A diagnosis one

Apparantly 1 in 100 DC have a diagnosis, and that figure probably serves as a better basis for discussion that 'almost every family I know'. I think its high enough that we do need a serious rethink of the education offer as PP said. But 1% is still not high enough to be claiming its the majority of children, or that we need to start some sort of gatekeeping the condition, as though its some sort of club thats reached capacity.

I sought a diagnosis for my child because there was clearly something developmentally wrong.

Not only did the NHS agree, they dropped a bomb twice on me - one that she had a genetic disorder and that she had got it from me.

If anything, I don't think we diagnose autism enough.

DLA for the most part, is hardly a motivator.

And is in fact, not based on diagnosis but on care needs.

A parent who is also a teacher {Her husband is too} says money {DLA} and extra time in exams - These are the motivators for ''diagnosis seeking''.

I agree that there has been an absolute explosion in having some syndrome or another in recent years.

Probably driven by social media.

autism is a developmental disorder. I am autistic and I see what you are saying but the reason that it’s all under “autism” at the moment is because the condition is too complicated to create a number of different diagnoses. Children born in lockdown or who were supposed to be in school in lockdown suffered socially will have had their development stunted and/or created an anxiety disorder.
children who arent being parented properly or who have had to grow up on their phones and iPads will have had their development stunted.
I’m not denying that it’s impossible to get a diagnoses of autism if you don’t have it, but it’s not for you to say if someone has it or not.
the children you see may be masking and melting down at home. They may exhibit the behaviours you think is “real autism” in the privacy of their own home and they will probably be having issues with their mental health and sleep.
it may be costing them everything they have to act “normal”.
By a spectrum, it means that children can suffer with certain symptoms more or less than other symptoms. And autism presents differently in every child because every child will suffer with different things than others or to a lesser or more degree.
I hope you understand let me know if you have any questions

Masking is a very real and can be a very harmful thing. I don't understand why you wouldn't approach people with empathy instead of questioning their diagnosis.

Oh FFS! Approx 1% of the population are autistic, and 4% have ADHD. So no, for the millionth time, we really are not all neurodivergent. Hence the term divergent. Do you know how hard the diagnosis process is? I don't understand why NT people are so threatened by neurodivergence. Just get on with your own shit and leave us to get on with ours please.

Do you know @CarGoat you sound very like my step. Evidently every one where he lives voted Reform. He cannot compute that if that were the case the Conservative MP wouldn't have got in. DH, DD and I quietly eyeroll and try not to catch each other's eye, lest we laugh out loud.

These children, while they may well meet criteria and I am not doubting that, they just don't seem much different to the average kid in terms of communication and behaviour etc...

I wish people who dont have any understanding of ND would Stop posting this nasty goady stuff. As if the NHS is handing out diagnoses of ASD and ADHD like sweets. The waiting lists are unless and lives are ruined in the process. I suggest you change your username for cargoat to goadyfucker. This is clearly just yet another wind up threat aimed at children with SN.

You mention that your nephew has autism.

Autism/adhd tends to run in families so if you have relatives who are diagnosed you are likely to know other family members who are diagnosed.

Others will not have anyone in their family with autism or adhd.

There were only obs available in relation to physical/structural illnesses decades ago. Diagnoses came about through observations rather than objective tests. It was the physician diagnosed.

MH is catching up and it may well be that there will be objective tests available shortly. There is already work being done around how parts of the brain respond to external stimulants and identifying how reactions differ in the neuro delivers compared to the neuro typical.

There isn’t a blood test to confirm whether someone is missing a limb or not either. Doesn’t stop it from being true.

It’s also not true about a self report for diagnosis. Usually both autism and ADHD require multiple questionnaires to be compelled by carers/parents and school or educational/social professional. Some of the questionnaires can take several hours to complete as they can be multi choice and then require examples to be given.

Then there tends to be two assessments (each around an hour) completed with appropriate health care professionals. A multi disciplinary professional team will then meet to discuss everything and see whether they have reached the threshold for diagnosis or not. This is the fed back.

At best a prescription for ADHD meds or melatonin for sleeping might then be prescribed and there is little if any follow up.

The whole process can be a very stressful few years.

I don’t like being rude but I have to say you really don’t know what you’re talking about.
There is more diagnosis because there is more understanding of these conditions
There’s also more diagnosis because these conditions are genetic and the population is growing.
Families with SEND children have an incredibly difficult time and getting a diagnosis and support is a constant, exhausting battle.
A diagnosis means it’s more likely the child will get appropriate support or at the very least carers and professionals would understand them better. The children also understand themselves better.
I find your comments ignorant and pretty upsetting. I hope you learn something about SEND and about empathy from this thread .

Also, 37% SEND in one teacher's Y3 class =/= 40% national rates of autism.

Yay, an ableist thread! It’s been almost minutes since the last! My autistic, ADHD, SPD and dyspraxia DS hoots with laughter when these crop up!

