to ask this without expecting a backlash?

It’s worth remembering that both autism and ADHD are spectrums. They absolutely existed in the 1970s we just didn’t understand them in the same way. A lot of people were (and are) on the mild end of the spectrum and may never receive a diagnosis. Back in your school days someone with autism or ADHD would have been described as quirky/shy/daydreamer/difficult/highly
strung. Take your pick. Most likely, if you or someone you know have were described that way routinely as a kid they are somewhere on the spectrum. For an adult diagnosis today, clinitians require evidence that traits were present in childhood. There has to be a consistent history showing the same patterns of behaviour over time.

Diagnostic criteria has also evolved a lot over the years. What we now call ‘autism’ wasn’t conceptualised as a spectrum until recently and ADHD has gone through criteria changes (used to be called ADD), similarly Aspergers is now defunct as a label.

Better awareness and screening and continuous redefinition mean more people are recognised as having a neurodevelopmental condition in this day and age. That doesn’t mean cases are increasing in volume.

Also worth remembering that today we have more focus on early childhood development and that illuminates a lot of things that used to fly under the radar! Philosophies like attachment parenting and better early-years education mean quirks are easier to spot and picked up instead of being overlooked.

We now recognise that some problematic behaviours are actually traits or features of a condition, for example, meltdowns can be a result of sensory overwhelm or other autistic triggers. In ADHD, impulsivity would have been classed as ‘naughty’ and inattention ‘lazy’. In many schools, children were caned or physically punished for being behaviours that today might prompt a referral for assessment.

Rather than discussing whether or not the conditions exist in a larger capacity than before, the bigger question is whether labelling is helpful at all. For some, a diagnosis provides clarity and validation. For others it can feel very limiting.

For me personally, I think the labels are helpful even for those on the mild end of the spectrum and I am glad to live in a society that recognises these conditions more readily. I feel so sorry for those in past generations that felt ‘othered’ with no support at best and outright vitriol and worst.

Younger brother was born 1975, diagnosed autistic around the age of two, went to the school which had been set up by this guy in the 1960s:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Vern-Barnett

Older brother diagnosed with ADHD mid-1980s, was prescribed Ritalin.

That was unnecessary. The OP was asking to be informed and its responses like yours that put people off asking questions, people who want to understand.

There are a whole bunch of reasons why there seems to be more about now than back in the 80s when you were at school.

While autism was known and diagnosed in the 70s (and for several decades before), the threshold for diagnosis was higher so a lot of kids who would be diagnosed today were just considered slow or badly behaved. The same was true for other SEN. All so, there was less. Older parents, particularly older fathers increases the risk of autism, adhd and intellectual disability significantly. So the percentage of kids with SEN, whether diagnosed or not, was likely lower in the 70s.

Along with there being fewer and diagnosis being restricted, special schools were more widely used. Nowadays many kids who would have been shipped off to a special school are managed within mainstream schooling. Similarly PRUs were more numerous and kids who disturbed the classroom (whether that was down to autism, other development issue, or because the teacher goaded them and they reacted or they were just badly behaved ) were more commonly expelled and likely to end up in a PRU or on a home tutor pathway.

As they got older some of these kids self excluded and there were plenty of school refusers, but that was not followed up on as diligently unless the kid got into trouble with the police. So they received no education but also they weren’t in the classroom to disturbed others (and may well have been assigned to the “remedial” class or expelled by this point so not necessarily noticed by most kids in their school).

Kids left school earlier on average, especially if they didn’t feel they were up to academics because focus and stillness was difficult, and there were a lot more jobs that were more suitable for people who have difficulty in a classroom setting.

Also, smoking was a lot more common in teens in the 70s, which may have been used by kids with ADHD to help manage symptoms and keep them focused in school (and for adults, in work). But that’s only really relevant to secondary schools. Even in the 70s, smoking wasn’t common in primary school children.

I went to a very naice gels grammar school in the early 90s.... back then there were no lesbians ... no trans people... too slow to get changed after PE ? You were marked as a lesbian and cast out... didn't have a boyfriend from the posh boys school down the road...?you were "a frigid"... (as asexuality didn't exist)
Point is... of course there were lesbians/ trans people at my school... society just hadn't accepted it...
Same with those living with neurodivergence.. pupils learnt how to mask and some were able to take the mask off at uni... others suffered terriblebmental health ...
It's just more accepted in today's world. Good to see it.

