To think more people do have autism nowadays?

[malificent7]

Everyone says it's because more people are being diagosed which is true BUT I am waiiting for my assessment , my sdd ( not genetically related) has it and 2 of my close school friends have children with it severely enough so that they can't attend mainstream.
Obviously several members of my family have it as it is genetic but it does seem odd that my 2 close school friends ( who dont have asd) have children with it.

I have a childhood diagnosis of dyspraxia. I am sure if I was diagnosed today it would be autism.

I think it is diagnosed more.

Several studies have shown that women over 40 are 50% more likely.

It is unfair, but biologically we (the human race) are designed to have children when we are younger. From a biological health perspective, and the ability to cope with lack of sleep etc. And possibly on the basis that we haven't yet matured enough to know better.

Yes we are better at recognising it, but looking at the numbers of pre-verbal pupils in early year, there has been a really big increase over the last few years as well.

Anecdotally researchers think numbers are increasing over and above diagnosis at a lower threshold, better recognition in women etc. Why however they are not sure.

There's so much we don't understand about autism, i actually think personally that in 50 years it won't even be a diagnosis because the traits of autism are just that and researchers will work out the underlying causes which will be varied, we already know there's serious genetic disorders that have autism as one of the symptoms but researchers are trying to unlock the genetic component to "milder" autism running in families like mine, exh and dd have given blood towards it, know the researcher).

Don't jump down my throat using mile because you know exactly what I mean, what runs in my family cannot be compared to my friends son who needs 3:1 carers 24/7 outside of his secure custom arranged living space (he has 1:1 or 2:1 for certain times there).!

I'm wondering if our modern lives are causing autistic traits somehow, pretty sure it's causing adhd, my own concentration has sunk since smart phones for instance. Research is at an early stage but something is afoot

I feel like I am contradicting my earlier post. But, do you think some of this is lack of socialisation / eye contact in babies?

IE. Parents looking at phone, not child.

They've studied ADHD diagnosis trends and think it's relatively stable in terms of its occurrence in the population. We are just dealing with increased diagnosed and a huge backlog of people who now realize that they may have it. So it seems like 'everyone is ND nowadays' but it is just the health services dealing with a huge backlog.

Our schooling system probably highlights differences more starkly than it did 50 years ago. Expecting 4 year olds to sit and learn phonics etc rather than be children.

This. Undiagnosed autistic people tend to find eachother anyway, even marry eachother, and find out they are autistic after their children are diagnosed. When children aren't diagnosed it's sometimes because their parents just think their neurodivergent behaviour is perfectly normal because they were just the same. I don't believe there's ever been fewer, they were just unrecognised and forced to fit into a neurotypical mould if they possibly could .

Looking back I know a few people who would have benefited from some sort of diagnosis. I know someone in their 80s who recently passed away whose family think likely autism at play alongside other things.

My mother was not typical and I wonder if autism could be at play or ADHD or bipolar. But something was at play.

I wonder about myself sometimes.

My youngest is likely on spectrum. Awaiting assessment but psychology professionals in NHS think they are almost certainly on spectrum. I suspect my other DC are also on spectrum. The genetics are there in grandparents on both sides. Probably in parents too.

I think a lot of people conform to social norms but I think this conformity was greater in the past. People today I think are more likely to live a life more true to how they feel. One of the things a psychologist picked up on with my youngest was their expressionless face. I recall being told same thing all my life. I still have to tell myself to smile etc.... to confirm socially.

i think the numbers are the same (percentage wise) but modern schooling/living demands are pressurised and have exasperated many who would have otherwise managed ok in mainstream 20 years ago. Going further back in time lots of people were locked up for a multitude of inappropriate reasons.

Years ago, only severe forms were really diagnosed.
But think how many children in schools were known by other kids as a bit ‘odd’. I can think of a few from my school that, looking back, were probably on the autistic spectrum. But because they functioned, however strangely, there was no cause for any diagnosis of anything.

Unpopular opinion for some reason I think it is on the rise, especially the more complex end of the spectrum.
Better recognition only really accounts for people who struggle socially but can live independently (like myself who was diagnosed aged 30).

My son however, whatever decade he’d been born in would have classed as severely disabled regardless of what he had been diagnosed as since he is has the mental function of a toddler, nonverbal and in nappies, at age 9.

