Autism was first “discovered” in the late 30’s. Around the same time across the ocean Asperger’s was also being defined at about the same time. As the years went by, more and more children have been determined to have one or the other syndrome (if they are truly separate conditions and not just manifestations of the same). Currently the DSM IV (the criteria to diagnose a child with ASD) has seen an expansion of the checklist, and a record number of children are being tagged as having Autism Spectrum Disorder.There has been a very definite increase in the prevalence rate, especially within the last 30 years (post MMR introduction, which is very suggestive of a direct link between this vaccine and the triggering of autism). Some would have us believe that this is an illusion, that all we have seen is an increase in the recognition of this “Spectrum”. There is evidence, both empirical as well as using logic and inference to dispute this, but the actual truth may never be known, as there has been extremely poor documentation of prevalence over the years, and the “official” numbers are merely extrapolated from Dept. of Ed. Reporting, which is faulty at best and deliberately misleading at worst.Still, there will be a small bit of truth in this, in as much as our current definition of what qualifies an individual as falling on the Spectrum has indeed been expanded over the work started by Kanner in the US and Asperger in Austria. Certainly children today are labeled PDD-NOS (on the Spectrum) which would never have been done 60 years ago. One might expect this trend to continue as our collective knowledge is improved, both of autism in particular and the workings of the human mind in general.Which leads me to wonder where are the lines? It would seem that we are blurring the edges quite a bit as we increase the eligibility for inclusion under the heading ASD. So even without any other factor to account for the higher number of children entering the public schools each year labeled ASD, without considering degeneration of the human genome, the collateral fallout damage of a faulty vaccine program, general environmental toxins, and even the increased likelihood that people on the Spectrum pass along their own genetic predisposition, the chances become very great that there will indeed be more autistic children next year than the year before. We are pushing the window of eligibility open, and allowing more children to enter this column, some of who will have more subtle manifestations of this disorder.As we continue to blur the edges, we can look at ourselves, our family and our friends and neighbors, and using the expanded criteria can find that perhaps a few of them will also now fit into the model for inclusion on the Spectrum. At which point do we decide here is the line? Where do we mark it so that if you have enough checks on the list you will be considered ASD, and if you have one less you are simply to be seen as having a few personality disorders?Schools have a built in impetus to find a diagnosis of ASD as opposed to “merely” having a PD? They receive money based upon the numbers that are generated on their state reports. While funding for autism is not as specific as it should be, that will very soon be corrected. Washington is becoming increasingly aware of the burden upon the schools that children with autism can place, and they will begin to target funding for training and services to assist the local districts. Once this special funding finally happens, the schools will scramble to find as many autistic children as possible, just as they did in the 80’s with ADD/ADHD. So the schools will be working at odds with the needs of children, specifically by labeling children as ASD who may be borderline, or even clearly NOT ASD as such. This increased awareness is a double-edged sword; for every child “picked up” who may have previously fallen thru the cracks, there will be another who is labeled who should not be. This presents a whole host of new problems, not the least of which is being listed under a Special Education heading that will stay with the child for life (despite of what some may wish to believe, being labeled Special Ed can be extremely traumatic, and many of those who are in the upper half in terms of level of functioning are prone to lifelong depression and other psychological problems as they react to the prejudices of those around them and the emotional wrestling of dealing with the fact that they are not merely different, but perceived to be sub-standard).We must be very careful as the edges are blurred that in our zeal to identify and tally children for program eligibility and funding reasons that we do not do more harm than good for those individuals who are near the border. On the other hand, as our knowledge of ASD improves and we begin to recognize that many more of us have one foot in the door than previously thought, we shall find that even those who are more profoundly affected are really not substandard nor alien, but have much in common with us “NT’s”, that even those people who are non-verbal are deserving of the same considerations and rights as the rest of us. After all, there is no shame in being different, and there should likewise be now shame to being ASD. We are all God’s children, and each of us is deserving of the same acceptance under His Eyes, the same basic human dignity in the minds of society, and the same freedoms, rights and privileges afforded to the citizen of these United States.