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)

How do you know? People cared far less about kids sensitivities. Hypersensitive kids had to put up and shut up. You wouldn’t have been able to pick them out at school. Just quietly falling apart on the inside.

I’m willing to bet the cripplingly shy kids were just on shutdown.

I was also told to eat or go hungry. I ended up undernourished.

I work with families who are either waiting for assessments or have been assessed. I think the spectrum is stretched wider now.

Not that many decades ago a child had to fit in 3 areas for an ASD diagnosis, now it’s often one and they are diagnosed as being on the spectrum.

ADHD was mostly unrecognised. I think many children struggled with the introduction of the national curriculum where the structure had no outlet for diversity and so became more visible.

Parents are quicker to seek out a diagnosis and environmental factors also have some impact.

I also worked in prisons where, on hindsight, a huge amount of the young offenders were undiagnosed.

I agree.

I have been wondering why so many people are so determined to argue and be right rather then listen and learn. If several autistic people are saying the same thing, why are people not listening? It really is very hard being autistic (as per the criteria for diagnosis) and when people come along and argue against things rather than accept them it really makes me question both their agenda and their intellect.

I think it's a combination of more awareness, better support ( at least on paper). I was the only diagnosed ND person in my school year in the 80s/90s. I'm not sure my diagnosis helped much as at the time no one seemed to know what to do with "high-functioning" ND kids. Special schools as they were then wouldn't have been right but the SEN support in my mainstream school was all around academic stuff which wasn't my issue.
Also in the past it would've been easier to live a somewhat predictable life.

@dustandroses
Not that many decades ago a child had to fit in 3 areas for an ASD diagnosis, now it’s often one and they are diagnosed as being on the spectrum.

^^

Where have you got this info? If someone is doing this they're wrong. What 3 three areas are you taking about? We go by the DSMV--5 when assessing for autism. You have to meet a range of criteria.

@pixie5121 I am 62. The 60s weren't exactly child centric.

Who is we?

I think the poster is referring to the triad of impairments?

The description of the 70 year old farmer in this article made me think of this thread (I read it and assumed autism or some kind of ND). Pretty sure someone posted upthread about pre-Industrial Revolution life being easier for ND people - less demands on their time etc. It resonated with that comment.

Tribeca Film Festival 2022: Sheep farmer documentary earns nod www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-61523489

You know that for some, sensory issues are actually painful? I'm both sensitive to noise and light. Both are very painful. I get migraine if there's too much light and have to wear a cap when I go out - even in winter.

@Firelogbridge
Yes, the three pillars of autism. The original guestion was why are there so many more diagnosis compared to 30 years ago. My post said decades not years ago.
The DSMV-5 is a relatively new diagnostic tool and in my area ADOS is used for children.

The three criteria were social interaction, verbal communication and repetitive behaviours. Sensory was introduced as a fourth criteria later on. A child needed to satisfy two or three of these criteria for diagnosis. Therefore many children would not be diagnosed.

Today I see children who satisfy one of these criteria with an ASD diagnosis, for example a child with high sensory needs may be diagnosed as on the spectrum.

The assessment and criteria have changed, the spectrum has been widened. That was my opinion on one of the reasons why more people are being included in the ASD spectrum. However if you think they are doing it wrong then maybe that’s another reason for the increase?

There were other reasons in my post which you did not quote.

@dustandroses 'we' as in the team of clinicians I work with who are part of the assessment/ diagnostic process.

Then you should know that there are more than one diagnostic tool and that these have changed over the last 30 years.

@dustandroses

The three criteria were social interaction, verbal communication and repetitive behaviours. Sensory was introduced as a fourth criteria later on. A child needed to satisfy two or three of these criteria for diagnosis. Therefore many children would not be diagnosed.

Today I see children who satisfy one of these criteria with an ASD diagnosis, for example a child with high sensory needs may be diagnosed as on the spectrum.

This is really interesting. My own diagnosis was given using ICD10 and i was told sensory was only a minor part of it but needed to be present. The main 3 you talk about formed the main body of the questions which led to me netting the criteria (I also have sensory issues but they were less important). Both diagnosed DC were DSMV but i didn't see any huge differences in the reports compared with mine - of course they were done in completely different ways but again the main part of the report focused on those 3 things.

Are we really seeing children with only sensory issues diagnosed with autism?

