Worried about rise in autism and costs

[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 also autistic and am getting support to get a job one day, but I am worried that there will be a lot of pressure on me to work causing me to burn out and not function anymore.
this is my second thread about this but the first wasn’t getting many replies or actually answering my question.

You already posted a thread identical to this the other day. Why start a new one?

You probably aren’t getting lots of replies because this topic has been done to death recently.

I did say this was my second thread and I explained why I started a new one in the same sentence! Do you have a link to one of those threads?

You say people aren't answering your actual question but I'm not very clear on what that question is?

Maybe the world will become more accommodating of autistic people, so more can fit into workplaces more easily? That would be a positive.

this is my second thread about this but the first wasn’t getting many replies or actually answering my question.

What is your question?

What is the question?

No I don’t just use the search function. Where are you getting your evidence of LA’s being bankrupted by SEN costs? Where are you getting your figures from the ASD related claims for PIP have risen so exponentially that people are now being refused to save money?

you seem to have whipped yourself up into a frenzy about this but without actual evidence of any link between ASD cases and reduction in funds. There are many many many things draining the LA/DWP coffers but why the fixation that increased ASD diagnosis is the thing that’s going to bring it all to it’s knees?

Have you any legitimate source to confirm disability claims are being rejected based on money saving?

I think we might reach a tipping point where we stop spending more and more on helping neurodiverse people adapt to a neurotypical world and start instead making adaptions for neurodiverse people the default setup.

e.g. Schools set up for hybrid attendance where pupils have to be in school say 3 days a week but can arrange to attend lessons remotely 2 days, massively reducing the amount of social overload we need to process.

Exams and qualifications designed in such a way that the neurodiverse mind that works a bit differently can demonstrate skills and knowledge without having to learn to mimic the neurotypical mind to do so.

More businesses recognising the enormous assets that neurodiveres minds can unlock and adapting the work environment and culture to be better adapted for a diverse workforce at every level.

Neurodiversity is an example of how we are pushed into disability by an environment and culture that assumes we are different than we are. Change the environment and culture and the support needs are much less. For an analogy with physical disabilities - if there were no dropped curbs on pavements, textured paving slabs at crossing points, audible beeps at lights and lifts or ramps up entrance stairways to buildings, people with visual impairments and mobility restrictions would have a lot lower capacity to live independently. The more of these adaptions there are, the better. 100 years ago the built environment didn't include these things and people who had these disabilities were dependent on family or committed to institutions. Maybe in 100 years there will have been similar changes made for the neurodiverse.

Well i have not seen any other threads on this topic but i will say i share your concern. I have 5 adult kids, likely all on the spectrum somewhere but only one is 'disabled' with autism. He has a learning difficulty too, receives pip full award both elements and is in the UC group where he doesn't need to look for work.

He is in some supported paid employment one day a week and voluntary employment 3 days a week (cafes)

He was assessed by 2 psychiatrists as requiring supported living but social work say he doesn't qualify as they are only allocating that to people with night needs in our area. So he is still at home with us.

My other DC are cognitively able. That is what makes the difference for them - they have had difficulties during high school but, once away from that situation, they have been able to find employment that does not pressure them.

My DS1 started with a lot of night shift work where he worked alone and that suited him.
My DD1 is self employed and works from (her own) home and that suits her
DS3 is very good with computers and very bright so he is fine there

And DD2 struggled in high school but has recently left and seems to be settling well in a much smaller group at college.

So - there's only the one of mine that comes into the category of actually requiring support from the state - and he does put in a fair few voluntary hours helping the community.

He really will need life long support - he is very different from my others due to his cognitive problems. Whereas my others, they definitely do have the ability to make a living and do not need help with cooking, budgeting, hygiene etc.

My concern is that some of those that are struggling and now getting diagnosed later in life because they have developed debilitating mental health problems would actually manage in a lower pressured job with a slower pace and fewer demands. So, to my mind, there is a difference between having autism and having autism to a disabling degree.

Same with adhd - there's debilitating adhd which causes sufferers to gamble away all their cash, be a danger on the roads, not be able to hold down any job, take very risky and impulsive decisions. And there's adhd where concentration to a task is very difficult, you are impulsive but not dangerous.

In a nutshell, i am wondering if many of these recent successful claims are actually not because the primary diagnosis (autism/adhd) is causing a disability - but the secondary effect of MH problems which might not have occured with different life choices.

And - yes - if the money runs out, my disabled DS is absolutely incapable of making a living in any field and that does concern me.

I don't know why people are dismissing your concerns. The explosion of Neurodiversity and autism has been dramatic and it has a catastrophic impact on many council's finances.

Put simply, we are not raising anywhere enough money to fully meet the needs of everyone with ND and autism. There is very little appetite to raise taxes and the easy fruit has already been picked in this regard. People on MN love to pretend otherwise, but you genuinely cannot keep taxing people that you deem richer than you more and more. The bulk of taxation has to fall on the general population and they will feel that there is a limit to what they can afford to pay.

Big questions need to be asked about how we deal with this issue so that it is sustainable and affordable. The idea that everyone can get all their needs met all of the time has to be challenged. We have finite resource and need to decide how we allocate them.

I also think we need to look much more into autism and ND in general. The science behind this is very shaky and it is becoming an ever expanding umbrella term. People are internalising these labels and building them into their identity when the science just isn't robust enough to support this.