So you've noticed changes in behaviour of the children over the past couple of decades? What differences have you noticed?

I was at school in the seventies and there were a lot of supposedly naughty children. In primary school I remember several boys who spent many days standing facing the wall for large parts of the day.

I think it’s partly that modern life is making things worse for all kids, but especially ND ones. I have ADHD, as does my wife, I realise looking back on our childhoods in the 90s, that it would have been so much easier for us to stay regulated than the kids of today.

We had so much more freedom and time outside keeping active to burn energy off, no devices or internet, no one online to compare ourselves to, no social media etc. By the time all this came along we were teenagers and it was in its infancy, so nothing like it is today.

I dread to think how anxious and hyperactive I would have been if I had the childhood of today’s kids, it’s no wonder they’re struggling to cope more than previous generations.

I’m mid-late 50s, 3 kids on the spectrum/adhd/dyspraxia- my family of origin are also on the spectrum- parents engineers etc. I’m definitely autistic- spikey academic profile- bullied in school, acted out- got it together for college/Phd (I liked the structure and security)- numerous boughts of severe depression, many special interests- can’t really cope in the workplace so have settled for underpaid part-time work. Manic episodes, struggled to parent my complicated children. Have always had difficulty maintaining friendships.
Autism definitely existed then! My siblings are also autistic and both have had breakdowns, periods of unemployment and ultimately have ended up in low stress employments (they don’t have children).

I was born 1978 too. I don't remember any kids at school being diagnosed as autistic but I definitely remember some who displayed behaviours that might indicate autism.
Behaviour was also horrendous, in secondary school at least.
Looking back I'm fairly certain that my mum was autistic. Growing up I just thought she had no empathy and no filter as she would sometimes say the most hurtful things. I think now she said them because to her they were true and she didn't think about how doing that might affect someone else.

I would also say in terms of how schools have changed, in the 1970s I spent reception and year 1 making models out of junk and painting. Eventually learn tot read and write, it was all very play based and relaxed, no pressure to perform, no constant assessment, no phonics test, no SATS, no grading, no school reports saying what level I was at, just things like 'steppemum is delightful to have in the class and loves to chat'

Even at secondary there was no exam pressure, and no hype pressure and stress over passing, and homework was a manageable amount, paced well over the week.

When I watch my own kids going through school it is amazing to me just have stressful and pressured school is now.

ND kids do not thrive on intense pressure and stress, and it quickly leads to them school refusing.

I believe it existed, maybe not at the same scale, but wasn't understood. Pretty sure my Grandad was autistic now looking back (and he would be in his 90's if he was alive now), and also my mum. Remember people were written off if they didn't do well at school, bullied for being weird. There are lots of different characters in every town and village, of all generations. Some of those are likely undiagnosed, not given the chance to understand why they felt different, and stigmatised not celebrated for their differences.

When I first started teaching in 1991, they were just dismantling the special schools. Up until that point everyone with moderate or severe learning difficulties went to a special school. They were closing all the schools for moderate learning difficulties, and only those with the most severe were allowed to go to special school.
So we had one kid with Down's Syndrome begin at our school and it was unheard of and no-one was quite sure how to handle it.
I taught year 3. In my class I had 3 boys who could not read and all and one who obviously had special needs/learning difficulties, but who had no diagnosis.
There were several kids in each class with behaviour that was probably ADHD, and I can think of one in that class who was probably autistic.
None of them had any type of diagnosis, support or ed pysch assessment.

My dd has autism, as do 2 of my nephews. When my nephews were diagnosed, my SIL also got diagnosed. When we look at dh's familiy it is obvious that his father and most of his aunts and uncles are on the spectrum, but they all went through mainstream school and held down jobs, and none had a diagnosis, but they are all very autistic!

When my mum started teaching in 1962, her first class was 40 kids aged about 9 and there were 6 boys who could not read at all. It was considered normal.

Please note I am not saying that autism = not reading, just that special needs of all types were not assessed, diagnosed or reported on. They were just part of the class, and many fell through the gaps, and left school without an education.

@Fleurflowering I had the same experience, can't remember anyone throughout my schooldays who might have been 'on the spectrum'. Just one girl in secondary school who had anorexia. No allergies either.