I had to fight to get him a place at specialist school. The woman at the education department said on years gone by, even ten years ago, they would get
maybe 5 or 6 children with such complex needs starting school and they could all be accommodated at the local specialist school however now they have at least 20 kids with complex autism needing 1:1 or 2:1 care starting each new intake and they are struggling to meet their needs.

it doesn’t matter what the diagnoses is, there just weren’t loads of severely disabled kids needing that level of care.

Dont know why that’s seen as in controversial to say so.

It’s good there’s better diagnosis and understanding but rates of severe ASD have skyrocketed and they need to find out why.

My husband has dyspraxia and in the report (he is 35 and was diagnosed at 14) it says he has "autistic traits" - his mum has always been convinced he is autistic, but just didn't quite tick enough of the boxes back then. Not saying he doesn't have Dyspraxia, but rather that it's likely he's autistic with dyspraxia also.

Our son is almost 5 and awaiting assessment for autism. I'm not sure if he will be diagnosed... his HV, Paediatrician, nursery workers and now reception teacher all sat the same thing - "there's definitely something there" always comes up. But whether it's autism, something else on the spectrum or he's just a super sensitive, quirky kid, I'm honestly not sure. We just want to try and make sure he has the support he needs and that we can learn enough to teach him good coping skills for when he is having a hard time with things.

Oddly enough, it's my dear old batty Nan that I think of most when I see things in my son. She died a few years ago at 90 - at 85 we were told she very likely had (and had always had) OCD, anxiety and possibly autism, but obviously as a child in the 30s these things weren't picked up on.

@Gobacktotheworld I'm so sorry that happened to your sister.

I think autism could be caused by a number of different things.

I wonder if bracketing it as one condition, (a description of symptoms/behaviours really) impedes the research into causes and treatments?

A bit like the way all infectious diseases used to be called fevers.

Certainly there seems a big difference between what used to be called aspergers and more severe forms of autism. I wonder if with the latter it is sometimes a different more global disability that also impairs social communication but that is diagnosed as autism even though other areas are affected.

That said it seems that siblings can often be affected by autism, some very badly and some less so, which would suggest a common link. Definitely more research needed.

Thiis comment doesn’t reflect the lives of all autistic people of course but for some autistic people… we all tend to live in a more pressured way now that expects a level of social interaction and communication that hasn’t been in our social experience before, from kids to adults. Sensory issues are maybe more challenged by how busily and noisily we live. We have less time outdoors and with animals. And so on.

All these factors means autism is increasingly common to be recognised and labelled in the population and now doctors are aware that women and girls can be autistic too, as well as boys and men.

@theresabluebirdinmyheart , I completely agree . My dd15 is at a special school , but she is at the very mild end of the pupils they take . The children in the younger years all seem to be very severe .

This is an oversimplification of research that needs more study, and is likely one of the many variables.

Age associated ASD risk is highest when a mother is in their 40’s and a father is in their 50’s, however maternal age is much less impactful - the biggest risk seems to be paternal age. And even then, it’s also very closely linked to genetics and socioeconomic factors. Study on impact of paternal age here actually found a higher association with poor ASD outcome in younger father and more positive ASD outcomes in older fathers, suggesting socioeconomic impact has a lot to do with ASD presentation.

This study from the Netherlands looks at the potential socioeconomic and demographical causes of increased ASD rates, and one of the theories is also that “One possibility is that mothers who have a higher number of autistic-like traits, including greater challenges performing mentalizing skills, are delayed in finding a partner.”

So effectively, is the widespread acceptance of autism meaning autistic adults are now societally permitted to have children meaning the rates are naturally increasing as genetics are the main cause? Is the older age simply correlation as opposed to causation? The advent of online dating over the last two decades likely linked autistic people who would have never would have met otherwise too.

The reality is we know the rates are increasing, and this is likely due to several compounding factors, not one cause. The research is in its infancy and far from conclusive.

