To think autism gets worse with each generation

For the "plural of anecdote is not data" posters, you're misusing this argument. It's perfectly reasonable for somebody to postulate theories based on the evidence of their own eyes - this is, after all, often the first step in many scientific discoveries. What wouldn't be reasonable would be for the OP to try to make public policy based on anecdote, without proper scientific research to back it up. But she's not doing this - she's simply starting a discussion.

It’s the diagnosis in the children that causes the adults to seek a diagnosis for themselves?

There's a lot more pressure these days. And it starts from the moment kids start school. All kids must be above average! (The government really don't understand how this works!) which means from reception it's work work work - know your phonics, read, do maths, SATs, OFSTED, GCSEs, A levels, must get As in all subjects or you're a failure, and let the school down.

When I was at primary school it was very easy going, we did our topics, did art, PE, etc, there was no pressure or before and after school sessions in year 6 in the mad dash to get you up to scratch for SATs.

When my youngest (adhd and autistic) was at primary it was maths and English, maths and English. Only those, with one PE session a week, as SATs were the be all and end all. None of the promised sessions to help him were delivered,but I knew that once he reached year 6 they'd panic and up the pressure on him, so I took him out and home educated him.

I really struggled with the transition to secondary, so much so I was referred to a child psychologist (no idea what the result of that was - I told him what I thought he'd want to hear, rather than my actual feelings) and floundered badly.

I was diagnosed autistic at 45, after going through the diagnostic process with my youngest and doing all the questionnaires thinking "but I do that, that's me" I probably have adhd too, but haven't pursued a diagnosis.

My second is also autistic, but has learning disabilities, so when going through his diagnosis it didn't even occur to me that it was from me. I thought it was all from my ex's side of the family - lots of, what was then Asperger's, diagnosed or apparent in my kids cousins.

Obviously my son would have been sent to a home back in the day, not seen out and about in public.

My brother is sadly dead, but he definitely had adhd, noticeable from a young age. He was just a "naughty boy" though, and a fidget, and hyperactive. Nothing wrong with him at all, oh no.

I'm happy to now have a label of autistic, rather than the labels I grew up with - stupid, slow, unorganised, messy, dreamer. I'm glad my youngest son doesn't have to go through life wondering why he's different and being labelled like that.

I think this is very true. My late DMIL was undiagnosed autistic. On paper and at first sight, more easily living in the world than her DS (my DH) who is diagnosed. But actually, I think stronger traits. She just developed work arounds, went into a profession where being intense and straightforward was ok (though I think rubbed people up the wrong way more than average), her special interest was her family, her dysregulation was more forgiven because she was a small woman not a large man getting physical, etc.

I actually think it's gone the other way in our family: my DH is less affected than his DM, our DS is apparently not as badly affected as DH was as a child (in part because we realised sooner and people are generally more adaptable to neurodivergence now than 30 years ago). DS is very small so no way to know how he'll ultimately be affected but he's not what people would think of as "severely autistic" - mainstream school, has friends, very bright. The kind of autism that runs in DH's family has lots of traits that are beneficial, as well as the disabling traits.

And for people asking if ND people ever gave NT kids - it's definitely happened in my DHs family, where there are several generations with both ND and NT people. No reason to suspect our DD is anything other than NT (I am NT).

Possibly.
As far as my generation goes, any autism would be beaten, threatened and degraded from us, unless a heavy form, where you would be confined to a "care place".
Bastards.

The theory that autism gets "worse" with each generation seems to be based on the assumption that autism is a fairly new thing, which has existed since maybe 1900. In my opinion the same collection of traits has been around for hundreds of years, and the difference is in the way we live, interact and diagnose.

Definitely the case with my former colleague.

My oldest son has autism and we thought he was quite a handful...he is now 18. Our 6 year old is going through the diagnosis never ending merry go round and he is a lot "worse" should I put it
For example...
He refuses to stop using pull ups despite being fully able to do number 2 on the toilet, he refuses to wee any other way
He HATES having his teeth brushed
He HATES having his nails cut
He won't let me wash his hair or he screams the house down
He refuses to eat or drink if im not with him or giving him the food
He hates escalators
He hates lifts
He can only cope with school for 4 hours a day not 6
There's about 100 other little things but these things were not an issue for my older son yet he got high rate DLA and a spot in a special autism school. My youngest gets mid care dla and I'm having to fight tooth and nail to get him a special school

There are a few younger members of our family who are developing typically or otherwise do not need ‘early intervention’, and the older ones who are undiagnosed adults would probably be on a pathway to diagnosis or have been diagnosed if they were born today IMO, just as my DC is. It’s only through more awareness that I’ve advocated for my child that we’ve had any intervention at all whereas even back when I was a child and lining toys up, not being hugely sociable and reading early, these were not ‘red flags’ as they are nowadays. So, politely I still disagree with the original statement.

