Contrary to popular belief, autism is relatively rare and often mis-diagnosed. One such four-year-old, when introduced to our stuffed baby dinosaur friend during the child's play psychotherapy session, stated, "He can't be alive. My brother told me dinosaurs are extinct." The reasons for these mis-diagnoses reflect several factors: the widespread ignorance of child psychological development; the growth of a lucrative "autism industry;" a downplaying of the critical role of experiencing a "good enough" parenting in mature functioning; and a lessened belief in the power of the unconscious.
That a child exhibits some autistic symptoms does not make them autistic since these may be outgrown or disappear after brief play psychotherapy. True autism, since it develops during the earliest period of development, is perhaps the most devastating and difficult to treat of all mental health conditions. My successful treatment of a severely autistic teenager involved daily psychotherapy sessions in an inpatient treatment center over four years and is described in my first book, "Troubled Children/Troubled Parents: The Way Out." Having said this, autism is of a wide range and the sight of children possessing its severe symptoms is deeply troubling. But, as I said, these children are relatively rare.
Some years ago I read of an epidemic of symptoms among teenagers in upper New York State including stomach distress, feeling faint, and more. This caused great distress for parents and the community behaved responsibly, testing the water supply and school facilities. Then, several months later, the "epidemic" vanished, it being recognized as reflecting hysteria fostered by online media. Living as we do in troubled times, should the same be said of autism?