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??

Do you have any authoritative research to support your theory? At all.....?

I was diagnosed with ASD this summer at 60+ after my bipolar brother's psychiatrist suggested that he had it and I sought assessment. If he and I both have it then our dad (91) definitely does (very similar traits) and he suspects his own mum had it too.

My brother and I have always been seen as eccentric. I am by no means convinced that ASD has become more common, rather that it wasn't recognised before.

Just like dyslexia - I know of two relatives who are 60+ and weren't diagnosed as people were just not aware of the condition.

Haven't time to read the thread, but there is a link between PCOS and ASD, and we become more fertile approaching menopause. However, my aspie mum had me at 21 so not always the case. Everyone's autistic in my family!

Is that women with PCOS and ASD togther?

There is a growing body of research/school of thought that neurological differences and indeed many lifestyle, mental health and auto immune diseases are caused by gut dysbiosis (leaky gut) - see the gut/brain connection and the vagus nerve. A range of factors are relevant to this and age (and health) of the parents is one - but only one. Method of delivery of the baby is another and the modern diet (particularly excess of omega 6 oils eg sunflower) is yet another. Toxins in the atmosphere no doubt too. Poor gut health can also run in families, hence the hereditary aspect. All contribute to a poor gut microbiome, causing leaky gut, inflammation in the body, and resulting impact in the brain and body. Stress on the body causes an episode, and thus regressive autism, depressive episodes, autoimmune attacks, etc.

Autistic lady here. YABU. The understanding around neuro diversity has progressed a lot recently, so the many people affected by it have slipped through the net and been very difficult lives because the condition wasn’t fully understood, especially in females, whom present differently. It’s better it’s it’s diagnosed earlier in life, as it has to be managed in order to live healthily etc...
Surely it’s better more children are assessed early even if they don’t end up diagnosed with adhd/ASD/autism... at least they’re being addressed.
Studies show that autism is linked to insufficient beneficial bacteria in the gut of the mother and child. The full cause is still unknown but gut bacteria is a factor, also genetics.
Hope this helps.

Ps. Autism, adhd and ASD are not new, they’ve always been there since the evolution of humans but for a long time no one knew what is what- today, we do, and us autists are seen as neuro diverse, not ‘difficult’, ‘mental’, ‘defective’, ‘retarded’ or ‘I’ll’

The increased availability of benefits and assistance is also no small factor - parents are more likely to push for a diagnosis if they think they’ll benefit in some way
There you see it.
Working class folk aren't allowed have ASD DC. They look for issues for extra benefits.
Autism affects MC too, though it is usually privately diagnosed early invention is vital. The WC parent is immediately a suspect looking for extra benefits.
I don't claim DCA for mine PIP in the UK. 2nd privately diagnosed. I wasn't going to jump those depressing hoops again, if I'd to beg borrow or steal to pay for a private multi disciplinary team.
For DCA you need to write the most horrid things explain the desperation it causes the extra care they need in extreme detail from arse wiping to night terrors, your DC violence as descriptive as possible. Most times it is refused till you fight and appeal. No thanks keep your money.

I had my children between the ages of 25 and 30. Two (out of 4) of my children have ASD with ADHD. One of my children with ASD and ADHD is a twin, his twin is NT (well I do wonder if there is some ADD but certainly no ASD).

I just think it's genetic. Both my husband, his father and my father has some traits, before it was just seen as not very social but when we have looked again they struggle for reasons of not understanding normal social rules and have obsessions and sensory issues (my dad frequently covers his ears). My husband has an older brother with it and an uncle (who isn't diagnosed), I think it's always been there we just realise better what it is now plus those with traits have children and then it's more likely it gets passed down.

That's just my theory anyway.

The majority of children I know who have adhd ( admittedly not a huge number) all have one thing in common. Their dads smoked cannabis frequently. Not sure if there's any evidence of a link.

My DS has ASD. Since his diagnosis it is also becoming very clear, me, my brother, my dad and my grandmother all have or had ASD or other neurodiversity explained away by the terminology of the time.

I firmly believe that it's in the genes.

I have one diagnosed child with ASD and one waiting to be assessed.

Having learnt about the condition, I can see many traits in myself and firmly believe that I too am autistic.

My other half feels that he is also autistic.

The increased availability of benefits and assistance is also no small factor
@AvaSnowdrop do you have even the tiniest shred of evidence for that bold statement?

My intelligent, articulate DS has recently been diagnosed at age 9. When he functions, he functions well and is the type of child who in some ways probably would have coped better in the past. More freedom to do his own thing such as running around the woods playing with sticks. Less sensory stimulation (e.g. background noise). Less transitions, life was more predictable, routine and localised. No SATs, less pressure in the education system (this was the trigger point where I accepted that his emotional responses were not in the normal range). He wouldn't have been expected to wear trousers until his teenage years (sensitive to trousers), and he'd have thrived on a diet of boiled cabbage

He also has dyslexia and dyspraxia, and there is the hazard that in the past, the gulf between his intelligence, literacy, co-ordination and organisation would have just been dismissed as laziness.

