To be confused by SEN, Autism, etc in children?

[Sallygoround631]

A sensitive topic, but I am curious, and hope that it isn't somehow improper to ask.
I admit to ignorance, because I don't have children, and I have not had much experience with children with SEN, Autism, allergies, etc.

What I want to know is, in your opinion, are there more kids with these issues now than, say, 40 years ago, when was a kid in the 80's? (when everything was put down to orange smarties and over activeness)

Was it simply less diagnosed or unknown, and put down to other, behavioural issues?
If so, then I am very glad we are no longer living with such ignorance.
But I am also curious to know if these cases have increased, or merely been there all along?

If they have increased, what are the reasons? Does anyone know?

I feel this is a tender topic and do not wish to cause upset. I am absolutely out of the loop and would love to hear about it.

Educate me!

I think a lot of people that today would have been diagnosed with a condition- autism, learning difficulties, dyslexia etc would have been labelled the R word and locked away in an institution.

My five year old DS has autism. He has amazing vocabulary and according to his psychologists reports he has above average intelligence but he is unable to spell or write his name because he has zero interest in learning to write (so it's a battle). He will only participate in things that interest him. Years ago he would have been considered a bit slow or badly behaved or god only knows how he would have been treated but now he is in mainstream school with absolutely amazing help. He is thriving.

Under diagnosed definitely

It’s not uncommon for adults to realise they may be autistic after their own child receives a diagnosis and they consequently read and research about it

@parietal

there are big research studies (e.g. tracking 10,000s of kids in sweden over decades) which show that diagnosis are going up, but the rate of autistic traits is not. So 30 or 40 years ago, there were more kids who had autism but it was not recognised or diagnosed.

Also, there were more kids who were diagnosed with general learning difficulties (who got very little education) but who would now get an autism diagnosis. rates of general learning difficulties have gone down as rates of autism have gone up.

this makes a lot of sense, thank you.

There's also the possibility that a lot of autistic children were better suited to the quiet, ordered school day of years ago. Someone like my dd might have coped in a small 50s Grammar far better than a huge modern comprehensive.

@Branleuse

Nah we just invented it in the 90s innit

im sorry you are angry, I did not intend that.

It was there all along and kids were labelled as naughty.

There are many, many adults now being diagnosed after their children have been diagnosed and their symptoms were not recognised when they were younger.

Good question. I have an autistic child, he presents mostly as being highly anxious with some undesirable behaviour as a result. On a good day he is just a bit nerdy and intense, and he asks really deep questions.

I do think it’s largely that we have got better at diagnosis. I can think of a few children I was at school with who would have been labelled as naughty or over sensitive, or with anger issues who probably would receive an autism diagnosis today.

I also wonder though, in the case of my own child, how much maternal trauma has to do with this. And I don’t mean the ‘cold, unemotional mother’ because I showered him with love, never let him cry, breastfed him well over a year etc. But I was deeply traumatised by his birth (I expect he was too), and tied myself in knots worrying about everything. I wonder if that highly anxious environment had any consequences for him.

SEN, ASD, ADHD, Dyslexia etc I'd think we're all under diagnosed.

Allergies I think possibly more Allergies but maybe it's more awareness. Were people aware of other people's dietary issues? Or were they left to manage alone?
There is a belief that some choking on peanut deaths were actually allergic reactions.
But it might be that children died from other allergies rather than survived and lived with them/ managed them.

The reason I and other parents despair at threads like this is that as the mother of a child with autism and SEN, it is not my job to educate you, you have a responsibility to educate yourself.

There are not more children now with SEN than there were 40 years ago, just less ignorance. The kids that were dismissed as thick, backward, naughty are now more understood than they were then.

When people talk fo a 'spectrum', do any of you think we are all on it?

I wonder what it means to be considered well adjusted.
reminds me of that Netflix series 'the OA' where the lead character says "to be well adjusted in a diseased society is not a true measure of health"
Or something similar.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts.

@HandforthParishCouncilClerk

The reason I and other parents despair at threads like this is that as the mother of a child with autism and SEN, it is not my job to educate you, you have a responsibility to educate yourself.

There are not more children now with SEN than there were 40 years ago, just less ignorance. The kids that were dismissed as thick, backward, naughty are now more understood than they were then.

I do not consider it your job to educate me, I only ask for those who may care to or have the time and energy. I expect nothing, but respect all.

I don't find your question offensive at all. I think it's interesting. I have an autistic child. His father is also autistic, along with his paternal uncle and paternal grandmother. Only my child is diagnosed. The previous 2 generations aren't diagnosed because it just wasn't done then.