I have been teaching over 40 years. I notice when l am discussing traits of autism with parents one is often looking at the other saying; sure that's you!! And they usually agree but never had a diagnosis. I have a friend of 60 who has lots of traits, really struggles socially but has never seemed to have considered diagnosis. Now her gc are presenting with autism. She has few friends but in my head she has autism so l completely accept her as she is as l am quite accustomed to different traits due to school. It has made life so difficult for her while her gc are getting support. I wonder f the fact people led more routine lives, mixed with less people and there wasn't the same emphasis on school success that many difficulties weren't as pronounced. Eg living on a farm, could happily stay to yourself, leave school early, perform tasks alongside your dad with total acceptance so less overstimulation. I knew some guys like this growing up in the countryside.

My ds has been diagnosed in his 30s with ADHD and his dad has similar difficulties as do cousins and uncles on that side but absolutely no diagnosis although they would have all struggled with executive functioning while being extremely bright in school.

I do think that the way we live could be making a difference too.

So many schools now are uber strict. And kids that would have been accommodated by a kindly TA in the past now are overwhelmed and told they're naufgty/punished and the cycle continues with EBSA etc.

As an adult when we could manage in a lower paid jobs that are less overwhelming., with less constant information (writing letters instead of emails etc) there was less stimulation. Less stuff.

On communities where you have extended family or you know a lot of people in your area maybe people took car of/adjusted for those around them more.

Obvisoulg I'm all for being able to move for work and the Internet etc but I do wonder if perhaps this means that people who previously could have coped wouldn't now.

For example someone who went into a job at 16/18 and stayed there and worked their way up. Whereas now jobs come and go.

If I'd chosen a different profession I could imagine I'd have just even eccwnetric/clever/quirky.... But instead I've struggled so it's more obvious.

I was told by a nurse before that there is a link between c-sections and autism.

I was almost 4 when I had an intelligence test because my speech was disordered. They didn't call it that then. I just couldn't be understood. They concluded that I had the intelligence of an 8 year old (but couldn't tie my shoelaces) and was trying to learn both English and the native language of the country I was living in and getting confused. I was 7 when my primary school asked my Mum to take me to a psychologist because I had 'low self-esteem'. I wasn't allowed to do the times tables tests because I always got 100%, so I had to do other stuff. I taught other kids to read at reading time because I was a free reader. I was socially awkward and unable to cope with groups. Secondary school was disastrous and college didn't go well because I couldn't keep organised. I'm now on the ASD waiting list.

2 of my children are diagnosed with ASD. One is still waiting. All 3 are in specialist education.

I do think ASD is more prevalent but I also think mainstream education is pushing those kids who might have got through into 'needs help' territory. DD3 was flying under the radar until year 10, when the immense pressure destroyed her.

I can see it from both sides

my eldest would almost certainly have been referred for assessment as a toddler / pre schooler. Looking back he would have ticked many of the boxes, stimming, not sleeping, selective food, serious meltdowns, obsessions, total lack of concentration, a bolster with no self control. However, he isn’t autistic, he was just a really difficult child until he was about 8. From then on although sensitive he is totally neurotypical and as a young adult shows no signs of the early years. I really suspect he would have been diagnosed with something

on the other hand my quiet, well behaved, shy daughter who struggled socially was just seen as a bit rude and quirky and it angers me that even 12/15 years ago nobody picked up the obviously signs that there was something going on and she didn’t get a diagnosis until 6th form. I’m sure it is genetic though as I only have to look at my husbands family who are clearly on the spectrum, his dad, not even particularly high functioning

I disagree. It’s better diagnosed and recognised particularly in women now. I have it, my children do, my dad did and my grandad did. My children got diagnosed first and then I did. If it hadn’t been recognised in them ND within the family would have continued to have been just dismissed.

My ds has profound/ severe autism. He has a genetic mutation which probably happened at conception. Myself and my husband don't have it soalthough genetic, it hasn't been passed on.

I do think there is an increase in people with all types of severity but i also think that mental health problems are being dealt with under the autism dx rather than mental health. I think this is because it gives services an avenue to delay treatment (cost- put it down as to autism rather than true neef) and because autism isn't as stigmatised as mh.

I also think there is a high number of people now chasing a diagnosis in later life and others who self diagnose.

Hopefully there will be more research and with better genetic testing a true picture of what is happening can be seen and the different conditions all singled out and separated.

That is absolutely disgraceful. Your poor sister.