Worried about rise in autism cases

[ZanyPombear]

I don’t want speculation or scare mongering but it has been causing me a lot of anxiety that councils are being bankrupted by sen costs, that disability claims like pip, adult disability payment and DLA are extremely hard to get even with evidence, not because you don’t deserve it but because they’re trying to save money. With the rise of autism cases that need substantial support, it makes me worried how it will be afforded sustainably, and what will happen when there is no money for anything anymore and how everyone with disabilities will manage.
I am autistic and I am doing a lot to manage my symptoms but it’s never enough. If I try to socialise in person, I can barely function anymore. I find it so draining. My mind goes “blank” and nothing goes in, and I get burned out and can’t take care of myself. Everything goes out the window. My memory during these times isn’t that great. I’ve had some of my workers get frustrated and snappy with me as they tell me things numerous times and I don’t remember. I can’t remember appointments that I’ve written down. I can’t take in a lot of what anyone says to me and it just becomes noise that I can’t focus on. I have to record conversations to listen back to later because I don’t remember. I have severe anxiety but also think I have a number of undiagnosed health conditions, my general practitioner thinks something is going on too. Through social services I now have support from a few agencies to one day have a at home job. I didn’t get qualifications so I now have a tutor and will also get lessons in the end about what I want to do. I’m sure any job I could do would be very unreliable. I don’t think I could do is as often as others work. I am also worried that if I go down this path and the shit hits the fan down the line that my issues won’t be important anymore because there’s no money for anything and others with autism/sen have bigger needs than mine and that I’ll be expected to work when it’s harming me. I don’t know if I should continue trying to get my education because of it

The lack of funding for much needed support is scary.

Do keep on with your education. You never know what good things it may lead to and it sounds like you have already put in a lot of effort and time.

Are you asking about your own personal situation? I’m sure there are jobs you could do which could meet your needs as a person with autism. What aspects of working do you struggle with? What environment do you feel you would do well in? Think about your needs and roles which could match up with that. If you need low interaction something like self stacking during unsociable hours could be good, for example.
In terms of the bigger picture, I’m not sure what the solution is. If SEN services were properly funded from early years more people would have access to a suitable education and then could be supported into appropriate workplaces.

My tutor thinks I will pass my exams when the time comes. I thought I would do an at home sewing job/altering, but it’s just an idea. I might pick another option depending on what’s available at the time.
I know I should focus on myself but I made this thread because I’m worried that one day support won’t be available and I just don’t know how I will manage, or anyone really.

At least some of the rise in diagnoses is better diagnosis. The recognition that girls present radically different than boys makes a huge difference.

yes, more children are being diagnosed. The flip side of that is that our children are getting so much more support than we ever could have imagined. My dd is in such better place than I was at her age. I muddled through with nothing and still managed a successful life by many measures. She and others like her have had a good foundation so I don’t think I they will need adult services more than any other adult.

I agree with you but what I’m saying is I’m worried that the amount of cases of sen will outweigh any support available and that it will have a knock on effect and put pressure on anyone managing causing them to burn out and not function anymore themselves

I worry a lot about my autistic teen. She has severe anxiety and is selective mute. At this point in time I can't see how she will ever hold down a job but I don't know that she would be entitled to anything in the way of support. Hopefully workplaces will become more ND -friendly as understanding grows, but I don't bank on it.

Better recognition and diagnosis can't be a bad thing.
Think about the millions of kids who came through school with zero recognition and zero support.
And who have struggled eventually getting diagnosed as adults, often looking at their kids or grandchildren

Some sort for everyone has to be better than some for some and none for others.

One thing I hear so often is people saying there’s a huge increase - I don’t think there is - only a huge increase in correctly recognised and diagnosed cases. In the past there were psychiatric units/homes/asylums and they were full of people with additional needs unnecessarily- we now don’t have those but we diagnose and support in the community yet people seem to conveniently forget that in the past people were basically locked away from society

This is another reason why we need universal basic income so that those who can’t work still have some protection and income

ive heard that mentioned before but the argument was it’s unsustainable, unaffordable and loads would just choose not to work

This is very very true, many espically the worse would have been hidden away out of sight.

