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?

When my dd needed an assessment, she needed it NOW. She was in crisis and we needed to know why. We absolutely money whipped that problem. We didn’t just do an autism assessment, we had a full panel of evaluations including detailed academic assessments and it was absolutely worth the expense. We later had a second, autism focused evaluation when we went for actual private services.

Our dd was crying under her desk at school. Waiting years for a free assessment was not an option.

there absolutely is a two-tiered system of disability services. If you can afford to go private, your child will not lose precious developmental time and deteriorate further than necessary.

parents aren’t gaming the system, they just aren’t letting their children be destroyed by the system.

We went private because the NHS completely screwed up DS’s diagnosis, and admitted it after he was diagnosed privately.

The assessment was in 4 parts - parents accounts, observations in school and home and psychologist review, SALT assessment, and schools accounts.

School reported he was fine, just naughty. The NHS consultant then ignored the other three parts which all pointed to autism and refused to diagnose him.

The private paed and psych, who also work NHS as well, as many do IME, both commented that ds did not need their expertise as the teams of paperwork, including documents from the NHS was enough to diagnose him.

Schools are well known for being obstructive in many cases of autism, and to withhold support.

So a mother that shouts and swears at him is acceptable. Strange thought process.

I’ve no doubt at all that a good few won’t be accepted. It just means those with a genuine claim are having to wait a lot longer because people are putting in for assessments frivolously.

Traditional parenting is loving and definitely not swearing or shouting.
That just sounds awful and what child enjoys being bawled and sworn at?

Trad grandparent all the way!

I would really like to know more about this. Do you have any links?

I also spoke about this earlier in the thread. No links just empirical evidence abd personal theories . Join sone ADHD partner support groups and you’ll find a lot of autistic partners to ADHDers, me included.

I know loads, it feels to me like most of the people/children I know are nd far more than percentages in the general population. I have an autistic child and it’s been difficult so friends I hung out with pre kids and friends now are different, I’ve naturally gravitated more towards people with nd kids as they tend to be more understanding of issues. My child is also at an autism school so all the kids at his school are autistic

Thank you. As an ND person myself, that's my experience but I was interested in the early human times comment. Shame as I would have been interested in reading something like that.

There have been recent articles. I’ll have a look later. (

Of course they are only theories at this stage.

@bunhead1979 i have been researching as I have a family member with what his parents describe as severe autism.

I found this article - just want to check it's not offensive to describe level 1 as "mild" and level 3 as "severe" which is I expect what his family are referring to:

	"What are the different levels of autism?
An autism spectrum disorder diagnosis is broken into levels 1, 2, and 3. These levels indicate the extent to which autism impacts an individual's ability to communicate and take care of themselves as deemed appropriate by neurotypical society. The levels describe traits and detail how much support a person might need. "

"The DSM-5 is an important manual used by doctors to diagnose people with autism spectrum disorder. It describes three levels of ASD, which range in traits and in how much support the autistic person needs in daily life."

www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-the-three-levels-of-autism-260233

I think whats offensive about the term mild is that its usually used when people mean that the person with autism doesn’t cause others too much bother. Rather than how the actual person with autism is affected and how it impacts every part of their lives. The mental health and suicide stats are just one sign of how bad things can be for even “high functioning” “mild” autistics.

OK so I'll get flamed here, DH I'd probably autistic, at least one, possibly two of my children have ADHD, and I may have it, and two of my grandchildren have autism and possibly another one . I also have a DGS who is being assessed for ADHD.

I'm wondering if microplastics may have an effect. In case you weren't aware microplastics have been found in testicles and placentas so there could be a chance they're affecting the baby

The problem with that is my father would have been 91 this year, and I’m 65. So, Gettingstuffed, the maths doesn’t work.

It is important to keep in mind that actual autistic people's traits and experiences are not as clearcut as these levels present. Many autistic people have a wide mix of traits associated with multiple levels, so these classifications are not helpful outside of medical contexts. Labelling an autistic person as one level socially and seeing them solely through the lens of the DSM can lead to neglect, hindered potential, and harmful misunderstandings. (my underlining)

And there is the rub. I have a successful adult Ds with a seriously spiky profile. High IQ and some high abilities, low EQ and many low abilities, and "how much support the autistic person needs in daily life" is far more than might be expected, and most is just left to me to provide, or watch him sink.
Mismanagement results in disaster and can result in hospitalization with catatonia and long recovery periods.