I couldn’t help but notice the large number of mobility aids in use in my local high street earlier. I have therefore concluded that a large proportion of people in wheelchairs are just too lazy to walk. <gavel>

FFS 🙄

I am so fucking sick of these stupid threads. Yes, I am here. On this thread. But seriously, listen to yourself OP. You sound like someone who doesn't have a clue. Because you don't.

Here is what you said:

Like, literally every family we know has someone with a diagnosis.

That doesn't really constitute a nationwide study, does it?

As for your comments about people not looking as if they are neurodivergent, you don't have a clue about the contents of someone's brain - or life - to be able to make any sort of judgement about how they navigate this world. I have a 16yo who has been awaiting ASD assessment for 4 years. Things were picked up in primary school - little 'quirks' - but hey, he was doing well academically and he was happy at home (now I realise he felt safe there and thus seemed ok to us.) So I didn't rush to have him assessed. How I wish I had. Because now all the wheels are falling off and he is struggling with every aspect of his life. I won't go into detail, but I'm pretty sure if you saw him walking down the street you would think he was 'normal', to use your word. But if you saw him hiding in the toilets at school, sleeping on the floor under his bed or crying with frustration because he can't stand the 'noise' of life, maybe you would understand how a diagnosis might help him make peace with himself and also access help/mitigation/some fucking understanding at school and elsewhere.

One hundred years ago, no one was left handed, it simple wasn't recognised as an option.

Then, in about the 1950's, it started to be accepted and the rates increased rapidly.

At that time, some people must have thought it a bit strange that 'all of a sudden' everyone's left handed.

The rise stopped at something like 12% of the population and had started around this rate ever since.

Just because we're at the point where, after years of research, we're finally understanding other neuro-diversities and therefore rates are increasing rapidly, it doesn't mean it's wrong or a trend, it's just that we understand the human mind better than ever before.

Unless you live with any of these children, you won't have a clue about how much they are making to appear 'normal' and fit in.

Having a diagnosis is helping people understand who they are and why they find things difficult which other people seem to find so easy.

There is really no such thing as 'mild' autism or ADHD.

If you knew me, you'd think mine were 'mild'. I'm a functioning adult with a home, two children, a 20 year happy marriage. I have no financial concerns we're very secure. I drive, I work, I (selectively) socialise. I'm cognitively able/well qualified/educated albeit most of my education has been done as an adult. School and college were tough.

I've spent four decades masking.

I'm autistic, have ADHD, PTSD, anxiety and depression. A fun combination. All diagnosed, all medicated (where they can be).

'Mild' diagnoses such as these are only mild in the impact they have on others around that person. They're not mild in how they impact the person with the diagnoses.

My children are both autistic (diagnosed) and waiting in ADHD assessments. They're both incredibly bright and with high levels of support, do well in school.

Most people don't even realise they're neurodivergent and constantly question why they have support in school because they seem 'fine'. They are not, and as soon as they're in their safe space the impact of these conditions is profound and significant.

People who talk about 'mild' neurodivergent diagnoses really don't understand I'm afraid. You don't even get diagnosed if things are so mild they don't impact you significantly.

Something OP did get right was about the school environment needing to change to suit more children.

When we make places more accessible, it becomes accessible for more people. For example, people not in wheelchairs were not disadvantaged when ramps were put in place - indeed, it helped more people who perhaps struggle from time to time with walking up stairs.

Same principle applies here. I don't think the current educational set up is good for any child.

Samples are often skewed. DD suffered poor self esteem because unlike her dbro she wasn't one of the two cleverest in the class. Of DS's primary class one went to Oxford (him) and one did medicine. Of DD's cohort of 30, 12 went to Oxbridge/did medicine. It's extreme but so too may be the op's situation.

It may also be the op lives in a region where there are unicorns and pink fairy webs alongside a functioning CAMHS/NHS provision. Generally if one's child has needs, they are barely acknowledged let alone assessed and diagnosed.

Do you live in or near Cambridge by any chance?

There is no proper medical test. It's just report and OBS.

"Proper"? You mean a blood test or something?

Unlike you, I have watched an ASC diagnosis being done. The SALT knew exactly what to ask so as to test when literal or echoic reponses were being given rather than deep or generated ones, whether DC's language pragmatics were in a similar range to other children's, and whether DC could articulate internal states or social relationships in the way that other children their age would. DC enjoyed a lovely conversation and by the end of it the SALT had a diagnosis and I had a real eye-opener.

The SALT, clinical psychologist and paediatritian all knew how to test so they could see if they were getting unusual, dysfunctional or way-out-of-normal-range responses rather than the usual ones. I didn't notice them myself because I didn't know exactly what to look for.

I didn't know how to test those things properly. I'm guessing you don't either.

Very very far off. Its still a huge minority

I can't help but wonder how far off we are to those with diagnosis become the majority and those without become the minority. Will teaching methods then become aimed at those with diagnosis and so those without will become the children in need?