We had a special school near our school, I’m a 1970’s child. Loads of ND it was just hidden, masked or the weird / quirky kids. Loads of children with ND cope ok with school, it used to be under diagnosed as people were ignorant but now it’s more visual. School class sizes don’t help though where kids get limited support unless they’re lucky and have TA

I was born in 1976. When I was at infant school there was a boy in my class who wasn't as clever as the rest of us. He wasn't naughty or anything, but obviously had learning difficulties. He didn't move up to our junior school. My son now goes to the same day centre provision as him. So I guess he went to the local special school once it was realised he wouldn't get on in mainstream past infant school.
My brother would now have been diagnosed with ADHD. He was disruptive, chatty, cheeky, couldn't keep still. His nickname was Fidget. My mum often called him hyperactive. He left school with hardly any qualifications, flitted through college courses and numerous jobs. Got diagnosed with depression, ending in taking his own life.
At primary school I was fine. The move to secondary school was when it all fell apart for me. I was very quiet, but just didn't do home work (just could never get it started, lived in my own world) the school made me see a child psychologist, but apart from a few sessions with him, I got no help. Just put on report for never doing homework. I was never badly behaved at school because I would never talk to anyone really. Diagnosed autistic 6 years ago, probably have ADHD too.
A friend of mine had a brother with autism. He was sent away to residential care from a young age.
Two of my children have autism. One also has learning disabilities so had an EHCP
(Or statement as they were back then) from a young age, and went to special school. The other also has ADHD, and it was when he was getting assessed that I realised I fit all the descriptors for both of them.

I'm glad kids these days are getting the right labels, rather than the "stupid" "lazy" "naughty" labels that me and my brother had growing up.

My older brother is 73 and my parents were told that he was one of the first to be diagnosed with autism in UK in the late 1950s early 1960s. My sister once wrote in her school diary in the early 1960s “ my brother is autistic” and the teacher crossed it out and wrote artistic.

I was also born in 1978. I am autistic, diagnosed after my children both were, in my late 30’s. I was autistic back at school too, I was just considered ‘odd’ back then. I did have friends (more acquaintances) that I ‘socialised’ with after a fashion but most of my real friends were horses. Now I’m married, two kids etc and still odd.

My granddad died in his 80s about 20 years ago. He was very obviously autistic, but in his era diagnosis was almost unheard of. My dad is almost 80. He is very obviously autistic, but was never diagnosed. Because that didn’t happen.

We’re just more knowledgeable about neuroscience and better equipped to understand and diagnose these conditions.

I am 51. I went to an all girls private school. I struggled with anxiety and “school refusal” ( prefer school avoidance as a term).
I received an autism diagnosis last year.

O can think of at least three others who had issues attending school. I can also now identify several classmates who are probably on the spectrum.

There used to be far more enhanced provision available for children with additional needs than there is now. (Called special schools)
So children with very high needs would go there and not set foot in a mainstream school. Those who would be classed as high functioning ASD now would go to school but where labelled slow, a bit weird, go missing from school from time to time, no friends or always in trouble in school.
But due to budget cuts the enhanced provision schools were closed and children moved to mainstream with some 'support' in class. But classrooms are full of sensory overload so this isn't working for alot of children.

There are some enhanced provision bases attached to a few schools with a small amount of places available but it is hard to get a place and also the staff.

The first time I was admitted to a psychiatric ward was when I was sixteen. I was having a treatment resistant depressive episode. At least that’s what was said at the time. My doctors now suspect it was burnout from masking all my life. School was a nightmare. I literally ran from the classroom when it got too much in the first few years. I would just bolt.
In the hospital there were loads of people who were 💯 on the spectrum but it wasn’t called autism then. They got different diagnoses and spent most of their lives in institutions. Nobody knew about them then. Unless you stepped into that world you wouldn’t, because they were hidden away.

@Globules
“As a teacher, I can say it is far more prevalent now. It's not being over diagnosed either.” masking? I know people are very very resistant to suggestions that screens ‘cause neurodiversity’ but remembering my screen less childhood with high then undiagnosed ADHD and anxiety I spent a lot of time energy finding coping strategies. Some were great like reading, some less so- thrill seeking etc. I wonder if I could have constantly stimulated (entertained) myself with a screen whether I’d ever have coped in mainstream school.

In the mid 1970s I worked with a young mum who had a little boy with what we all thought were bad behaviour problems. I now realise he was most likely autistic but it wasn't something generally known about then. Since 2000 I've been aware that my son in law is autistic (he has an adult diagnosis after DD pressured him) and since the birth of my eldest grandchild, he is also autistic and watching him I am reminded of my colleagues little boy 😥