To just remind you that autism is genetic?

Not it isn’t.

1. Autism, or Autism Spectrum Conditions
2. ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADD: Attention Deficit Disorder
3. Dyscalculia
4. Dyslexia
5. Dyspraxia, or Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)

are all neurodiversities and you get a separate diagnosis for each. My daughter has 3 x diagnosis on that list.

I completely agree. There's a high degree of suppression of research data by medical companies, which have a stranglehold on regulatory bodies.

Is that Jaguar Land Rover?

Yes, as you say, they are both ND. But ND doesn't only mean autism, it means neurodiverse. Which encompases a variety of conditions including but not limited to autism. Yet autism seems to be the catch all diagnosis for so many people.

Op you moan that people say maternal age has an impact but then you admit it has an impact yourself?
Not really sure what your point is I barely see any posts blaming vaccines or heavy metals on Mumsnet. If we want to talk about Instagram however that would be a different story 😳

Some of them have ADHD.

So hello question.

They lump it together because the traits are the traits.

Sarah who is "highly functioning" has low support needs but may struggle in different areas and excel in others.

Sally who need additional help around the clock ,has high support needs. And requires help in many different areas of her life.

They are both ND.

It's a spectrum, not a barometer. You're not a tiny bit autistic, you are or you aren't.

ND people have variable needs like any other human.

Autism seems to be a given diagnosis for so many different conditions. The fact that Sarah who holds down a job, normal-ish life etc and likes to post on tiktok about her autism has the 'same' condition as Rebecca who requires 24/7 care, doesn't communicate verbally, smears etc is crazy. I know there can be varying degrees but it just seems as though they lump people together under one diagnosis if they don't have any other answers for what condition a person is presenting with.

This is the case for us. Both diagnosed late in life, after having our babies.

Could we please talk about the chance of a child being autistic, rather than the risk of a child having autism? Language matters.

My daughter is 4 and has autism, I accept it's probably genetic although neither me or her father are diagnosed as neurodivergent, not to say neither of us are though I suppose.

I've always thought her traumatic birth could have been a contributing factor. Or maybe that was just the way she was always meant to be. Whatever the cause it dosnt matter. My daughter is amazing just the way she is.

Yes. But even with them the comments you make infer that there are more people with autism, not just more people diagnosed with autism.

The conclusions my (potentially autistic) brain makes based on your comments:

Maternal and paternal age are also a significant factor / There's 'more' autism because people are having babies at older ages.
We know that parents are statistically older now than they used to be. Which means more babies are born to older people. If this is a factor in autism diagnosis (and I don’t think the factor is older parents are better at spotting medical needs) then there are likely to be more autistic babies than there used to be.

We also don't routinely institutionalise children that are different to their peers.
This implies by ‘allowing’ autistic people to have babies, their genetics mean that there are more autistic babies born than if we institutionalised autistic people. As we no longer do this, more autistic babies are born. I otherwise have no idea how this sentence is possibly relevant to people saying that autism is more prevalent nowadays.

Important caveat: this is of course right and fine and autism isn’t a death sentence and we shouldn’t curtail reproductive rights of anyone to prevent births of autistic children.

And we are better at spotting autism.
This is true. And the rest of your posts seem to imply this is what your OP meant.

I don't know. I actually thought it still wasn't proved what caused autism. I have 2 autistic children. One I had at 28, the other at 39. I suppose I could have caused DS to be autistic but no family history so where did DDs autism "come from"?

@Foxxo
I know when my son went through his, the questions i was asked by his Dr also covered some of my history, and his Dr told me that he strongly believed over our appointment that i was also Autistic and ADHD.

Didn't you ask him how he knew - I am adhd and possibly autistic and I've tried all my life to fit in and still at my great age do not know what it is I am doing differently from the rest.

This!
If there are environmental factors (which the OP seems to suggest - 60% - 90% ‘in your genes’ still leaves as high as 40% environmental) then we should surely try to understand what they are?? Not to blame parents of course, but to update current advice.

Also, not RTFT but does epigenetics come in to play here? Certain babies may have a higher predisposition towards autism but something environmental could ‘switch’ those genes on??

It's more an american thing, pioneered by Dr Russel Barkley who is one of the leading experts on ADHD :)

It's something that is slowly started to be picked up by other clinics, most private, because as you say.. NHS sucks.

I know when my son went through his, the questions i was asked by his Dr also covered some of my history, and his Dr told me that he strongly believed over our appointment that i was also Autistic and ADHD.

I have since been diagnosed with both as an adult.

I’d live to meet this clinic where they test parents! You can’t even get kids tested in the NHS.

There is also the fact, for those who didn't know.. that never mind ASD.

ADHD is more highly heritable. To the point that some clinics that diagnose children, will then also test the parents, because its extremely likely one or both also has it. (usually the mother believe it or not)

My Mother is obviously autistic.
Both my brother and i have AuDHD, both my kids do, and both of his do.

If your kid has it should you perhaps both get tested as well then?

The NHS AQ-10 test was mentioned in another thread today. Out of curiosity, I did it, and with my score, it would be recommended that I be considered for referral to have a specialist diagnostic assessment.

I'm honestly not surprised by this. I won't be taking it further, as I'm so used to being who I am and don't feel the need.

My DN has BPD, and she believes that her DM & DG, (my DS & DM), have autism. Who knows🤷🏻‍♀️

can you link to some statistics that support your claims in OP?

@mickybarrysmum

thank you for that synopsis of the issues with discussing autism.

i get so frustrated when so many people discuss it as a flaw because my world is not one of co-morbidities. Im surrounded by autistic people absolutely thriving.

It is still worth trying the meds :)

The slow release stuff like Elvanse didn't work for me, i'm now on the short life/quick release ones that i can take as/when i need the focus for something, they wear off quite quickly, so i'm not negatively affected.. my autism gets to hand my ADHD back the wheel after a few hours, lol.

It's not BS.

When you have both, and you're unmedicated, you learn how to survive, you teach yourself how to cope with the mood ups and down, the sensory processing overloads, how to manage and mask.

When you medicate the ADHD, you're literally changing your brain chemistry, and providing a thing your brain has lacked, and suddenly the things you have self taught to regulate no longer work, and you have to relearn.

I was on ADHD meds for a few months, and honestly.. didn't know who i was, it was awful.

It's a well known and well spoken about phenomenon amongst the late ADHD diagnosed AuDHD adult community.