Autistic children then were called naughty, quirky, weird, geeky or much worse!
In our family it's definitely genetic. I did not know my husband was autistic (Asperger's, very high achieving but social difficulties) when I married him, autism wasn't on my radar. Now it's clear as day to me. I see this a lot in the autism groups I belong to, the child is diagnosed and suddenly a parent will realise they are also autistic and they suddenly feel their life makes so much more sense with that context. (I'd say that happens to at least half the families if not more!)
Diagnosis is incredibly difficult to get so it's certainly not a case of "everyone wanting a label". Parents (and teachers) who know children are autistic often have to really fight for a diagnosis and keep going back. Sadly the waiting lists are also really long so it may take several years before you get the diagnosis.

So definitely it's a case of autistic children had always been there but undiagnosed.

I also wonder if there is something else going on in our dreadfully treated environment that is causing more cases, afterall it is a neurological developmental disorder so something has gone wrong in the development of the brain. But in our case it's definitely genetic!

Hope you get some more insight from other people too

My MIL had two cousins who died in childhood, both were described as poorly children. It is now known that Cystic Fibrosis is in the family genes. The family can't help but wonder if that was the issue with the cousins.

I hate the talk of the spectrum in the context of everyone being on it. We had this at work recently where someone was prattling on about how we are all neurodiverse. Actually we are bloody well not. Some people have genuine difficulties which make their daily life a bit of a nightmare, and this idea that we are all ‘a bit autistic’ is bollocks.

I feel it was under diagnosed back then. Children were labelled naughty or lazy. I was one of those kids. I have struggled throughout school and in year 3 I was even sent away to a specialist 'behaviour school' a few days a week. Even at the time I was supremely embarrassed and didn't want any of my friends to know why I was away at this other school. The shame I still feel over it is unbearable. I have never even told my husband and have never discussed it with my parents either. It wasn't until last year that I realised that I have most likely had ADHD my entire life. I cry several times a week about this and feel like I have never succeeded in life or my career because I have been undiagnosed, unmedicated and unable to focus. I am not dumb or stupid. I am extremely creative, funny, witty and smart. But I find it incredibly hard to focus my talents into some kind of career despite having college and university degrees.

I am waiting for a formal diagnosis. My husband calls me names and doesn't believe me when I say I have ADHD. I believe my dad likely has it as well looking back at all the signs and what I know about it. I also believe my son has it. But my husband refuses to have him assessed and will not entertain my notion that he may have it because he's a smart and polite boy. Who I will add, has all the classic symptoms of ADHD 😕

I agree autism and SEN are better understood now but I also think modern life is harder for people with autism and SEN so their difficulties are more obvious. For example, many children are expected to cope with long days in childcare, when I was a kid this was unheard of. All children are expected to go to school and they need to get qualifications to do almost any job, years ago they could have worked on the family farm or business and could just drop out of the system, noone really followed it up. So it's partly societal changes I think.

And it’s not easy to get a diagnosis now anyway my son has been waiting 3 years!!

What I want to know is, in your opinion, are there more kids with these issues now than, say, 40 years ago, when was a kid in the 80's?

I am autistic. I didn't know in the 80s.

When people talk fo a 'spectrum', do any of you think we are all on it?
No the spectrum is not from 'normal' to autistic. If you are not autistic you are not on the autistic spectrum.

I would suspect a lot of children hung in somehow until they were 14 and could leave school and look for work.

When people talk fo a 'spectrum', do any of you think we are all on it?

No. Are you just looking to become more offensive because you haven't quite nailed it with your previous posts?

I'm autistic and I absolutely hate the term 'on the spectrum' because it indicates I have been out in a particular place in a line. That's not the autistic spectrum is and if you are not autistic you are absolutely not on the fucking spectrum

Under diognosed. My son was diognosed with autism. As a child I use to sit and rock, hated change, hated being around other people and speaking to them, very introverted but would mask it well. I had friends but was the odd one. Would completely freak out if my sister touched or moved my things. Never been diognosed but it makes sense now. My uncle and brother are just like my son but they were never diognosed either.

There is no one answer. There are a number of factors ranging from under diagnosis to institutions! Largely it is thought to be a combination of greater understanding of various neurological differences, larger public awareness and lack of residential schools. In the 80s it was still common that children with disabilities were sent ‘away’ to residential schools and rarely returned to family life. :( If I remember correctly (to tired to google) the last type of these kinds of institutions closed in the late 90s.

Children with disabilities were seen as taboo, no one talked about children who were sent away and it was rare for families to either visit and/or weren’t allowed visitors.

@Thisusedtobeaniceneighbourhood

I hate the talk of the spectrum in the context of everyone being on it. We had this at work recently where someone was prattling on about how we are all neurodiverse. Actually we are bloody well not. Some people have genuine difficulties which make their daily life a bit of a nightmare, and this idea that we are all ‘a bit autistic’ is bollocks.

I see your point, thanks for your thoughts. Becoming more aware of something and hw it affects people can be tricky, but never a bad thing.