"Where were all the kids with ADHD 40 years ago then?"

[colditz]

Help me to answer my dad, who has delivered a fantastically ignorant diatribe (mainly along the lines of Ds1 "can't possibly be autistic, he's always smiling at me. He's a happy boy Colditz, he's not Autistic") but he has raised a point I can't answer.

Where were the children with ADHD 40 years ago?

Where were the children with High Functioning Autism?

According to him, and many people in their 50s, there WAS no ADHD, or CERTAINLY there wasn't in their school .... so ... where were they?

Cornsilk- why am I a knob?

Referee here! I think Cornsilk meant that you should ignore the knobs, Zombie. Not that you are a knob.

"All very interesting reading but I have to ask - although the diagnosis rates may be increasing and support given to school children who have more severe needs, is there any real benefit to being diagnosed in later teens or adulthood?"

In my experience - no.

I was diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive type) after dropping out of university for the second time and seeking out counselling to understand what went wrong. Looking back, there was obviously something 'wrong' from very early on but because I wasn't physically hyperactive, no-one really gave a shit and just assumed I was clever but lazy.

It is also very hard to explain inattentive ADHD without people pulling a face and going "ooh, so you're a bit lazy then" and I initially thought it was a load of bollocks too but have since realised that it was a pervasive set of issues which really has affected my life and especially education.

I was told that medication would not be considered for me, as by that point I was 'functional' (having come up with my own coping strategies which more or less worked). The formal diagnosis allowed me to return to university for a third and final try, successfully this time :) and allowed me to understand various episodes from childhood but that's about all.

I bet I could get loads more shit done though with a bit of adderall.

They were in institutions.
My mother had epilepsy. She has to go to a special school.
She learnt to read & write when I was born.
Disability was spet under the carpet back then.
Grans sister was told to leave her downs daughter in hospital & forget about her.

Stimulants will improve anyone's performance, whether they have ADHD or not (important study done in 1999, I think, the full reference is in Boys Adrift by Leonard Sacks, excellent book). That's why college students use Ritalin to do assignments, and why there's a big problem with kids selling it at school.

Sorry, Leonard Sax not Sacks!

Old thread I know, but my late MIL was born 1936 and spent several years in a mental hospital from childhood.

I sincerely believe she had ASD, my husband I am convinced also does (but he has no dx), I show traits and all 3 of my kids have ASD (one with ADHD)

hep I was diagnosed with dyslexia at 11, but didn't find out about it until I'd finished my degree. My life makes a lot more sense now... But there isn't a whole lot to do about it now, it's too late.

Not everyone could afford the luxery then.

my uncle was diagnosed with dyslexia 50 years ago and became the MD of Tarmac and lives very comfortable in SandDunes in Bournemouth

Is he being serious? Has he not heard of progression and research and new diagnosis? You poor lady having to put up with silly comments like That.

My dad was expelled from school at the age of 14.

He was diagnosed with ADHD much later. He is now in his 70's and ritalin has changed his life!

Well I've often thought of two boys and a girl at my old primary school. They were often told off, they were even smacked, they spent a lot of time outside the class, they spent a lot of time in the head's office, they made very little progress and on Friday mornings they went for "special" classes. They were called naughty and regarded as a bit backward. Nowadays they would have a classroom assistant and be on the SEN register. Talking 60's here - went to secondary in 1971.

Its amazing what miracles the threat of getting the Cain or being caned did 35 years ago.It certainly kept ADHT under reasonable control and dealt with those trouble makers with disruptive behaviour.It certainly wasn't fashionable in those days to have dyslexic tendencies