Number of kids with LD or additional needs increasing?

[Curiocat]

Hi all,

This is a sensitive topic so want to start off by saying I'm in no way having a dig or being goady etc. From following aibu and other boards it seems like many parents have kids with some form of additional needs and numbers seem to have increased in recent years.

I wondered what the percentage of kids that will have SN/LDs and if the numbers are indeed on the rise, or is it that just that people are open about the issues their kids face, and we talk/are more aware about it more these days?

I could be completely wrong here- just an observation on my part from lurking the past few months, and of course massive well done/ admiration to all parents that do contend with this alongside all the other trials and tribulations that come with children! X

I agree with fanjo

Painful and othering.

I found Neurotribes a good history of the development of the understanding of autism.

It debunks most of the ideas mentioned on this thread about a "cause" for the increase - other than the impact of defining and refining the definition of a newly recognised condition.

It is a heartbreaking read though.

My dd is 8 and has ASD, learning difficulties, she found it very difficult to cope in mainstream school, and her behaviour there, was severe. Back in the day, she probably would be in a special school like she is now, and would have been lablled negatively. She is now in a fantastic ASD school, and doing well academically and socially. Ds is 4, has a few ASD traits and a slight learning difficulty (Paeditrician has stated), his main difficulty is speech and language. I guess we were on the professionals radar because of dd, but they have always highlighted the need for early intervention so that he can catch up. He is in mainstream nursery, and is doing fantastically well, has one to one support to help with his learning. Back in the day he would not get such help, and would be left to his own devices.

I think it's a combination of things, like pp have said. Premature/ill babies surviving, parents having babies later, more awareness, people talking more and not feeling "ashamed" about their child's disabilities, higher ratios at school/preschool leading to milder issues being noticed more.

One thing I've noticed is that in recent years the under 2's group at DS4's SN preschool has become a lot less used. When DS2 went, 7 years ago, there was 2 sessions for under 2's with about 8 children in each coming every week. Now there is 1 session with 4 children enrolled but usually only 1 or 2 children coming each week. The preschool part for the 2+ year olds is full, with a waiting list. I'm wondering if it's because more congenital issues are being picked up antenatally and parents are choosing TFMR.

Agree about neurotribes. I've sniffled through a lot of it.

And it brings home a lot of how extremely recent improvements in visibility and acceptance of people with SN is. We're talking about in my own boys' lifetime for a lot of it. The neurodiversity blogs I was reading when DS1 was first referred, a decade ago, were the very beginning of people with autism having their voices heard on a widespread scale.

most of my uncles and cousins would today be diagnosed as adhd or aspergers, instead of having significant MH problems and breakdowns. My brother would certainly have been diagnosed with aspergers, and my nephew too. I would have probably been diagnosed with adhd, as would a couple of my aunts (big family)

My two sons have ASD and my daughter may have as well, and I am so grateful they were not born years ago and it is so much more recognised now

The trouble with saying threads like this are "othering", in my opinion, is that it is precisely threads discussing these topics (along with articles, blogs etc) that have raised awareness over the years - something that is vitally important.

My daughter is dyspraxic, and has suffered hugely from her father's refusal to recognise her difficulties. If he had been brought up in a world where knowledge of dyspraxia and other LDs was widespread and accepted, this wouldn't have been the case. There is still a lot of ignorance and denial around dyspraxia, for example; we still need to keep talking about it and other LDs, and educating people about them.

Nothing wrong with op thread, it a perfectly valid question or observation, how are we going to get rid of ugnirance, and educate, if we do not discuss it!

Yes mabey the the increase of SN is due to increasing awareness of parents and professionals, there could be other factors too, such as medical advancements saving lives of those babies, that would have died 40/50 years ago, changes in food production making the food we buy less fresh and biologically engineered, environmental factors etc, who knows, it would be very interesting to find out. We don't know what the impact of this is on humans long term.

"Nothing wrong with op thread, it a perfectly valid question or observation, how are we going to get rid of ignorance, and educate, if we do not discuss it"

This

Autism isn't new. Nor has it just been around for the past 40 years.
The first male diagnosed was in 1943. The person who diagnosed him, had noticed other children. There are also mention of Kanner noticing autism back in the 1930's. So 70 odd years. Prior to this, children were noted to be emotionally disturbed or some other crude labels, which unfortunately have stuck until present day.

In 1912, the word autism was described as 'escape from reality' by the same person who coined the word schizophrenic. Which shows that there was some understanding of autism even further back in history.

Since then, we have become better at understanding and recognising those who have some form of sn. More research is carried out into the causes and possible treatments. We realise that it's not always a case of oh he will start to talk in his own time, this is something that is flagged and referrals to speech and language.

