The Rise of Autism

This book investigates and examines why increasing numbers of people are being diagnosed with autism, aruging that the increased use of autism diagnosis is due to medicalisation across the life-course and crucially asking whether autism itself is useful as a diagnostic category.

Ginny Russell is Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter, in the UK. She co-leads the Health and Illness theme at Egenis (the Centre for the Study of Life Sciences) in the College of Social Science and International Studies, as well as co-leading the Epidemiology and Qualitative Research stream of ChYMe (the Children and Young People's Mental Health collaboration) based at the College of Medicine and Health.

Introduction 1. Establishing the trend PART I: 'Artefactual' 2. Babies and infants 3. Children 4. Adults 5. Women on the verge of the autism spectrum 6. Beyond the living PART II: 'Real' 7. Epidemiology and lay epidemiology 8. Risks during conception, pregnancy and birth 9. Factors during infancy, childhood and adulthood 10. Diagnosis Conclusion