to think rising levels of neuro diverse children in society is partly due to rising ages of pregnant mothers?

[staydazzling]

im not condeming anything here btw, i would like to make that clear. and i know this may not go down well on here, donning hard hat but whenever theres discussions about how neurological diversity in children has risen ASD, ADHD etc in society, the conversion is often about MMR Ipads or diet, discipline etc which of course all important variables but i feel its unhelpful that a lot of would be mothers are not informed of the risk past 35, of downs syndrome, autism etc, its obviously much better financially to be older and have a family. aibu to feel its the elephant inthe room regarding rising levels of children with ASD, ADHD, Etc??

Sleepyblueocean

ConwyGhost it won't be a different type of autism but the right environment and very high levels of support.
A family can't and shouldn't be expected to provide all that but external support for families of adults with severe disabilities is generally woefully inadequate.

No two children have the same autism. You can have all the support in the world, but a child with no ability to regulate emotions will lash out. I don't believe for a second that no children in your child's special school lash out in anyway. I don't know how you could know this unless you teach there.
The older children in dd's school who lash out do get some support. They have a quiet room and regular meetings with SENCO..which clearly isn't enough. I observed one 10-year-old child, sitting with his mum, in a meeting with the head, pick up and throw a desk at the head teacher. He has been known to lash out because he didn't catch a ball in p.e. etc. Academically he does very well. Would he be better off in a special school where he perhaps wouldn't have the best quality education, but perhaps have "better support" whereby he doesn't do p.e. at all so as to avoid minor dissappointments that might set off a rage? What sort of support do you suggest is needed? Other than through medication, how can you help them regulate their emotions if by nature of their autism it is something they cannot do?

No I gave examples of random things that spark an episode. He doesn't always react to the same things therefore avoiding crisp packets and sneezing isn't a solution because tomortow it will be something else.
Something being “random” is not the same as not seeing the connection. The individual you have witnessed isn’t randomly behaving like this, he is communicating his distress. Just because there is more than one trigger and you are oblivious to them doesn’t mean he is behaving in a random way. For example you might scream at the sight of a rat, or if assaulted. The stimulus is different but NOT random.

This idea that non verbal, and/or autistic, and/or developmentally delayed children are acting in entirely random ways needs to be changed. Behaviour is communication, for people experiencing this level of difficulty it is often their ONLY way of communicating. The fact that anyone is reduced to lashing out to get their needs met is not their failure.

It's interesting to come back to this thread and see we are describing neurodisabilities which are recently added to the DSM or at least have been better categorised and diagnosed more recently.

Such as dyspraxia which I believe is not afforded its own entry to the dsm yet as a separate movement disorder, autism which yes has been evolving as a diagnostic criteria for over a hundred years but was not really widely diagnosed as much as it has been from 1980's/90s and is now still changing (my area has dropped the diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome but added pervasive development disorder as a possible diagnosis).

My son is autistic but also has Tourette Syndrome (TS) another often co-morbid neurodisability with a strong genetic component. I don't think people ever dispute TS exists in the same way they dispute autism or ADD exists, it has been getting diagnosed for over two hundred years (though misdiagnosed as mental illnesses sometimes). People are comfortable saying oh yes TS I know about that (though they often have absolutely no idea really and I am happy to tell them they know shit and to stop spouting it-school principal described TS as a disease ).

I wonder if in 100 years society will be absolutely nonplussed by diagnoses of autism or dyspraxia because oh yeah there were kids in my class with that, but perhaps other conditions which currently have no diagnostic criteria or name will be the new "oh that's made up".

I think “different type of autism” is perhaps away of trying to express that autism is a spectrum???

Its genetic. Every person i know with autism has at least one parent with autism, usually undiagnosed. I had a diagnosis at 16, my brother is very likely autistic as well as my parents. I believe autistics unconciously attract others with similar quirks which is why there may be an increase, although i think a lot is due to better understanding of milder autism and autism in females. Dont forget things like online dating also makes it easier for others who are a bit socially awkward to meet likeminded individuals.

I don't want to derail the thread but OMG am loving Dracula too @runningaway

No @GenevaMaybe not yet. The studies were being undertaken when I was pregnant with DS (now 2.5yrs). We were part of them as I was having multiple scans due to my BMI and high risk pregnancy. The midwives (a private midwife company at the time here in the NW) talked about them a lot and the sonographers at my scans documented a lot more too, after scans, and kept the scans very short and swift, happily explaining the same thing about the potential risks the studies were investigating.

