Massive increase of children with autism

[TickingKey46]

I've noticed since the lock down there is a massive increase in children being assessed for autism and associated conditions. I mean massive.

On the school run parents are often discussing it it's become so routine. I'm really interested in why. Why are so many children being diagnosed with this condition?

i wonder if all the referrals you are putting through that you say covid lockdown ruined their communication, in a couple of years by the time their appointment comes up, they will ahve blossomed and will no longer fit the autistic criteria that your school use?

Years ago parents had no option but to focus on their child in a park or wherever, as there wasn't an addictive device in their hand.

No option? Do you think parents never ignored their kids so they could talk to other adults? That still happens now even with mobiles, it certainly did before we had them!

Years ago parents had no option but to focus on their child in a park or wherever, as there wasn't an addictive device in their hand.

years ago parents opened the front door kicked the kids out and said see you at tea time!

the constantly being entertained by your parents is a pretty new thing really.

Yes this is what we suspect - assuming windows of developmental opportunity are not closed.

The government needs to make play and socialisation an absolute priority throughout primary to try to offset the COVID affect. Knowledge can come later. Many countries don't teach reading and writing at age 3 or 4. It isn't the priority for this cohort.

I don’t think my parent’s generation had greater interaction. If anything it was lower

Thinking back we would play outside without them around, and go to the park together as siblings (safe rural town)

@Adifferentangle my autistic child NEVER disrupted any class! He didn’t learn anything though. This was because he was quiet. He didn’t like to be noticed in any shape or form. He disrupted nothing. This did of course mean that I had a hell of a problem trying to get his school to accept my concerns. The consultant when he eventually got his diagnosis was disgusted with the school. A lot of autistic people are quiet and withdrawn pleas don’t assume they are all disruptive. Some are, some aren’t but it helps no one to tar all ND children with the same brush.

People have such daft rose-tinted views about life before smartphones.

Kids were never ignored by their parents, parents never plonked them in front of the TV so they could do other things. Nope 😅

Everything that is said about the demon screens and how deleterious they are was also said in the past about television.

they may have played out with friends

Of course! All kids are sometimes naughty, sometimes even very naughty! But labelling a certain child as being “the naughty one” isn’t helpful and we need to look beyond the surface naughtiness at the reasons why they are “a naughty child”.

And more fundamentally, a growing understanding of the huge amount of trauma caused to autistic people by living in an environment that is hostile to their needs on a daily basis, including the education system. (We owe a debt to Critical Autism Studies and the insistence that autistic voices are finally drawn into the research process). Trauma and poor mental health is frequently a corollory of being neurodiverse because of the way neurodiverse people of treated in society.

Funnily enough, services and NT professionals seem quite slow to reflect on the implications of these insights for their services, including trauma-informed protocols and non-pathologising practice.

The difference between these 2 things is huge and I can easily point it out to you, again, something being discussed with regards to children struggling.

Yes years ago adults may have ignored their kids in the park to talk to other adults, I know my mum would frequently stop in the supermarket to chat to a friend she bumped into, while I stood beside her like a spare part for 10 mins being ignored waiting for her to be done with her chat! However, those children although their parent is “ignoring” them in that moment, the child is watching 2 people communicate, listening to 2 people speak, as a byproduct they learn about social cues etc.

Now, a parent ignoring their child for the phone in their hand- that child is learning absolutely nothing from that, and if that’s a child that is already struggling to communicate at school, not able to learn by observing their parents at home, where does it get better?

Do windows close for development?

I wish the government had really embraced the social and emotional catch up that was/is needed. They did a crap academic catch up plan - but zero plan for the rest of it.

The problem is after eyfs ends, the early learning goals arent revisited and explicitly taught again in the same way. Its sort of assumed you got turn taking, how a conversation works, emotional regulation and it just gets more and more academic.

More awareness. I have ADHD and the signs were clear when I was a child, I also had tics which are associated with ADHD. My time at school was miserable, I struggled, I was just seen as incompetent. I have a daughter who is also going through the process of ADHD diagnosis and I recognise the same struggles
i had. I also found out some years ago there is a history of ADHD in my fathers side. The sad part is there is no support for those who are neurodiverse in the school system, I am in the process of starting homeschooling because I don’t want my daughter to struggle like I did and get lost in the system.

There are critical periods for some things - language development for example - yes.

I honestly don't know about social interaction, negotiation, compromise, sharing etc which are all crucial skills learned through play.

The government was very poor on this. If any government ministers are reading this - please prioritise play for longer for all children who were 5 or under at lockdown!

@Sparta18611 you claim it’s a fashion accessory!

What absolute bollocks! My son is an adult who is unable to leave the house or talk to anyone other than very immediate family. His autism presents as a massive fear of people - even people he has known all his life. He learned practically nothing at school despite having over 98% attendance. He was simply unable to ask questions or answer questions as being singled out in any way gives him a panic attack. With me and DH he is happy, articulate, inquisitive and bright but even trying to buy a loaf of bread in a shop will see him panic, become mute and unable to proceed- even if accompanied.
PLEASE explain how this is a “fashion accessory” because I can assure you I would give up every fashion accessory I have for my darling son to be “normal”, to get a job, a girlfriend, a FUTURE.

What you're saying here is that you agree with me. That the poster I quote there was wrong to say parents had no choice to focus on their DC before mobiles.

If you're saying you think phones are worse than the other things parents do/did when not focusing on their DC, that's fine, but it's an entirely different point.

@CouldBeOuting

He sounds like he has comorbid selective mutism. You might want to look at the SMiRA (UK national charity) website and Facebook page. The Facebook page is very very active.

I am still "effectively disabled" by my autism even though I can hold down a job. please don't say things like that - it minimises my struggles.

Thank you

@AutismProf That sounds very tough. I admit I haven't researched that type of burnout very well yet, mine are 15 and 10 so I am possibly naive about what's to come as they seem to be coping quite well these days. That's not to say our home life is easy, it's far from it, but the tools / accommodations made seem to be working right now. I'll try to enjoy it while it lasts. I guess it's important to manage their expectations too in terms of academic achievement.

Hi all. We've removed a few posts already from this thread and are dropping in with a reminder that disablism breaks our guidelines. Posts suggesting parents 'chase' a diagnosis for benefits or to seek attention are firmly not in the spirit of Mumsnet. Many MNers will tell you from their own experience just how challenging it is to get just a diagnosis never mind adequate support for their child. We'd urge posters to consider their comments in that light. Thank you.

Apologies. I'm still learning a lot about this and how it impacts adulthood.

It's not. Stats are available if you search my posts in this thread.

If you are disabled then maybe they aren't talking about you? My dh wouldn't consider himself disabled at all. He has a job, friends, a family and has built a life that works for him. Your struggles are yours. It doesn't mean that every autistic person feels that way or is that way.

There is so much ignorance on these topics. I remember my Maths teacher calling my father into school at middle school and telling him that I was incapable of doing anything, I couldn’t focus, I was fidgety and she would be keeping me behind during break times in future to finish my work, this led to months long tics and feeling like a failure, I used to struggle to sleep and was often withdrawn, no one even thought there could be a problem, this is mostly how my school life was. This damaged my self-esteem, I felt different, I struggled to make friends and it was an awful time. If someone told me that I was neuro diverse and my brain worked differently, I would have been far more accepting of myself.