Why so many ND now?

[Jumpking]

Had much with 4 friends yesterday. All the ladies told me they're waiting for ASD assessments for their children.

I know so many parents of ND kids.

I don't think I'm unique.

There was around 5 or 6 ND children in my primary school growing up. Now this is per class, minimum. The children weren't in special schools, they just didn't exist in such high numbers.

What do you think has been the sea change in our society that means there are now far more ND children than there were 30 years ago?

(And it isn't because they weren't diagnosed 30 years ago, or we weren't aware... There really weren't children in my school, or the school's of friends I've discussed this with, who had sensory issues, or clothing issues, or only beige and/or dry food, or toileting issues, or obsessive interests issues or all the other ND things which are so prevalent with children today)

I am so glad OP has raised this subject and the thread has been so well contributed to. I have always wondered why there seem to be so many ASD people around now compared to when I was at school 40 or 50 years ago.

At the time I was at school teachers could administer corporal punishment and parents would issue smacks. Were all the then school pupils so controlled by fear of being struck?

There were times when school teachers and parents were stressing pupils over exam results complete with statements like if you do not pass this exam you will amount to nothing. Today these statements would not be acceptable. Again were all the children ruled by the fear of failing exams?

The changes since the era when I was at school may or may not be an improvement. What is of concern is that there seems to be some excusals being made for the bad behaviour. I have heard now of parents being in fear of their children and some who have been severely assaulted and the excuse is that the child is Neuro Diverse.

No-one should be living in fear especially not to be in fear of their own children.

I have not read the entire thread but have got to a post blaming mothers!
Do we really think things have changed that much then? This was a theory as to the cause of autism which has long been debunked.

Autistic females present very differently to males and it is only now that this is being understood and researched. At one point it was believed that women could not be autistic.

I do think the diagnosis of autism (I am not familiar with other NDs) has become much wider but a person is autistic with or without a diagnosis. What used to be called Asperger’s is now called autism too.

A lot of so called “high functioning” autistics would have gone unnoticed and not because they were not struggling without accommodations in a neurotypical world but because they were not causing the vast majority of people any trouble but suffering in silence.

Accommodations and understanding are to help the individual not to stop them from disrupting things for everyone else - sorry I haven’t put that very well.

I suspect that there are probably many more autistic people than are diagnosed but getting a diagnosis is not easy. A billion hoops to jump through before going on a waiting list of over two years even pre-pandemic. What purpose would it serve for anyone to obtain an inaccurate diagnosis for their child? (Especially as this post shows there is clearly still considerable stigma).

This reminds me a little bit about how dyslexia was viewed I guess in the late 80s early 90s; just as an excuse for being “stupid”.

What medication is there for ASD, or dyslexia,or dyscalculia or dyspraxia. I know some kids that take medication for ADHD , but it's rare and tbh the ones I know have massively benefitted from it, by their own admission.

So what do you suggest? Hit a 6 yo back? Beat them up? Call the police on them? Lock them up somewhere?

ADHD medication isnt rare at all, although lots of older children sometimes refuse to take it. It should be prescribed and can have massive benefits but its not a cure all

There isnt medication for the other ND disorders as a general position although there might be co morbid diagnoses alongside which do require medication

"Those people who fell behind to the extent they were put in remedial classes were very likely to have had undiagnosed autism, ADHD, dyspraxia etc, though."

Evidence of this? I'm sceptical when I think of a family member who was in remedial class temporarily. Has never suspected or been diagnosed with anything.

"ADHD medication isnt rare at all, although lots of older children sometimes refuse to take it. It should be prescribed and can have massive benefits but its not a cure all"

I know someone who doesn't want to medicate his children, or not yet. I don't really know why and he's always complaining about how difficult his life is...

So, what sort of meds should I be giving my DS then to 'cure' ASD ? Sorry, but there really are some very silly comments here, which just proves what sort of nonsense people with ASD have to put up with.

Yes, its a worry because the meds arent risk free, for some kids they lose their appetites completely and its quite distressing and they lose a lot of weight. They can affect sleep too

But its better to try in my opinion, theres lots of different types and they should be kept under regular review

Really? I’m 40. Thirty years ago i certainty had friends who ate only beige (one ate only sausages and potato waffles……nothing else), and others who refused all sorts of things. I was an extremely anxious child who vomited and had diarrhorrea prior to things like piano recitals.

I don’t know that anyone had a diagnosis, but a wide range of behaviours existed.

You’re saying in 1992 you’d never ever encountered this or anything like it? Really?

I find that extraordinary.

I was at school 30+ years ago. I was diagnosed with ADHD 2 years ago. I was bullied, unpopular, thought of as quirky, odd, "sensitive", emotional, difficult, lazy etc etc etc. Identigied as having anxiety and depression at about age 14 and sent for counselling. I have sensory issues. So I was there. It just wasn't identified as ADHD.

Not quite the same but U.K. emphasise how little people noticed difference, a boy at my school had very very obvious behavioural difficulties that looked like mental illness even to me at the time. He got no support as far as I know. Treated as behavioural by school. Was diagnosed as an adult as schizophrenic.

My uncle (who is not diagnosed but is very very likely ADHD), just got into trouble a lot at school and (as was normal at the time) experienced a lot of corporal punishment. Again treated as behavioural.

