Why are so many children autistic these days?

[Superlambaanana]

I've just seen someone comment on a thread that 4 out of 5 of their DC are autistic. So many classroom assistants in every primary class. So many parents I talk to saying they have or are fighting to get a diagnosis for their DC. And yet no one I went to school with at primary or secondary level was ever diagnosed as autistic, nor did anyone do anything that suggested they were undiagnosed like hand flapping or inability to communicate normally. Various levels of intelligence and social ability obviously, but no one who was at the level of meltdowns and needing stringent routine etc. Is it environmental?

It may have increased somewhat for some reason but generally it has always existed but it’s more recognised now… years ago only the severe cases were picked up and not too many years ago those children would be in institutions! The less severe are getting diagnosed now as adults after masking all their lives.

I was a child of the 90s and looking back autism was barely mentioned, I didn’t even know what it meant but undoubtedly there were Unrecognised autistic children including myself, my DC are autistic too.

Imo it’s two things: a combination of increased awareness and therefore more diagnosis, 90% is down to this. The other 10% is probably today’s society. I think diagnoses are given out too readily to some children who may perhaps have other developmental delays due to diet and excess screen time, where if their environment was changed or different from the start you’d see a marked difference.

Also your post is very ableist. What is ‘normal’ communication exactly?

Just because you didn’t see any meltdowns or the need for stringent routine doesn’t mean it wasn’t there.

And their 4 out of 5 children are autistic because autism is genetic, just like having blond hair, dark skin or being very tall.

I think it suits "us" to believe the system suits everyone but it doesn't.

Having to fit in to the system highlights it. I've adhd. I've found some very normal things unattainable but if you spoke to me you'd think I came across normal. I have adhh and I'm normal. They say everybody has adhd now, like we must be making it up. I wish I could fit into the system that exists and flourish.

Every time this comes up everyone ignores the genetic link.

As people stopped being institutionalised, kept at home, dying ,ostracised etc and actually had a chance at living and having a real life and families the genetic component spread.

Better awareness (up to my late 20's I was only aware of non verbal /severe learning difficulties types of autism) and diagnosis tools account for the majority of it.

I’ve taught for 34 years in mainstream secondary. There are DEFINITELY more pupils with autism now than in the past, and I think only part of this is wider diagnosis/better staff awareness/more ALN inclusion in schools.

On average, I would say most of my mainstream classes have at least 10% of pupils with autism/ADHD and nearly all in the ALN classes.

It often genetic - which is probably why that poster had 4 out of 5 children who were autistic.
No one at my school was ever diagnosed because back then no one knew anything about it really - looking back though there were certainly kids that I'd guess were undiagnosed autistic. The ones with classic autism though would have gone to SEN schools - then loads of SEN schools got closed and so a lot of kids that really need the small classes of an SEN school are instead now dumped in mainstream. Children that couldn't speak would never have ended up in a mainstream classroom I don't think, and it's likely that even now they wouldn't stay more than a few years in mainstream.

Bullshit. Everyone is NOT on it.

Fuck me, I thought this shite has died down by now.

No autism is a spectrum. So people who are autistic are on a spectrum. People who are not autistic are not on the spectrum.

They've always been there.
Depending on which historical era they might have just stayed home with mother out of sight. Or placed in an institution never to be spoken of again. Or become known as the "local weirdo" or "village idiot".
A lot of modern society probably does make a difference - the world is so much more artificially noisy and bright which will affect those with sensory disorders but autism isn't new. It's always been there - just not always seen in the past.

You should have some idea of how school systems were back then. Don’t you remember other types of schools existing?

They really aren't!

In the 60s and 70s some children with autism would have been kept at home.

It was accepted that there were some children who could not be educated, until the development of what were called "schools for the uneducable or subnormal",

In the 80s and 90s these children would have been at special schools (what the schools for the subnormal turned into).

There has been a big push for mainstreaming many of these children since the Warnock report encouraged it.

I have taught in schools for the last twenty years and there are increasing numbers of children with autism.

Interestingly most experts think that although more children are diagnosed now, there is an actual increase in the number of children with autism as well. No-one is quite sure why.

I most definitely went to school with people who nowadays would have a diagnosis of autism or adhd. Back then they were just seen as naughty or weird. It's really positive that awareness is now so much better, it means the life chances of many children will be so much better.

It's definitely genetic. And the older generation are being diagnosed after their children. Both of my children are autistic. Then I was diagnosed. My brother was diagnosed as a child. My dad is clearly autistic but not interested in assessment.

I think it’s Simon Baron Cohen who argues that autism has actually increased (not just been diagnosed more) because people started getting more control over who they would marry.

Whereas a few hundred years ago maybe you married whoever your parents picked out, within your local community, everything changed with mass education and more mobility.

Children who were more academically focused, maybe good at numbers, organising etc went to grammar schools and then to universities, met each other and married.

Their children inherited those traits, married other people with those traits etc etc.

Certainly I can look at my family and say each of the last 4 generations has seemed further along the spectrum.

I think there’s also a strong argument that the environments we live in now will be harder for autistic people to cope with and therefore any issues will be more visible.

It's likely a number of contributions as mentioned above. One thing that has not come up is that couples are having children later. Couples over 40 are significantly more likely to have children diagnosed as autistic. I think I have seen it quoted as 40-50% more likely.

I went to school in the 70s and 80s. FWIW I think there were plenty of children who were undiagnosed. Maybe some were diagnosed idk.

Also, pretty much only "naughty boys" were diagnosed as ADHD then and then the other learning difficulty was dyslexia that generally non professionals would have talked about.

Everyone else seemed to be labelled "thick" or "eccentric" etc.

The problem is they keep letting us breed 😘

Are you autistic then @LadyMonicaBaddingham?

Other comments...

4/5 children - it's genetic.

"So easy to get diagnosed" - presumably you've never sought an autism diagnosis for a child. It's a minimum 3 year wait to even be seen in my area. It took a friend of mine 10 years to get a diagnosis for her child.

"Poor diet and too much screen time" they don't just dish diagnoses out willy nilly and neither are they made in isolation - it requires a panel of various professionals like a paediatrician (under 5) or psychiatrist, psychologists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists etc.

I'm mid 30s and can definitely think back to both primary and secondary school and think of "badly behaved" kids who, with hindsight, are probably actually autistic.

With greater understanding and recognition, come more diagnoses.

Years ago my DS would have not survived birth and if in the situation he miraculously had he would have died as an infant or been in an institution out of sight and mind.

I was diagnosed in my 40s after spending my life masking until I had a mental collapse because in the 80s when I was growing up they didn't realise girls presented differently. It was a boy thing apparently.

And trauma.

If you reread what I said I said that’s 10% of people who claim their child is autistic, not necessarily diagnosed could be awaiting assessment.

My post X post with a lot of others