To think if ASD is costing the UK 32bn per year we need to better early screening?

Erm yes they would. See also corporate lawyers.

Both are careers which attract individuals with ASD. Rigid thinking, interest in justice, high attention to detail and abilities to concentrate for long periods of time. Hello.

Your GP friend is full of shit. I know people (adults and children) who have had Autism assessments by private clinics and told that they aren't Autistic and their difficulties are most likely due to trauma, Anxiety or OCD.

Do we know for sure that autism is genetic? I think it is... But having one autistic child doesn't mean they all will be. My eldest son is NT. My middle son is autistic, but we didn't know that until I was expecting my daughter, who is NT.
Knowing my son as I now do, we've realised my husband is autistic. He bucks the trend of the statistics here and has a well paid job- which he excels at because of his autistic brain.

But if I'd known before TTC my third child that my middle son was autistic, should I have not had her?? Wow.

As an aside, I'm not comfortable with the terminology of AS D. We use AS C.. condition, not disorder.

My son's autism is part of him. He has an amazing brain. Some things are harder for him but I don't consider him disordered.

I've only just seen this thread but diagnosis of autism doesn't magically mean you get a 1 to 1. It's a battle to get any support at all and even harder to get into special education.

My son is having extensive assessments and stuff to do with trying to get him in a special school, also i get DLA for him

Yes I know the levels but I wasn't talking about that. There is a push to change the criteria in the next DSM as some people don't agree with the change between 4 and 5 bringing everything under the umbrella of ASD. They hope for revision in 6. It's certainly worthy of a conversation as there are those that meet the criteria now but wouldn't have in the past. Some consider that this is partially responsible for the increase in diagnoses.

Although comorbidities are more likely the higher the level its by no means a given. Its perfectly possible for an autistic person to need nappies without having a learning disability.

Exactly this and you can be verbal but in need of supportive living and high need services. You can also switch between levels of need throughout life. Some people would be in 1,2 and 3. It’s a ridiculous idea.

Many with high functioning autism work, especially if they female, because they mask so well. Until they burn out. The impairments can be social and emotional. That said he seems being self employed or working from home may be a better fit for these people rather than the office.

The US has adopted a rating scale between 1 and 3.

But the reality is the person in nappies has a co-morbid learning disability.

DH has been so much better since he’s been wfh. He’s been pleasanter to be around, and his stomach problems have cleared up.

My boys both know that if I fall under a bus they will need to keep an eye on him and potentially intervene. He receives a lot of hidden support.

Apart from anything else, there will be no one holding the line against the hoarding. I bet it would only take a year for the house to become inaccessible.

It’s not at all 100% across the board.

that said…

If you have a think, can you work out why it might be absolutely fine (and expected) for 100% of people who present at a private diagnostic clinic to receive a diagnosis? Think about the subset of the population who might present at a clinic…

Yes absolutely, sadly this is often the case.

Oh I don't necessarily disagree @Willyoujustbequiet but I do think there's a danger with that - too many "high functioning" people get overlooked and dismissed when in reality they internalise their difficulties instead.

Things also change over time. The pattern in my wider family seems to be 'coping' until late 40s/early 50s then breakdown. I've got several relatives that held down professional jobs until that age then basically ended up housebound with severe mental health issues.

My own symptoms are definitely worse than they used to be. Having kids is such a sensory nightmare. But I've also found I'm far more black and white than I used to be and more anxious about travel or socialising. I'm only early 40s but it does worry me a bit for my future. I never understood why my relatives ended up like they did but I totally can now.

There's a movement in the US to split the diagnosis as some argue that its so wide as to render it useless. I have some sympathy with that view. Clearly someone who is wholly independent, successful career wise and who may be married with children etc..is not in the need of the same level of support as someone who is non verbal, in nappies etc.. and incapable of ever living independently.

I can see why there is a push for change.

@Willyoujustbequiet I'm not saying it is a level playing field though, I just think the statistics are inaccurate and lead to people who are "high functioning" being denied access to the support they're entitled to.

