Fragile X is not a "made up" condition. It can be detected on the chromosomes with DNA testing. As medical knowledge and testing become more advanced, doctors are able to diagnose many more conditions, that in the past when undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed. There are many mildly autistic children that probably fell through the cracks in centuries past, and were just labelled slow, retarded, or weird. It was also first considered a psychological condition and blamed upon the mother being cold and unloving. Medicine has come a long way in the last 50 years.
An analogy can be made to the explosion of earthquakes in recent years. This is not because there is an actual increase in earthquakes. It is because the number of earthquake detectors around the world has risen from around 300 - 3000. They are also much more sensitive and can detect small earthquakes.
Medical testing and diagnostic equipment is the same. Because statistics can be misrepresented or manipulated, especially to those who do not know the subject or understand statistical analysis, scientific studies must go through peer review, before they can be published in medical or scientific journals. Unfortunately, the same is not true of statistics published and conclusions drawn in the popular media.
The media is not a credible source of information. They are ratings whores.
Cog
