'Increase' in ASD/ADHD

[Sunsnet]

There are a lot of discussion at the moment on this subject and many people who believe that people are faking these conditions in themself or their children. This makes it very difficult for those with these diagnoses to be taken seriously and feels like a massive attack and dismissal of their genuine struggles so shouldn't the question actually be, why is there a massive increase in Munchausen's and Munchausen's by Proxy (child abuse)?

As someone with autistic children and who shows more than a few traits themselves, absolutely disagree I’m afraid. If autism is the next step of human evolution then the human race is definitely not built for survival. Humans are social mammals, how is it progressive to our species to slowly eradicate social and emotional fluidity?

Autism is on the rise because it’s mostly hereditary and the population has risen humorously in the last couple of centuries. Better healthcare means that those who wouldn’t have survived (both physically or socially) or procreated many years ago due to their autism are living and even making more autistic offspring than ever. That isn’t evolution though.

@Gerrataere tongue in cheek comment there from me.
However, I must say I socialise very well with my neuro type, just in a different manner.

I don’t like your aggressive and patronising tone but I will answer.

we sought an assessment when he was struggling to settle and it took a loooong time by watch point he was much more settled but we saw the process through.

there aren’t really any “interventions”. School is aware and supportive and that’s about it.

I haven’t made any complaint because I can’t be bothered. I would much rather focus on my family than pour time and energy into something like that.

I’ve already explained why I haven’t sought a second opinion.

Oh and my child couldn’t give a shit one way or the other about his diagnosis.

I'm not being aggressive at all, I'm just challenging your hypocrisy which is plain to see. If you really didn't believe your child was autistic and it was all false then you would have the diagnosis removed unless it is of benefit to them.

No one wants an autism diagnosis. If your child is really doing well without interventions then why would you want it on their records if it is so blatantly false because of the bad practice of the diagnostic team?

You have complained you don't like my tone, well I don't like the fact that you are stating that you believe that diagnoses are being falsified (to what end exactly? ) , and being ableist and dismissive of problems because you can't see them.

I would suggest that if you don't like being questioned on a discussion forum perhaps consider not posting offensive posts and being a hypocrite about your own child's position.

@Westernesse

The point being you appear to doubt that your child’s diagnosis is accurate.

But do nothing about it.

If they aren’t disabled then they aren’t entitled to the money.

Do you not think you should get on to getting a second opinion if you are so convinced.

I would never suggest that all people with ASD can’t socialise, just like the stereotype that all people with adhd are the life and soul of the party! But, however much your comment may be tongue in cheek, plenty of people do genuinely believe ASD isn’t a true disability, it’s ‘just another way of thinking’ or worse ‘a superpower’. It’s really not the case, and really quite dismissive of the realities of living with ASD with global delays and/or severely limited capacity.

You are being aggressive and if you don’t like what I’m saying to the point that it makes you act that way then that’s up to you.

I’m not so convinced though, and I’ve not even said I don’t think the diagnosis is wrong. Please read the actual words on the screen.

I think many parents are desperate for schools and medical professionals to be aware and supportive of their child’s needs which is why they quite rightly seek diagnosis.

Mot sure why your child is worthy of that but others aren’t. And yy to lifeturnsonadime ‘s post. If you don’t want to be questioned or dejected don’t post offensive and ableist posts with zero data to back up inflammatory claims.

Act what way, asking questions on a discussion forum?

If you are going to make controversial posts then it is entirely normal to be asked questions about it.

Particularly when your position is both hypocritical and ableist.

No one on here is going to like the fact that you are claiming that your child's diagnosis process was so appalling it is not reliable in order to cast doubt on the veracity of the diagnoses of others YET you don't think it is unreliable enough that you haven't asked for a second opinion for your child and your child/ you benefit from the same (unreliable according to you) diagnosis.

I can't help the fact that you don't like being called out for being a hypocrite, that's on you. Have a good night.

@Gerrataere sadly, you're right and people do think this. I have difficulties, even though if you met me for 10 mins you might never guess that I'm autistic.
They pervade into almost every area of my life.
However, and I'm stealing this from somewhere as it's a fantastic way of putting it:
I speak NT with an ND accent, whereas most NT folk don't attempt to speak ND or recognise it as a language.

You’re the only person calling people names. Accusing someone with an ND diagnosed child of being ableist is controversial and is a personal insult.

as for being a hypocrite, I’ve explained my reasoning by answering all your questions and you continue to cry “hypocrite hypocrite”. For me it’s complicated and I do the best I can.

using the word hypocrite isn’t really the win you think it is. The internet have moved on. I doubt that your are not a hypocrite or that anyone here is not a hypocrite. You may as well cry “human, human”.

It is possible to be the parent of a ND child and be ableist just as it is possible to be disabled and be ableist, as you demonstrated earlier on this thread when you claimed that you believe that many diagnoses are false based on your experience of your DC's diagnostic process and implied that adults should not even seek diagnosis. I can't find the exact wording but it was deleted because it breached talk guidelines.