There are so many posts on this thread alone saying you can't really be autistic if you're married, or have children, or work - it's just not a helpful stereotype to emphasise.

But the barriers are why statistics can be helpful. It's an easy way to demonstrate that it's not a level playing field.

I don't take them as gospel. I have concerns about misdiagnosis and the ethics of some private companies but I still think the stats are useful.

What I find really quite depressing is the number of high-functioning individuals who have to essentially diagnose themselves to get support from a GP.

My own medical history is hugely reflective of an individual who has mental health difficulties, burns out and recovers, only to fall back into the same cycle several years later.

None of my doctors were able to see the problem until I did my own research and basically wrote them a list - then someone said "oh, you're right, everything on here screams autism". It shouldn't be like that.

Yet it's incredibly common for people like me (especially women) to be misdiagnosed as depressed or anxious, medicated and missed completely.

We know what's effective in supporting autistic people - the problem is the lack of funds for mental health, education and social care, the lack of service co-ordination, the lack of diagnosis and treatment for co-ocurring conditions that often accompany autism - learning disability and mental health issues.

OP linked the research on birth gap completed with a particular sample of families in Scandinavia. This research has been cited by a US organisation promoting bio-medical model of understanding and treating of autism and ABA as well as Autism Speaks, advocating autism is treatable. I'd consider the sources of information before engaging.

Totally agree with you @myplace - I suspect there are large numbers of people out there with either no diagnosis, or who have one but are only or to stay in work as they're self-employed, work for family or have very supportive employers.

Unfortunately the days of "a job for life" are very much behind us and I suspect a lot of people will end up in their fifties unable to find new jobs when they've previously been " fine" thanks to great support systems.

But we can only go off the best sources we have surely? That would apply to anything.

Sure, I just don't think it's helpful to take them as gospel.

I don't think 22% is normal. Combined with the pay gap I think it shows that the odds are well and truly stacked against autistic people.

The odds are definitely stacked against us, but equally I'm not convinced 22% is an overly small percentage. It means that, at a minimum, a quarter of adults with a diagnosis of autism are in work. That's not a number to be overlooked when we're talking about autism as a whole.

That doesn't mean there won't be rich and successful autistic people. Clearly some of the most wealthy in the world are. But it's not typical.

Nothing is typical when it comes to autism though and I think that's one of the issues. You can be very high masking with a job and a family, but that doesn't mean your diagnosis is any less valid or that you don't still have numerous struggles.

There are still far too many people who don't believe autism is a barrier for those of us who can cope with some elements of "neurotypical" life.

Jeff or Jenny in account may outwardly be functioning well in the world but actually that is masking and it internally ruining them.

This whole concept that you can lower the cost of Autism by early screening or spacing babies is crazy to me. Autism isn’t cancer, it’s not fixable with a pill. It’s a life long condition.

What really would help is society changing to be respectful and adaptive to ND needs so we’re not constantly dis-regulated by being in the wider world.

My husband’s family are clearly ND, to modern eyes. One wants to seek a diagnosis for their child, but her DH disagrees. One has never left home. His boss has raised the possibility of autism with his mum, but she doesn’t know what it is. She has had massive mental health issues which we now realise could well be caused by unsupported autism. The other two brothers are doing ok, but have no social life, limited diets and limited capacity to adapt to changes.
None of them have a formal diagnosis. All of them work though in some cases at a level far below their education, and in one case I would say it’s his employer’s support and integrity that has kept him in work. He’ll struggle when the boss retires and shuts the business down.

So the 22% isn’t necessarily a useful statistic about autism and employment.
It will be in future, when entire families like DH’s won’t have slipped through the net.

It's only for those with a diagnosis as far as I'm aware. It wouldn't be as accurate otherwise.

That 22% figure presumably doesn't take into account that many autistic adults with lower support (obvious) needs aren't diagnosed. Looking at my family I expect the majority are autistic and all work in STEM areas which are notorious for attracting ND people.