ROK Drop

By on May 9th, 2011 at 4:30 pm

The South Korean School System & Autistic Children

That is what this report is claiming:

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in South Korea affect an estimated 2.64% of the population of school-age children, equivalent to 1 in 38 children, according to the first comprehensive study of autism prevalence using a total population sample. The study — conducted by Young-Shin Kim, M.D., of the Yale Child Study Center and her colleagues in the U.S., Korea and Canada — identifies children not yet diagnosed and has the potential to increase autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates worldwide.

ASDs are complex neurobiological disorders that inhibit a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and are often accompanied by behavioral challenges. Published online in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the study reports on about 55,000 children ages 7 to 12 years in a South Korean community, including those enrolled in special education services and a disability registry, as well as children enrolled in general education schools. All children were systematically assessed using multiple clinical evaluations. This method unmasked cases that could have gone unnoticed. More than two-thirds of the ASD cases in the study were found in the mainstream school population, unrecognized and untreated. [Science Daily]

For comparison sakes the Center for Disease Control in the US says that 1-110 US children have been diagnosed with autism. I have to wonder if differences in reporting or standards in what constitutes autism could explain such a huge difference between the two countries?

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3
  • kushibo
    4:42 pm on May 9th, 2011 1

    I also wonder about the difference. I think it can be explained by more thorough testing, a more comprehensive definition, and possibly mothers and fathers giving birth at higher ages.

  • ChickenHead
    9:15 pm on May 9th, 2011 2

    Rainman thinks %2.647285426488532642 is kinda high.

    I wonder if it is real autism or if the same symptoms are generated in childhood-less kids who are told to study, study, study all the time… and when they sneak some free time, they are interacting with other children through Maple Story and Sudden Attack.

    All of the kids I have talked to have a deep frustration and anger… as they spend much of their time going through the motions of studying while actually thinking of playing… yet accomplishing neither.

    That would drive me crazy as a k

  • ooo
    7:55 am on May 10th, 2011 3

    I question this study in so many ways. I have taught many autistic children here, even aspergers. most teachers just labeled the students as stupid and their parents had no idea that their child had some type of mental delay or they were in extreme denial!

 

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