Bring it on. I hope ND becomes more accepted and understood. A lot of the time the difficult parts of being neurodiverse are nothing to do with that person being a failure as a person, it's just down to trying to fit in to a world that isn't built for them.

My mum cut the tags off all clothes so I assumed that’s what everyone does :)

But new figures released to the Guardian by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) under the Freedom of Information Act show that just 61,000 boys aged between 6 and 17 were prescribed ADHD drugs last year – about 1.5% of the population of boys in that age group, and far below global estimates that indicate 5.3% of children have the disorderr*.

Even less for girls. It's not exactly a big Pharma conspiracy.

"What purpose would it serve for anyone to obtain an inaccurate diagnosis for their child? (Especially as this post shows there is clearly still considerable stigma)."

Adjustments I suppose. I remember an article in the Sunday Times about how rich parents were getting their children diagnosed with something and then cheating in exams eg a tutor acting as a scribe, supposed to write down what the child said, but the 'scribe' was writing it first.
I think this was the article though it's behind a paywall now www.thetimes.co.uk/article/confessions-of-an-exam-cheat-tutor-for-3-000-i-will-write-your-childs-a-level-paper-scrm9x3cm

"Don't remember anyone refusing to eat food..."

In primary school I refused to eat the school dinners so my mum was asked to give me packed lunch which she was not happy about as I was entitled to free school meals. So you wouldn't have necessarily noticed the school dinner refusers, they'd have just have had packed lunch.

Your family member is one person out of thousands who were in remedial classes at school, though, so the fact that they haven't been diagnosed with anything as an adult is meaningless, really.

Many adults in their 30's, 40's and 50's are only just being diagnosed today. I have several friends who have only received diagnoses of ADHD and autism after years of struggling in mainstream school and work.

Personally speaking, I was only diagnosed with Aspergers when my GP noticed a pattern in me struggling in the workplace and referred me for an assessment. As a child I was just seen as odd, weird, a loner, awkward etc, and I suspect many of my school friends would be surprised to know I have a diagnosis as an adult.

"none of my friends used to moan about the clothing causing them issues."

There was no uniform when I was in primary school.

In secondary there was a lot of flexibility with the uniform which helped but I do remember struggling with school shirt collars which I found v uncomfortable.

Also though, I find as a neurodivergent person, I tend to have so many friends who later turn out to be ADHD or ASD etc! I noticed it even at school because for some reason in the 90s/early 00s every slight quirk was diagnosed as dyslexia - and I had a lot of friends with dyslexia. I thought that was odd then but I think it's just that neurodivergent brains are drawn to each other?

And in that case maybe neurotypical brains are drawn to each other too - so if you're NT then you probably would think well nobody I knew had these problems - maybe you were friends with the other NT kids?

"I was an extremely anxious child who vomited and had diarrhorrea prior to things like piano recitals."

Doesn't everyone have digestive problems when they're scared? I definitely do before job interviews.

yep was much better back in the day i agree , teachers being regularly assaulted by little shits and bigger ones was much much rarer as they did actually get conseqences unlike now where they are just put in isolation or excluded for a few days , and there has always been homophobia and there still is , im glad you think it only existed in the 80s and 90s 😂 the difference is the large number of kids saying they are bi now at least in my dds school ,still i guess if they cant get a boy to hang out with then they can pick a girl , large numbers of kids now saying they are trans , and no one finds it strange or trendlike how such a large number of kids are not only confused about their sexuality these days but there actual sex and in some cases dont want to be either , everyones got to address them as they or them .as for the silly diagnoses yep amazing how such a large number of them abound now , some of them done in private clincs where they are pretty much going to tell a parent what they want to hear for the large sum of cash being made . id love dd to be growing up in a much simpler society than todays one .

I read once that everyone has different ND traits. Some might have one trait others might have 10 which makes life a bit harder for them. I actually don't think NT exists! Because there's no such thing as 'normal'

Such an interesting thread…

My teenaged DD has just been diagnosed with ADHD and autism with a PDA profile, at the age of 14.

She is adopted and has a diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome and is now registered blind, having lost her sight at aged 11, due to her birth mother’s drug misuse while pregnant.

My DD is ANGRY (and, let’s face it, who wouldn’t be with such a terrible hand dealt by life?) I am stuck in the middle of her specialist visual impairment teacher, who attributes all of my DD’s issues to her sight loss and a combination of eye problems that affect messages to her brain, school (a selective grammar with a high proportion of ‘quirky’ children) that is delighted she now has an autism diagnosis because she can finally be a square peg in a square hole, and adoption social workers who insist all of the issues are trauma and attachment-related.

I have no axe to grind and no agenda here; I don’t really care that my DD is building an A-Z of diagnoses. What I do care about is the quality of home life for my whole family, which is negatively impacted by my DD’s behaviours.

But I do find it interesting that the majority of my DD’s teachers are currently reporting an improvement in her presentation and performance in her classes, due to her ADHD medication - even though she generally ‘cheeks’ and then conceals the 2 x pills she is meant to take daily.

Finally, to counter those who are suggesting that there’s a financial incentive to securing diagnoses, my life and my financial status has deteriorated significantly in recent years as I am unable to manage the career I had pre-adoption, due to my DD’s significant needs. Honestly, in the ‘olden’ days, my DD would be living in an institution and would be hidden away from society.

@hellrabbitishere why has the number of children wearing glasses nearly doubled?

A lot of us refused school dinners or only eat small parts of them. That's because they were horrible.