Every person i know with autism has at least one parent with autism, usually undiagnosed except I think in a recent study only half the people who self-diagnose as autistics achieved diagnosis on assessment.

5zeds
You are deliberately misinterpreting my posts. I nevervsaid his behaviour is random. The things that cause a meltdown seem random...as in not the same things on any two days. Is that difficult to understand?

You can have all the support in the world, but a child with no ability to regulate emotions will lash out. and yet there are so many that don’t, and those that do don’t use aggression in every situation. People use the behaviour that works. Provide an alternative behaviour that produces the desired outcome or better, for similar or less effort and you will have met the individuals needs.

Possibly but I think it's the increased use of chemicals in our soil, water and food. Sometimes it seems that every parent on this forum has a child on the spectrum.

Not at all Con but it’s not what you said, so not what I responded to.

The internet is a god send for carers, so there are likely to be a higher proportion of parents of autistic children using a site like this.

Possibly but I think it's the increased use of chemicals in our soil, water and food. Sometimes it seems that every parent on this forum has a child on the spectrum.

Ugh. Just ugh.

"You can have all the support in the world, but a child with no ability to regulate emotions will lash out."

You teach them to self regulate. That is one of the things they should be learning. I have a 14 year old who is non verbal with very severe learning difficulties but he has been supported to learn ways of self regulating as well as having the level of close support that means the staff really understand his behaviour.
I didn't say there was no lashing out. I said it is not a frequent occurrence and when events do happen they are analysed to see if anything could be done to prevent them happening again and the support plan updated. It is not put down to having a violent tendency.

The things that cause a meltdown seem random...as in not the same things on any two days. Is that difficult to understand?

There will be signs of when a meltdown is imminent, they don't often happen out of the blue. I'm sure his carers will be working on observing him to see what his 'tells' are. DS1 and DS2 both displays subtle signs that they're headed down the route of a meltdown, my job as their carer is to identify them and act upon it by removing them from the situation, providing a distraction or diversion, or taking steps to alleviate the cause (e.g., putting their ear defenders or headphones/music on).

It is not put down to having a violent tendency.

Can I just add to this and say that I have met very, very few adults and children with autism who are naturally violent or who enjoy violence, quite the opposite in fact. DS1 can be violent in his meltdowns, he will throw objects and hit himself, will hit other people if they get within range too. He is not in control of his actions at these times which is why his environment has to be controlled during a meltdown to make sure he is safe and minimise the chances of him hurting himself or someone else. He abhors violence and has what the old lady next door calls "a gentle soul", he has never acted violently outside of a meltdown.

Judging autistic children to be "prone to violence" based in their actions during a meltdown does them a huge disservice and perpetuates the myth that autistic people are somehow inherently dangerous to be around.

Sometimes it seems that every parent on this forum has a child on the spectrum.

I started posting on Mumsnet after Google search of "multi-disciplinary assessment" when DS1 was 3. And pretty much recommended it to every parent with SN or SEN issues on the parenting forum I used to post on (now defunct iVillage). He's now 14!

I do also think the numbers are greater these days, specifically since the 60s, and I think one day it will be revealed that something like the synthetic hormones in the contraceptive pill plays a role.

Except the contraceptive pill plays absolutely no role whatsoever in autism.

Possibly but I think it's the increased use of chemicals in our soil, water and food. Sometimes it seems that every parent on this forum has a child on the spectrum.

When your child has additional needs it makes sense to reach out to other parents in similar circumstances for support, solidarity, and advice. Of course large groups of such parents would gather online as it's a 24/7 way of obtaining support. Mumsnet is first and foremost a parenting site so it stands to reason that parents of children with additional needs would gather here.

Challenge that notion robustly - ask the EP to provide empirical evidence..
We challenged it at the time he said it, which was an EHCP related meeting. He wouldn't back down.

He also refused to assess DS1 for his statement to EHCP transfer despite it being statutory requirement and told me sending DS1 to an ASD would make him more autistic.

The bigger problem is he is a senior EP who will have more seniority from 1 Jan as the LA are reorganising their SEND dept. I'm taking them to tribunal over DS3s EHCP which is largely based on the EP report. Should be fun(!)

Possibly but I think it's the increased use of chemicals in our soil, water and food

Would you like to name some of the chemicals? I always snigger a little bit when people blame "chemicals" because - news flash - everything is chemicals

I also believe there is a strong genetic link. I look ag several members of my family now and can see significant asd traits, myself and my brother included. Interested to read the ddt link as I was brought up in a farming family.