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?

I don’t agree it’s trauma.

True about more awareness and earlier diagnosis (my child was diagnosed at 3) but no everyone is not on the spectrum. Sight impairment and disability is also a spectrum - would you say everyone is on those?

It's always been there it's just that the lower needs children were left to it and learned to mask - think back to the "weird kids" at your school. Probably autistic.

My son was diagnosed three years ago and it became pretty apparent after that that he gets it from me, and that my quirks were well masked autism.

I actively mask less these days and feel less internally exhausted for it.

No they're not!
You're either autistic or not autistic.

You wouldn't have noticed me at school 30 years ago cause i was often not in school, i had many mysterious unfounded illnesses, self harming, eating disorders, inappropriate and abusive relationships, self medicating and dropping out as soon as i could cause it was all too much. There was no support or recognition and parents of my generation (many autistic themselves) turned a blind eye to any embarrassing “mental illness type thing”, what would they tell their friends??! So it was all swept under the carpet.

I was dx late 30s after a lifetime of failure. It was one of the most self affirming moments of my life. My brother, father and aunt have since been diagnosed. We were always here.

Because people are less ignorant and much more educated these days I assume.

I cannot even comment on the vileness of some of these posts I really can't and MN lets this ignorant shite go all the time.

I think it's more ultra-processed food (there are studies that support this) genetics, and more ICSI IVF (55% more like to have ASD)

The internet was invented and autistic people or those with a family history of autism found each other in chat rooms and got together and made fantastic autistic babies.

It's a spectrum , better diagnosis, and more awareness it. Genetic for sure. No conspiracy with this one. And definitely not caused by vaccines. that's such an insult to neurodivergent people, who are incredibly perceptive, and have different strengths. Meltdown are common but it's hard to fit into a society that expects everyone to be the same and learn the same, behave the same and to be honest the education needs a massive change. So many kids are so creative and intelligent that they are so bored. focus on their strength not moulding a unique human being into a boring same same robot.

I wrote a long and involved reply detailing some of the very valid reasons why there APPEARS to be 'more autism now'.

Lost it, and tbh I'm not mad about it because I can't be bothered to spend my Sunday trying to educate somebody who has clearly formed an opinion already.

It's all made up, OP. Is that what you want us to say? Labels everywhere. It's a bandwagon. When will it end? Etc etc 🙄

Cancer is a spectrum, not everybody has it. Your reply shows you need a little more education about autism.

I shall mention that to my parents who cooked all our food from scratch like most did 40-50 years ago.

Stop watching shite on the internet ffs.

You're only on the autistic spectrum if you are autistic.

Not everyone so on it.

That's such an a list comment and diminishes the real struggles of those who are actually on it.

For a start diagnosis relies on the impairments having an impact on your daily life.

Yes, the kids aren't hiding in behind closed doors anymore.

Older parents, more children surviving difficult pregnancies/birth, more opportunities for those with autism to meet and marry.

The education system being less suitable for certain profiles of autism so the anxiety it causes leads to more fight/flight responses making it more visible.

With ADHD there is a genetic element which is often “switched on” by trauma. It’s more prolific in those born via forceps. (Both my daughter and I are diagnosed. We were both forceps deliveries.). I suffered a further trauma as a small child losing a sibling.

My dad is AuDHD (traits of both) - diagnosed at 74. My sister was diagnosed autistic after her son was diagnosed age 2. (He’s your classic autistic boy and my dad sees a lot of himself in him. Dad wasn’t non-verbal though.)

My sister was 39 having my nephew. My grandmother was 48 having my dad.

My mum was 22 having me. I was 32 having DD.

My dad’s family is full of people with ADHD or autism diagnosis. Seems the family tree is littered with them. There are a lot of quite famous inventors in the ancestry so maybe it’s been in the family forever.

There are lots of reasons and we don’t know them all yet: selective mating (choosing someone like you), having children later (parental age a factor), being diagnosed as it might help:

dh and inhave grandparents, parents and siblings who have plenty of MH diagnoses between them, but in the younger generation - a slew of autism diagnoses.

looking back at my childhood, I’d surely have been referred today.

No i wasnt clear. im not saying trauma is the same as asc or adhd. Im saying trauma can present the same.

There’s also a tendency for autistic people to choose ADHD partners (and vice versa). Some very interesting theories around that that go back to early human times.

My son is autistic. He was born by crash section. If it had been the fifties he would have died.

Autistic and alive is preferable.

Ah yes that is what it is, we are basically the new royals and can only mate 'within' our genetics so blue genes rather than blue blood.

Dear god is there no end to the spectrum speculation.

I didn't hand flap primary school of the 80s but I did squint my eyes and scrunch my face. Stimming.
I just got shouted at to stop, smacked once by a teacher. I severely masked as a girl. Obviously I had no clue. Had a break down in my 20s. Struggle with life in general. Yes I can manage but its exhausting and hard.

I can remember loads of kids that were severe put in bottom sets that would be diagnosed now. Also remember about 6 kids not attending school and nobody knew why.

It has always been there.

The daily mail have entered the conversation 😶

I find it fascinating. DH’s autism is pretty obvious (and beneficial to his career). It was DD’s diagnosis (spotted by her secondary school teachers) that brought mine into the spotlight.

I suspect that children with special needs didn’t go to school because the right to an education wasn’t a right back then or they were hidden away in special institutions. Children who could
cope in mainstream were probably the ones labelled “weird”, “freak” etc