Do you believe everyone is slightly autistic?

[Unfriendlywoes]

Constantly have people saying this to me, usually when I’m trying to open up about my struggles with my ASD dd. I feel like a complete failure as a parent quite a lot, and feel so utterly broken and angry after fighting and begging for support for so long and still not getting any really. Currently draining all of my finances to access private therapies for her. If it’s a case of everyone is slightly autistic, why is it so fucking hard?

https://autismsciencefoundation.org/press_releases/cdc-profound-autism-statistics/

https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/profound-autism-term/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/11/18/profound-autism-labels-neurodiversity/

If you do s Google search you'll find lots.

An autism parenting magazine is hardly an impartial source.

No but it representative of the lobbying.

The Washington Post and other sources are, feel free to Google it and read about. Not liking it, won't stop changes.

I believe your are or you are not but I do feel that Asperger's needs to be replaced with another name/diagnosis as the spectrum is so vast it's useful to know where a person lies to some extent for support purposes. However all autistics struggle with life so
I'm not minimising that just when talking to a doctor school arc a better description of diagnosis would be more useful to get the correct supports in place be it mental health or more daily living support and rest bite for caters.

I’m really not surprised at all that profound autism is getting traction. About bloody time.

I think it should also include or even another name for developmental delay autism - which is much more the classic and higher support needs like my DS who has developed language but so late that his needs are very different. He still can’t use a fork, no sense of safety, toilet training only at age 8. Yet also intelligent. But nothing like a child who has zero developmental delays.

I am a bit sick of turning up to groups or supposed support and it’s all about a mild autism that is so far from DS.

It’s all American. The UK doesn’t always do the same as the USA.

HeBeaverandSheBeaver
Every autism diagnosis report is uniquely different, you can’t categorise.

The UK will follow. There are too many parents like me and the OP who are under enough pressure already trying to care for our profoundly autistic kids and are sick of the world and his wife saying they are just as autistic.

No you bloody are not.

SingleMum11
Your child wouldn't be included hence it being impossible to compartmentalise and why it won’t happen.

I get sick of the lack of support for people trying to hold down jobs, mask and support autistic children as well as their own diagnosis. There is nothing for the 18-35 group either. I do believe things will change re support though, in an ideal world there would be a selection of things available and you could opt into what you felt suited you best. Some people would have feet in several camps.

You absolutely have no way of knowing that.My child is just as autistic, she has spent much of the past few years in hospital.In some ways she will be more autistic than yours. Having a learning disability is separate to autism. You say your child is intelligent so he wouldn’t have an iq under 50 or be described as profound.

I know of one person quite well (his DM is a close friend and neighbour) who’s on the spectrum and another close friend’s DD has ADHD and is also on the spectrum. Both of them I’ve seen when they have meltdowns or stim and although it’s easy for an outsider not to understand or think they’re being naughty, really, unless you deal with this day in day out as a parent, teacher, sibling, spouse then you have no idea what each party is going through. Things have been improved for both of them growing up though and both lead fairly independent lives now. But no one is ever slightly a little bit autistic though sometimes ignorant or nasty people use it as an insult because to be autistic or ND is to many NT people the worst ever thing to be (I don’t agree with the latter statement by the way).

I think support will change, I font think there's much choice about that as there just isn't enough money. I think EHCP support will change first of all- they've already suggested restricting school choice and some LA's are having their defecit wrote off if they reduce the high needs sen block. OT, SLT etc has already been restricted so that for a child to get it in any meaningful way it needs to be wrote into their ehcp properly rather than nhs services.

I think future funding will be ring fenced for profound autism or at least an amount of funding which is one of the reasons the profound category is suggested.

Autism advocates (difference not disability stance) will get more of a platform so that it'll be deemed mainstream - not deserving of disability resources (not my view but a way to cut costs).

Mental health budgets both adult and child's will be slashed further and profound autism will only be officially diagnosed with autism being self diagnosed.

I do believe the spectrum needs breaking up and those with severe/ profound needs need to be able to discuss them fully without being shutdown and support specifically targetted but I also recognise that those without profound needs still have needs which should be met.