This!

And the recognition of autism in girls is increasing. Doesn't mean more girls have autism.. just means it is being better seen and diagnosed.

I do think nowadays that children being diagnosed have better support, and that is where the money is going. If they get proper support now, they could well grow up into adults that need very little/none, and can get jobs and lead a normal life as best they can. It is an investment in their future in a way.

Adults at the moment, get a diagnosis and get told to get on with it, as they must have managed throughout their life anyway.

maybe no one can answer my question at this point. Anyone with autism will always need some level of support, either from friends and family or agencies. What happens when there are too many with needs that outweigh services or funding?

If the needs of autistic people are not met sufficiently that they can work and earn then there is always going to be cost - housing, unemployment benefit, medical costs if end up suffering from depression and anxiety. The alternative I suppose would be loads of homeless autistic people.

Cheaper if support is put in earlier and better recognition in disability law for adjustments in the workplace.

Then thresholds will rise for those in most need. It happens now with teenager mental health, people can only get access to help when in crisis. But what to do? If there aren't the professionals, beds or funds, either it's join a queue and wait your turn or prioritise according to need.

I see reasonable adjustments mentioned a lot but I need a lot of adjustments that I’ve asked for and am told wouldn’t be classed as reasonable when working with others from agencies. Hour long meetings mean I can’t function, but they don’t get paid if the full hour isn’t done. I can ask for a short 5-10 minute break, but usually I cant ask for a short and concise meeting to not overwhelm me. I cant ask for everything to be in writing, because it is easier for the other person and less work for them to have a call or teams meeting. I can only ask for notes. The amount of calling, emailing, remembering, note taking, needed to work just overwhelms me and causes me to burn out. I can’t function anymore and I’m not sure what adjustments would make it possible for me.

We need to change society to work for ND people as well as NT people. More 100% work from home options, interviewing process that takes social anxiety into account (ie no face to face component - assess suitability via other means such as written questions, some kind of test, I don’t have the answer exactly). I want to work and have a career but I can’t. I’m smart, capable, and hard-working, but working directly with others in a social capacity is not possible for me. If I have tasks written down and explained, I can refer to them as many times as I need to. If a human is verbally explaining to me, I get panicked and my mind goes blank, and I can’t remember. Having to make office pleasantries and manage that social dynamic is way too draining, therefore WFH would be much more manageable. There is so much pressure to have in -office time now, even for jobs that used to be exclusively WFH. Companies want to be able to have control over you by making sure you come in. It’s not simply so you can collaborate with others, a lot of jobs say you need to come in to any office X amount of times, with multiple offices around the country so you aren’t even working with your team. You’re just present to be counted. It’s ridiculous.

I work in a ND-friendly place (engineering, tech industry so a high number of ND people work there). We are utilising tech to help overcome some of the issues you mention. Need notes/stuff in writing - well AI built into MSTeams is now able to prepare a whole meeting summary including highlighting the actions. It can also give you an accurate transcription of the whole meeting. The other person doesn't have to 'do' anything extra.

WFH and hybrid working with 1 day per week in the office are helpful working patterns. Being in a home setting can help ND people avoid feeling so burnt out from the socialisation and over stimulating environment. Yes, its still 1 day per week in the office, but we've found that its manageable (if not enjoyed) for most of our ND colleagues. We also have 'quiet rooms' where ND or anyone feeling burnt out can go and calm down - the lighting, noise proofing etc. are all designed to avoid more sensory overload.

Yes, people will need support. But I actually think the world is opening up to enable different ways of working. I really hope that by the time my kids go into the workplace the cultures will have shifted in a positive way.

As others also say, I don't think that there is a rise in cases of autism. There has instead been an increase in the diagnosis of people with autism which would previously have been missed, particularly in girls and women, as they present totally differently to males with the condition, and this has only relatively recently been acknowledged.