All his energy has gone into managing work, and his ability to do anything else as well, is very limited. He hasn't reached anywhere near independent living at an age to be expected for his intelligence level, or relationships etc.
His life is limited to managing work which leaves a level of exhaustion that isn't anywhere near normal. Every few weeks he has to wfh or take time off. The first warning is waking up with crimson eyes from subconjunctival hemorrhages, total exhaustion and unable to prevent himself stimming. (he can normally suppress to accepted types and levels) By then his gait is also changed and he's struggling on many levels. By this time he's dangerous and his physical appearance is so changed that managers are concerned and send him home on H&S grounds. He's highly valued at work for his abilities, and they've accepted the downsides.

So should he nowadays be categorized as having 'mild' autism? Superficially possibly yes, but that denies him the protection and assistance (not financial) to operate needed for him to contribute to society without extreme risk to himself, because using the level system, he looks like he should fit level 1, but fluctuates between 1 & 2 with some dips into 3. Thankfully he has an older diagnostic label of 'profound Aspergers' that includes 'multiple exceptionality' and a recognition of a spiky development that's still ongoing, so is more protected legally once he has included his documentation at interview.

There is also a relative in Broadmoor who could pass as a 1. Until you discover the 'reasoning' process behind killing his mother and his failure to understand or deal with change. "how much support the autistic person needs in daily life" was very misunderstood, and left to his mum.

On the other hand there is a family friend, now adult, non verbal, in nappies, aggression is their only communication, and needs everything done for them at all times. They fit neatly and clearly into 3 as 'severe' in a way that NT folk can grasp, but even then "how much support the autistic person needs in daily life" is acknowledged, but still often left to his mum.

No one really knows why BUT it is interesting that Despite the surge in autism cases in the US, the Amish communities have not experienced a similar increase, and it's intriguing to note that no one knows exactly why. Maybe we should study the Amish, perhaps they live a healthier diet or something idk but they're doing something right.

Can you link the evidence/research paper on this please.

Anecdotally there’s a surge in US numbers but iirc that’s mostly attributed to changes in the DSM in the 90s.

My sister has friends in the US who claim there are higher numbers of severely disabled autistic children, but I can’t find any records to back that up. There is a rise in families documenting their every move on SM in order to try to cover health care costs, which could possibly make it look like numbers have risen.

Maybe they don’t seek diagnosis.

I'm very wary of low autism claims for both Amish and Romany populations. Both claims originated from now discredited sources.
Lower levels of diagnosis absolutely. Both communities have many reasons why recognizing it within the population or choosing to seek diagnosis for it, is far less likely to happen, or when actually being aware of it, families want and need it to remain secret.

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N39D0IN/

https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/claim-steve-kirsch-amish-dont-experience-autism-cancer-high-covid-19-mortality-because-they-dont-vaccinate-baseless/

People in the West are having children later and later and studies indicate there may be a link between parental age and likelihood of autism.

My maternal line has both a history of geriatric pregnancies and inter-generational ND traits (although I should note there are no official diagnoses of autism in my family). I have formally diagnosed ADHD and my sibling, mother and late grandmother are / were all very likely autistic.

Of course this could mean any number of things. Autistic people in the past may have married later or felt less pressure to have children young. It could be a mutated gene from late childbearing that's been passed down ever since. Or maybe this is no more than anecdatal coincidence and the two things are unrelated.

If it's true that the Amish are not experiencing the same rise in autism rates, this could potentially be explained by the fact the Amish tend to marry and have their children young.

For communities where marriage prospects are important then it’s a big incentive not to push for diagnosis.

The whole “Amish children don’t have autism” thing was started originally as an anti vaxx thing I think, but was debunked as take up of vaccines in Amish communities is relatively high.

It’s generally considered that the Amish lifestyle suits autistic people more, as it’s far removed from modern society which we know is difficult to manage when you’re autistic.

I very much doubt Amish society has seen the changes that have heightened the difficulty of living in mainstream society as an autistic person, both the sensory things and cultural changes. Most people seek diagnosis because they are struggling in some way. There may be autistic people among the Amish who would end up diagnosed if they were living outside their community.