is sn on the increase?

[spritefairy]

Now this is not to offend anyone with a child with sn but every other post seems to have someone who has a child with sn be it disabled or autistic. This makes me wonder.
Is sn on the increase or is it just diagnosed more than it used to be due to medical advances?

Firstly I think threads give the wrong impression, generally nobody makes general reference to their child being nt.
Secondly yes a dx is more common. kids labeled rude/ stupid/ naughty years ago are now more likely to have the causes looked into.
Thirdly there are also babies and children surviving that years ago wouldn't.
Or fourthly would in some cases be kept out of everyday life and sn not being something to admit to.
So increased sn is in my opinion a very good thing.

What lurked said.

There is probably also a distorted proportion of parents of SN children using forums for support where they can share experiences, whereas in regular society the chances of encountering others with similar experiences through routine encounters are much less.

Medical advances in diagnosis have improved - a good thing.
Ignorance in the general public as a whole remains high. Not a good thing.

Parents like me rely on online interaction because getting out and about socially isn't easy because of that ignorance, which is a shame. So yes you'll probably encounter more of us online, you know - fellow parents.

We and our kids aren't another species.

'Special needs' tells you everything you need to know. That the person has special needs. Anything else is none of your business.

Indeed ^^

marina in what possible way could that offensive comment aid the discussion at all? So inappropriate.

It is talked about more. This is a good thing. Time was it was considered something to hide away or be ashamed of. Now we know better.

IME parents of children with disabilities are more likely to "use" online methods of communicating with others as the "outside" world feels so much like it is a against us. Ever taken a baby that can't support its head and has tubes coming out of it to a baby group? Its an experience not to be missed. So I wouldn't be surprised if these parents are disproportionately represented on line.

Advances in medical techniques and of course survival rates among premature babies will account for some too. Severely disabled children are also surviving longer due to improvements in treatment for feeding issues, epilepsy etc., and also less obvious "life saving" advances for example with communication aids improving I think. Previously my child couldn't tell me what was wrong at all, now they can tell me where the pain is. This has very possibly saved his life post-surgically.

I certainly did not notice 'every other poster' claiming to have a child with SN

Better diagnosis, less shame about having a child with additional needs, way more in-your-face socialising and groupthinks and networking that means those with spectrum conditions are possibly more obvious.
Less writing off of those who would have been considered thick, slow or feral in schools. More inclusion in mainstream education,
Yes, when I started teaching, children were referred to as Educationally Sub Normal and Remedial. Thankfully, we've moved on a good deal, but still have some considerable way to go.

If there are more then I'm just glad the internet is enabling their parents to seek support from peers.

And I'm so happy that children are now helped...that we have the right names for various diagnoses and that these help people get the support needed.

What is the AIBU aspect of this thread?

Wrt to your actual question "is sn on the increase or is it just diagnosed more than it used to be": what do you think?

People with disabilities survive longer now and are no longer hidden away in institutions. And diagnosis is better so, for example, people are severely autistic rather than "disturbed" or "retarded" or epiletic rather that "posessed".

It's a good thing

I think it is more that people now have the bonus of places like this for support.

The level at which a diagnosis of SN is made has been lowered. I read a piece of research that looked at children who had been investigated as possible autistic 10 years ago. At the time some were diagnosed with this, and some were not. Researchers said all the children would meet the current criteria.
Diagnosis of issues such as dyslexia used to be rare, they are now common place.

Darn. Missed marina's post.
She might have been one of the parents I saw on holiday last week whose teenage kids were mimicking DS2's flapping and noises and laughing at them.

Mind you it was a real eye opener holidaying where we weren't treated with suspicion, help was readily available when required and offered in a friendly way and you know, our kids treated like actual human beings.

Funnily enough the only issues we encountered involved Brits.

Like I said it was no offence to anyone themselves.
I am actually classed as sn. I had meningitis as a child which has left my severely deaf. Growing up I felt very isolated as I seemed to be the only person I knew that had any form of disability whether it is obvious or hidden. My 3 year old brother is currently being assessed for autism. I was generally curious as to see if it was diagnosed more due to the medical side or if our ways of living, eating etc has increased the chances of a disability.

I used to work with autistic children and adults, those that were diagnosed then are those that nowdays would be seen as severely autistic. Lower levels of autism were rarely diagnosed.

Darn. Missed marina's post.
She might have been one of the parents I saw on holiday last week whose teenage kids were mimicking DS2's flapping and noises and laughing at them.

What a nasty thing to say, considering you actually missed her post

Her post (since you didn't read it) was explaining that she automatically reads the initials 'SN', as something else and then she went on to give a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why.

I think it was a bit unnecessary to actually post what she did (which was probably why it was removed), but it certainly didn't deserve such a venomous reply.

Yes because there has to be blame somewhere doesn't there?
We must be doing something wrong?

Me especially. I've bred 3 defectives.