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?

Definitely seen an increase in the last four or five years at the nursery. We generally had one child in the building showing traits (between1y-4y). This year my preschool room alone will have 4 moving into it plus a couple with global delays. In the younger rooms perhaps another 3 at this point who will likely be diagnosed. It is the same in other local nurseries.

And the people in between those groups? I'm nothing like many of my friends with Autism who are married, work, etc

Sorry, my categories need some more work to accommodate everyone's needs. I also wonder if autistic traits should be a category as well, for those people who have some symptoms but not enough for a diagnosis of autism.

I started this thread in May so I'm not sure why it seems to have been revived again three months later. But as it has I feel obliged to comment again as I was the OP.

I can't say I'm delighted the thread has been revived as some of the exchanges in May were pretty heated and some replies were really quite unpleasant. I asked what I felt was a genuine question and was met with a lot of people who seemed to find the very idea of asking about autism a personal affront at best, and a vicious attack at worst. I intended nothing of the sort. I was genuinely just curious but we all know what MN can be like at its worst.

Many people were very adamant that their proposed reason for a real or perceived uptick in diagnosis was definitely the right and only reason. But lots of people asserted lots of different reasons which couldn't all have been right (especially as some were contradictory). I collated and summarised the various proposed reasons around the time the thread was starting to run out of steam to help bring it to a conclusion (and have done so again below for ease of reference).

In the absence of anyone referencing any definitive clinical consensus, I accepted there are probably a number of factors at play and perhaps we'll never really know for sure.

The one reason that stuck with me particularly though, and largely closed off the confusion in my mind, is visibility. A lot more children were sent to special schools 50 years ago where I live. In fact many children with all kinds of 'issues' were housed in institutions and barely spoken about outside the immediate family. The policy has changed over the years to encourage children to remain at home and be educated through a mainstream route where possible. So that's why I didn't personally encounter anyone with difficulties engaging socially or any of the sorts of issues children display such as hand flapping, sensory overload causing mutism, melt downs etc etc.

If you wish to revive this debate again, of course that's your prerogative, but I will bow out now for fear of more haranguing from the few who seemed determined to take offence and visit their anger on me and their fellows MNers!

Summary list of the various answers to my original post:

• Genetics.
• Autistic parents have autistic children (sometimes or always depending on poster).
• More autistic people getting together because of online dating/ globalisation.

• Small children being more often cared for by adults than older siblings and adults therefore being quicker to spot and act on unusual behaviours.

• Improved diagnosis. • Inaccurate diagnosis. • Better visibility (autistic children attended special schools in the past). • Older dads nowadays/ older mothers AND fathers. • Environment- chemicals. • Environment- processed food.

• Stigma (parents hiding differences rather than exploring them with clinicians).
• Birth trauma.