We have come past the days when those with cerebral palsy, downs, dwarfism etc were locked in hospitals. We have come past those days when we realise and understanding that the naughty kid isn't naughty or eccentric. But does have autism, add etc. Although sometimes the child is naughty because of other issues that are not special need related at all. But then sometimes, sn is used as a blanket term and includes children who are going through/have gone threw a trauma and which in the past would have been ignored.

We still have a long way to go though.

Sorry for the long post and I hope this isn't seen as othering. I have a huge interest in sn, in particular the autistic spectrum and could talk about it for years.

very important thread

some really good points
currently work as a psychologist and while I agree that now certain conditions are detected sooner etc, there def was not the range of needs in schools that I see now on a regular basis

Better diagnosis and understanding with parents more willing to acknowledge issues. Dp would probably been diagnosed as our dc have if there had been better support years ago. Probably would have had a much better childhood and been able to access education

Just wanted to check in - thanks all for your valid and important inputs. This is a forum for sharing opinions and it's great we can discuss/learn from one another, happy to hear a lot of our kids are getting the additional support required.

bloody great post. The early psychoanalysts also described patterns of behaviour / case studies that match modern descriptions of autism.

TeenandTween. That child was me from 1990 26 years ago I ended up with one C grade GCSE . It not made any easy by the fact my elder sister was one of the most academically able in the school. They just thought i was lazy and naughty ! compared me to sister. I was Diagnosed when DS was aged 7 with the full lot of Aspergers Dyslexia/ Dyspraxia and Irlens (eye stigmatism)

DS year 8 has Aspergers dyslexia and Dyspraxia EHC plan in place .

He is though he is 'two years ahead' in Maths at his Modern school so i question is it the right school.

I have looked at special autism schools which look great until you see their GCSE results.

Why are there no 'Academic' Special schools for children who have 'savant' type abilities but who might get Excluded in a mainstream grammar school!

DD3 year 10, Dyslexia has just been picked up by her grammar school !

It will be difficult to get any help because of her 'perceived ' academic ability though it will be useful for DSA help at University.

I recieve DSA help for my OU studies.

Finally if only i had got a tiny bit of help 25/30 years ago i would not have felt so inferior to both elder and younger sisters Durham and York Universities Respectively ...

Jonesthegirl - there are sn schools that are academic. But this will depend on where about you are in the country. Although the students do sit gcse's these aren't always published. Which is a huge annoyance. In some situations the students sit their exams at another school as part of inclusion.

It's a case of literally contacting every school, and asking about exams. I have known sn children that have since left their sn school with gcse's and gone onto college and then uni.

Essential - I agree. Iirc, I read about symptoms going back to the 16th/17th century which relate to how we classify the autistic spectrum in todays terms. But a lot of it, was also disproved by others. Whereas from the early 1900's there seems to be more consistency and acceptance.

Another one that is deemed to be a new diagnosis - manic depression/bi-polar. When in reality this can be traced back to the ancient Greeks.

Thank you Bloody . 'West kent ' . I know about Simon Langton Grammar in Canterbury program of taking 3 ASD Boys each year. However, its 60 Miles from where we are so it is not possible.

Two 'Hot house' grammar schools nearby and one less so but no spaces available there ! DS did not even take 11+ because we felt a grammar school environment would not have been correct for him 'behaviour' issues ..

ugnirance yeah that

This thread has been somewhat depressing. Happy Friday.

I can think of many children in the 80s who were written off at school due to lack of understanding around SEN. Children who had severe difficulties where institionalzed, the others went to main stream schools are where simply seen as 'thick' 'lazy' 'obtuse' etc. society failed these children.
Thank goodness that more is known about SEN and the huge range that encompasses, and yes as understanding and recognising of learning difficulties / disabilities improves so more children will be diagnosed. I suspect many children still dont have a diagnosis and therefore will not reach their full educational potential.

So in answer to your question OP i don't think the number of children born with difficulties has vastly increased, but awarnes and recognition has, so ultimately the figures are skewed to look like an increasee.

I suspect Isaac Newton, if he was alive today, would have been given an ASD diagnoses.

Why is it depressing, do you think disgusting SN is depressing! It is a very interesting thread, and thrown up some great information!

There I go again, discussing doh silly predictive text, I will fling I pad out of the window.

Yes I had and still have SN myself, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and was dev delayed. Left school with only 4 GCSEs A-C grades. I went onto college, with there was such a positive attitude and support. My tutor encouraged me to apply to Uni which I did. I completed my GNVQ level 3 with distinction, was accepted for a Bsc in Psychology and I have an Msc Psychology and hopefully applying for PhD in Clinical Psychology, so there you go. It's not all doom and gloom.