I have no idea why you think that me questioning your position amounts to an attack, it isn't. If you make bold claims on AIBU then you should be able to justify them or you will be called out.

It is, whether you are prepared to admit it or not, hypocritical to say that the diagnostic process that your DC went through was so bad/ poorly carried out that you have no faith that diagnoses from that team are correct and use that as evidence to suggest that diagnoses are wrongly handed out. Whilst using the SAME diagnosis as part of the application for DLA. You said your child is now fine and doesn't give a shit if they are diagnosed or not and doesn't have interventions which makes me wonder how they were eligible for DLA (you stated you claim it for them in a post at 18.00 today) in the first place as this is based on need not diagnosis (at least in theory) and needs more than a diagnostic report to claim it.

I find it shocking that any parent of a child with autism would perpetuate a myth that diagnoses are not thorough and are unreliable whilst simultaneously benefiting from the same (supposedly unreliable) diagnosis.

And then claim that other children and adults must be wrongly diagnosed based on an unreliable diagnosis for their child (because the process is either unreliable or it isn't, it really can't be both) which they have gone on to use as part of a benefits claim!

What @lifeturnsonadime said.

Nobody is against you participating in conversation @Westernesse , it is totally fine to have concerns regarding your child’s diagnostic report and to voice them.

However, it is double standards, and indeed fraudulent, to then use that same diagnostic report as evidence to claim benefits if you believe it to be false.

Then you show up here casting doubt on all autism assessments saying you doubt they’re valid, calling medical professionals charletons, saying the bar is very low for diagnosis and that adults shouldn’t seek diagnosis at all.

None of that is remotely ok.

@Robinni you articulate what I meant much better than I did!

Thanks

Lots! My adult son is severely autistic and takes a few different medications.

So deliberately faking a condition is not Munchausen's and convincing yourself you have condition you don't have is not Hypochondria if it's ASD/ADHD...?

Who IS permitted to question other people's language? And who gets to decide that?

I think you are making a fair point.

You are using out of date terminology but the general question is a good one. That said I think it is the question people are asking albeit not quite in the way you are phrasing it.

There is something going on with ND at the moment. It's being popularised and glamourised on social media and there unscrupulous clinics that you can effectively pay for diagnosis. I agree that we don't know how much of a problem this is either in quantity or long term effects. I agree it negatively effects NT people. What I am confused about is what you are suggesting we do about it. Not talk about it? Maybe, but to not talk about it surely we need good evidence or rationale as to why the glamourisation/poor diagnosis isn't that much of a problem. Maybe you have that rationale but I haven't seen it.

Are they actually for Autism or because for example he has anxiety because of his Autism?

"Maybe, but to not talk about it surely we need good evidence or rationale as to why the glamourisation/poor diagnosis isn't that much of a problem." Surely the very first thing we need is evidence these thing ARE a problem. People with no experience, training or knowledge of ND making claims about people they know isn't evidence.

"...there unscrupulous clinics that you can effectively pay for diagnosis." The BBC documentary highlighted an issue with 3 clinics which is a start, but doesn't explain why people think ASD diagnoses are being 'bought' or why people believe this is widespread.

"It's being popularised and glamourised on social media..."A phenomena happened with Tourette's where people were allegedly developing tics after watching TikTok contributors with the condition, but I have been hearing the same arguments about ASD/ADHD for 20 years or more. There does seem to be a lot of people who just don't feel ASD and ADHD are disabling enough except for the severe cases to warrant a diagnosis or any help and that's just not true.

I think discussion needs to be had about mental health and diagnosis in the country to put the blame for these things where they belong, at the lack of provision. If people were getting early intervention for what ever issue they have they would not need to go looking for answers online. They would not self-diagnose or convince themselves they have something they don't. People would not have to go to private clinics creating suspicion but also the opportunity for unscrupulous clinics to operate. And people would (hopefully) stop attacking people with the disorders and attack the piss poor state of the NHS instead!

It’s the other way round. 17 or 55 is too late to get a diagnosis for adhd and ASC which are the dates my daughter and I were diagnosed with both. If my daughter had had her 3 x ND diagnosis and EHCP ( which she got at 18)when she should had(early on in primary)the catastrophic mental health collapse and ED she went on to develop which will have cost the nhs eye watering amounts could have been averted.

Not knowing why you struggle is a massive burden to carry. It’s women and girls who end up getting missed and women and girls in the firing line now with increased diagnosis on the back of better knowledge and diagnosis process. That is not ok and there is a distinct whiff of sexism on top of ableism with all this.

TigerRag

Or depression because of undiagnosed autism which both my 2 children needed up getting medicated for.

@Sunsnet please ignore my above post - I’ve done it again and not read properly and kicked off without proper reason. I’m very tired and this stuff makes me emotional, so I’m going to bow out of this thread as that’s the second time I’ve responded in an emotive way and misread the actual post. Apologies.