I was attracted to to a partner who is also an undiagnosed autistic
both our kids are SEND diagnosed and have EHCp
like attracts like
and I’ve only just spotted mil traits which have magnified since being widowed , as soon as I said it out loud to my partner I was like “doh!” How could I have not noticed her traits for last 12 years!!! they were there clear as day, I just “ got” her and we all get along nicely as we respect each other idiosyncrasities

Yes, I think the language has changed too. You don't hear 'shy' much anymore. Ds seems shy in public, but that's because he's not coping with the social side and needs to be prodded into 'normal' behaviours. In class, he's quiet. But give him a topic he's passionate about and he'll hold the floor. Won't look at you, mind, and if he's very engaged, you might see him fighting not to flap, like when he was young.

Can also be the other way round. Several of my Dad's cousins are/were autistic, none of his or their children are.

This.

They were often ostracised from society or kept on the fringes and probably didn't thrive or procreate

Very true in my husband's family

i disagree.

There's autism in my family and I've taught many children on the spectrum. I've taught children where - for want of a better way of expressing it - the autism is much more obvious in the mother.

FWIW, I was diagnosed with OCD when I was in my 30s, but it's since been suggested that I have ASD and ADHD - which makes a lot of sense for various reasons.

I'm fairly sure that my mum was on the spectrum and various other family members - usually described as "shy". My cousin's son was finally diagnosed with Asperger's. If anything, my cousin is even more "shy" than his son.

I think women were more likely to mask (then have 'nervous breakdowns' in their 30s and 40s of they were married).
Men either found themselves married, and effectively lived in their garage or shed, tinkering with things or collecting or train/bird/plane spotting.
Unmarried ones may have lived at home (mummy's boy) or lived alone (he's a bit odd, but harmless).
Children who didn't or couldn't conform went to special schools.

There is a strong seam running through my family, all the way to my ds.

I also suspect some autistic people end up with adhd people.

It’s true for my family. It’s also true that my family started having children later in life which I also thought was a link.

Your last sentence seems to back up the OP's point.

One of the biggest concerns I have about society is the increase in noise pollution and I think autistic children are unaware of the severe effect the background hum of modern human life has on them. It took me decades to understand my own mental and physical response to noise (as an autistic adult).

My frequent periods of suicidality are directly linked to noise (machinery used nearby, cars idling outside, more air traffic, more road noise, people's loud music, distant vibrations being felt as tension throughout my body) and it has become noticeably worse over the past few years, obviously with the increase in population and selfishness.

I don't know if this has exacerbated autism as such, but I think it makes it harder for us to function and it causes a lot of suffering, hence the recent "autism epidemic".

Have you read the links between the older the parents are the more likely the children are autistic.

Assortative mating might be a factor. Also people have more of a chance to bump into 'like-minded' people nowadays, given there are so many more technical, detail-oriented job environments than used to be the case.

I think schools have become like sausage factories (but turning out kids that can pass exams and behave a certain way). I think we have appear to become more progressive and supportive whilst simultaneously making it harder for less able and ND kids to thrive.

Certainly at my primary school there was no fixed curriculum, we had mixed year classes and we went at our own pace in maths. In English we were encouraged to read widely and write creatively but we didn’t have formal grammar and spelling tests - whilst frequent - were “low stakes”. We did lots of dance, art, drama and music and random fancies of our teachers like hunting for bugs, learning about farm and traditionally crafts.

It was so free, honestly. I can’t imagine the regimented approach of today’s classroom works well for many kids.

Maybe in your family but not in mine, the issue was they (parents and schools) literally had no idea it was even a thing back in the 50s and now they are spotting it early in order to give support.

I'm utterly gobsmacked at people believing it's because of food

It's not a belief, it's a reasonable theory that it's perfectly reasonable to do studies on, and that's happening.

We know various food additives and pollutants can have all kinds of effects on the brain, and on the gut which influences the brain. Many parents of children with ASD are careful to avoid them having particular food additives because they affect them badly. It's not a huge leap to wonder if they could also affect brain development in the womb. It's not wrong to look into that. Why shouldn't it be a factor? And if it is, isn't that worth knowing?

The vast majority of children who are autistic with high support needs and have at least one autistic parents are going to be born to parents who have lower support needs, however the vast majority of children who are autistic with low support needs and have an autistic parent are also going to be born to parents who have low support needs. Autistic people with high support needs are less likely to have children, thankfully we don’t know whether a non-speaking, doubly incontinent autistic adult who isn’t able to live independently would have children with similar support needs, higher support needs or lower support needs because in most cases if a vulnerable autistic adult without the capacity to consent to sex were to have children it would likely indicate abuse happening somewhere.

Is there any data that autistic parents are more likely to have a child with high support needs than low support needs if their offspring are autistic? I do know autistic parents whose autistic children have high support needs, but know more whose children either don’t have autism or have low support needs. I also know some autistic children with high support needs where neither parent has a diagnosis of or suspects they would get a diagnosis of autism. Is there any research into this or is your feeling just anecdotal?