I don’t. It really isn’t the way things are going.

No definitely not. I was diagnosed last year (in middle age) and it was such a relief. However, a family member keeps saying this and it really annoys me. I think that they are trying to make me 'feel better' about my diagnosis (I'm fine with it, in fact I'm really happy with it) but it just offends me. It's minimising my lifelong struggle and I think they are just trying to make themselves feel better about my diagnosis.

Does your child have any developmental delays?
When were they toilet trained?
When did they speak or learn language?
Are they able to drink from a glass and hold a fork?

I am presuming your child has none of the above difficulties and so is a million miles away from my child. The above is not learning diablilities. They are autism. My child and yours are a million miles away from each other. Honestly I don’t care which label each child has but I know that my DS sharing he same diagnosis as kids with zero developmental difficulties has a negative effect on his support and understanding.

Probably not everyone, no, but I think more people are than anyone realises. A lot of people, especially women, learn to 'mask'.
I was assessed as a teen and got told I wasn't. My husband was diagnosed at 4.

Many are now not taking non verbal kids, one school I visited there was a parent in tears - she said he cannot find anywhere for her non verbal child at all - as we both visited an autism specialist school with high support - but apparently not for non verbal kids. It really needs to change. I am turning down SEN schools for autism as they are catering for kids with mental health and trauma needs and not autism. My DS has a narrower and narrower set of services and honestly

I think we need to go separate out mental health needs - which may well be exacerbated by difference - from developmental autism.

My child had SALT and OT so yes she did have delays. “Developmental delays” don’t capture the breath of development in autistic children, some can make some on time, some can lose ground over time.

Mental health difficulties are intertwined with autism so they can’t be separated.

Some of you need to remember autistic children become autistic adults, and listen to us when we tell you it is a disability, not a fucking superpower. If you think everyone is on the “autism spectrum” please do enlighten us as to which traits you have and exactly how you find them disabling. We’re waiting…

@SingleMum11 I agree, the situation is awful.

@Fl100p555 mental health needs don't always go hand in hand. I agree someone can have both but it is possible to have severe mental health needs and autism. Not everyone eith autism has mental health conditions. They are separate. Likewise someone could have severe autism and mh needs or non at all.

With it being nye, I'm struggling to follow the thread. When I can I'll link for you source/ article showing LA's having their defecit wiped out by limiting ehcp funding. Autism is the highest primary reason for ehcp's now.

La's really don't want to fund or don't have the funds to spend supporting people with high needs, that's why there's still people stuck in atu's rather than being in the community. In an atu- it's funded by the nhs.

80% of autistic children and adults will have mental problems. The nature of the condition means that isn’t surprising and diagnosis crucial.

Nope not at all!
Ive got two autistic children and an autistic partner but I'm absolutely in know way autistic 🤷‍♀️

What do you understand by the terms "trait" and "spectrum"?

But it isn't their autism it's mental health. It is still distinctive and separate and should be diagnosed as such. Having severe mental health needs and autism is different to having severe autism.

People with an autism diagnosis don't all have a set amount and due to.the autism dx covering multiple conditions (it's an umbrella dx) some people are more impacted by their autism than others. I don't see the spectrum as linear, please don't think that but because there are multiple conditions some people are more impacted than others.

If a child is non verbal with personal care needs, 24 hour supervision because they can hurt themselves unintentionally this is different to someone with autism who has selective mutism or someone who is suicidal or self harms. That isn't to minimalise needs, i think they all need meeting and supporting but the needs snd presentation are different. As a side not all people with severe autism will be diagnosed with learning disabilities, in many cases because of their autism this cant be assessed- they are disabled by their autism.

About council funding:-

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/school-leaders-rebel-over-raid-on-reserves-amid-shameful-bail-out-ultimatum/

I think it's frustrating for families where they support someone with severe autism as many services are geared towards those witha different type of need, hence the part of the reason for the push for profound autism.

I'd love to see more research and better understanding, more detailed diagnosis rather than everyone just getting an autism dx.