilities decreased. ...

Another powerful factor behind the rise in autism rates is the passing of insurance mandates. Since 2001, all 50 states have instituted mandates requiring non-self-funded private insurance plans to cover behavioral therapies for autism. These mandates can save families up to $50,000 a year on treatment. ... Insurance mandates increase autism rates because, in borderline cases, practitioners and parents push for a diagnosis that ensures a child receives coverage for the help the child and family need. ... The families of children with developmental disorders other than autism must often rely on broad laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which vaguely states that each child must receive a “free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.” IDEA’s implementation is underfunded by Congress and largely depends on each state’s interpretation of it. With such limited options for children with special needs, it makes sense that caring practitioners might push for a diagnosis that guarantees children receive the help they need. ...
These factors were crystalized by the CDC’s changing methodology to measure autism rates. In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association narrowed its criteria for an autism diagnosis. ..."

There's no autism epidemic. It's an autism diagnosis epidemic - STAT