I've been a teacher so while far from being an expert, I have got a reasonable awareness of neuro-divergences, and recognised a multitude of traits in DS. Even 15-20 years ago, I probably wouldn't have recognised it and he'd still be undiagnosed as he is currently able to mask in school.

There is ASD in his family. One cousin is diagnosed, and his father and my other BiL are clear contenders to be worth placing a bet on. In my family, 5 out of 6 cousins have a combination of dyslexia/ dyspraxia. It wouldn't suprise me if my father and a cousin were both on the spectrum. Both are quiet, peripheral people who know their interests and have taken their time to find a nice little slot in life.

Recognition has a lot to do with it. High functioning people probably found life a little simpler to cope and mask through. No one asked too many questions about people with low function. Many would have been vulnerable to poor mortality from poor nutrition to food aversions or co-morbid dietry/ immune conditions. Children with significant needs were often institutionalised and hushed up within the last 50 years. It was the late 80s/ early 90s when institutions were closed and there was much more inclusion in schools and "care in the community"

Genetics seem to be the strongest cause and the jury is open on other triggers. Environment can activate genes too which may be where traumatic births, and allergies link in. Awareness and diagnosis are the greatest reasons for noticing more people with autism than in previous generations.

"The increased availability of benefits and assistance is also no small factor - parents are more likely to push for a diagnosis if they think they’ll benefit in some way."

That is a disgusting thing to say!

All.of the parents of autitic children I know haven't "pushed for a diagnosis". We have all asked for our children to be assessed as we feel strongly that something isn't quite right.

The medical professionals don't diagnose it willy nilly you know! It's a very long process (2 years 4 months in my son's case) with your child seeing different professionals.

Plus DLA is exceptionally difficult to get. I didn't know anything about DLA until my daughter was diagnosed.

My son has been awarded it without diagnosis because of the difficulties he has.

Come and live a life with a couple of kids with ASD and then say it's "parents pushing for diagnosis" so they can get extra money.

That money doesn't even scratch the surface of the extra cost if having a disabled child. Every penny if my daughter's DLA goes on her therapy that the NHS refuse to provide, despite doctor's saying she needs it.

Forget the fact that I still have to fork out extortionate amounts on particular types of clothing, extra toys to try and get her to bath at least once a week (aged 11) and the extortionate cost of extra bed bath products to keep her clean when she finds a bath intolerable. The sensory toys she needs, the second hand £250 disability buggy that we sometimes have to use in order to get her out of the house. I could go on (and that's just one of my disabled children).

Then there's the fact that, due to their disabilities, they can't cope in childcare or cope too much with me working. I therefore have to work school hours only on piss all sleep because I'm regularly up.in the night with my 11 year old.

Even with the DLA we are living on the breadline despite being well educated professionals. I had to give up my £40k job due to my children needing me as they are disabled. Instead, I work for below minimum wage "work from home" jobs.

19Babyroobs

The majority of children I know who have adhd ( admittedly not a huge number) all have one thing in common. Their dads smoked cannabis frequently. Not sure if there's any evidence of a link.

It may be that their dads have ADHD and that has drawn them to cannabis use, either socially or because of the effects.

In your extensive research on this topic, what did you make of the increased risk of disability and miscarriage for older fathers due to the poor quality of an ageing man’s sperm? You must be quite concerned about that also, and I assume recognised that it’s outright misogyny that leads people to lecture women about fertility changes with age whilst ignoring the fertility changes that affect ageing men.

There is research about the overlap of FASD and autism as they have a lot the same diagnostic traits.
As in some children diagnosed as being in the Autism spectrum are actually Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

"The increased availability of benefits and assistance is also no small factor - parents are more likely to push for a diagnosis if they think they’ll benefit in some way."

No that is how you see your own children. As something to use. Most people don't think like that.

I'm in no way a scientist and have done little personal research on this, but - if I were to think about it, I would imagine the older the egg and the older the sperm, the more chance there is of the child not being of optimal health (mentally or physically), as a younger, fresher egg-ed child might be. And I do believe that I read about the use of IVF and fertility treatments being linked to autism and other disorders of the mind.
These things are notoriously hard to prove however and highly controversial, so we may never know.

Babyroobs, people with ADHD often have addiction problems, (myself alcohol and food) so not suprising really

AvaSnowdrop

Parents do not get extra benefits because their child has a diagnosis. DLA is based on care needs not diagnosis.
A diagnosis will only be given if the child has the condition. A child isn't given one because the parents ask for it.

I think you should find yourself some better reading material.

Me: 1 child conceived at 38. NT. Both parents NT.

Cousin, 5 children conceived from age 17 to 27.

1. ASD
2. ASD
3. No formal diagnoses but shared trainers similar to older kids
4. GDD, ADHD
5. ADD

Mother NT. Father undiagnosed but ‘quirky’.

The plural of anecdote is not data and all that, but if I was looking for a hypothesis to test out of that lot, I’d be looking at genetics before maternal age at conception. 🤷🏻‍♀️

*traits
Though they’ve been known to share trainers too