Meeting the criteria

@dustandroses I don't know which area m/ country you are in but someone does not meet criteria if they only have sensory needs. They must meet the social communication and interaction criteria. However they could get a diagnosis of ASD with out sensory needs but they would still need to meet 2 out of the 4 restrictive and repetitive behaviours criteria. We also do ADOS' as standard for everyone. So yes I would argue that if someone if diagnosing ASD based on what you've said then it's wrong. I've yet to see poor practice like that and I've worked in several parts of the UK in many different teams.

You wouldn't see children who just have sensory issues get a diagnosis. Pre-Autism diagnosis, I mentioned to my eye doctor that I'm finding light a problem and was told it's nothing to be concerned about. (it's common in people with my eye condition)

I'm also very sensitive to noise. When I mentioned this to my doctor, I was told it was blocked ear. It hasn't changed despite treating the blocked ear and was told it was Hyperacusis, which is hypersensitivity to noise.

I remember several kids from my childhood who would likely have had a diagnosis of something or another or if they didnt then, then they would have now. I remember the family across the street who had one child who had a learning disability and his brother who was a real tearaway and used to always be stealing things from others on the estate. The older sisters seemed fine, but who knows. There was a girl round the corner who went to the local SEN school.
I remember a kid at primary who was always "naughty" and sent out. Seems clear to me now that he had a disability. I remember lots of kids who would be taken out of the classes for extra support groups. Kids who werent in the same lessons as everyone else.
Its not something I remember anyone talk about unless it was something that specifically affected them at the time. I do think that theres plenty more people I went to school with who would likely be diagnosed now.

OK I'll bite. I went to be assessed fairly recently. I went after DD2 was diagnosed with ASD - and I went because basically I hit rock bottom over the pandemic. My routines all got thrown out of the window, the sensory overload of all the covid signage everywhere hurt my brain every time I went anywhere, plus the endless announcements full blast in all the stores... I couldn't wear a face mask and I was just so freaked out by everything.

Then the penny dropped - a childhood of constantly being beaten up and picked on for being "odd". The time that some of the big kids in school grabbed me and pulled me into a classroom to tell their mates "you've got to see this girl - she's so weird".... all those times as a kid (and an adult- thanks mum) where I got told off for saying the wrong thing - but had no fucking clue what I'd said that was wrong. The jobs where I didn't have contracts renewed because I socially didn't gel with the team. The days where I'd get into the car and physically feel myself relax as the noise of the outside world turned off.

I was always terrified of not being good and following the rules, and I was academically bright - so a dream pupil in schools - knew all the answers, loved answering questions, would shit their pants at the thought of rebellion - despite school being a hell of bullying. Wasn't ever spotted or handled with any compassion - one year I had a desk around a corner hiding me behind a filing cabinet for an entire year (you can imagine how that helped me socially integrate) and when I reported bullying I was told it would bring me closer to Jesus.

I went through 40 years of my life thinking I was a freak, a failure, that I was academically so bright and just failed my way through life being an obnoxious unlikeable idiot. I then failed pandemicing properly as well (I could barely leave the house when the rules and signage were at their height). I got diagnosed and I understood it all - and I know that what I feel when I'm approaching overload now isn't just me being shit at being a person - but it's an autistic overload thing.

The diagnosis gave me the chance to forgive that kid who always fucked up. It also means that professionally I can work as an Autistic XXX and use that as an asset - I understand the ways lots of our service users think and rationalise things much more than lots do - and if I channel that into the right area of the profession - it's actually a huge asset. But yes, imagine every day just thinking you're a failed, lonely, unlikeable freak - and someone being able, via a diagnosis, to change the focus on that - I'm actually fucking awesome that I managed to get as far as I have in life.

Yes @dustandroses if you know professionals who are diagnosing ASD based solely on sensory issues, without any of the other diagnostic criteria, then they are clearly in the wrong.
That would be like an oncologist diagnosing a benign tumour as cancerous, just because there's a lump.
I'd be looking into who to report this person/these people to for investigation.

^ this

Plus being extroverted and a 'team player' are much more valued than they ever were. It makes life very difficult for the ND.

A Saturday job necessitated an A4 application form and a twenty minute interview. Now you have to complete an online application, complete a thesis on why you want the job, psychometric testing, one day assessment centre, 1:1 interview.........

@CoffeeWithCheese

(I was diagnosed in my mid 30s, following diagnosis of both of my children)
Your post was moving and relatable. Thank you for sharing it.