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Autism Epidemic?
- Thread starter inkfingers
- Start date
Not when standard approach was to institutionalize severely disabled people and forget about them. Or to exclude them from school and similar things and have them shut away at home. And when you (you = society, the medical community, not any individual person) basically throw people away like that based on how disabled they are, I doubt that diagnostic accuracy is your first concern.
Inclusive education and community living are fairly modern things (even if they may have existed as a natural part of society many centuries ago, the rise of public institutions where disabled people spent their entire lives would have changed all that, and we are now seeing a trend away from institutionalization).
This is not to say I completely dismiss the idea that there are environmental factors that are injuring children and contributing to some cases of autism and/or other disabilities, but I am not convinced this is the explanation/the only explanation.
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One of the main debates on the subject is whether autism rates are really rising or if it is just better identification of such by the medical profession.
I fall on the side of believing the rate has indeed risen. I also give credence to the continuing research that connects it with environmental poisoning, such as exposure to pesticides and pollution. There are other ways for it to develop, and it always had, but I see the environmental exposures as the cause of the unusual increase. I believe the method it occurs is generally agreed to be due to changes at the genetic level that affect development. It affects the functioning of some much more then others.
Once you have it, you are very likely to pass it on to your children which continues the 'epidemic'.
But we are not the only species experiencing the effects of chemical poisoning. Bees are another example, and we see die offs of other lesser known or noted creatures occurring globally. Germany has seen a 80% reduction of flying insects in the last 35 years.
I fall on the side of believing the rate has indeed risen. I also give credence to the continuing research that connects it with environmental poisoning, such as exposure to pesticides and pollution. There are other ways for it to develop, and it always had, but I see the environmental exposures as the cause of the unusual increase. I believe the method it occurs is generally agreed to be due to changes at the genetic level that affect development. It affects the functioning of some much more then others.
Once you have it, you are very likely to pass it on to your children which continues the 'epidemic'.
But we are not the only species experiencing the effects of chemical poisoning. Bees are another example, and we see die offs of other lesser known or noted creatures occurring globally. Germany has seen a 80% reduction of flying insects in the last 35 years.
Think back 100 years or more and consider how an autistic child would have been labelled at that time based on the behavioural traits we know of as "autism" today and it's associated co-morbidities. Consider also how that trait might affect the child's prospects for survival. In the developed world we now have healthcare and social support systems unheard of then. Given that even in our "enlightened" times, less than 1 in 5 autistic adults is in gainful employment, how would those children that survived to adulthood have been able to prosper? Only those who had sufficient intellect and ability to mask would be able to function in adult society, those we now label as Asperger's, HFA & ASD1.
Only a very select few with more pronounced traits, who were shielded by wealthy relatives, stood any real chance of surviving to be adults, and even then would be hidden from public sight. Others would have been institutionalised, imprisoned or permanently chained to the poor house. There were no social workers, support workers or benefits payments outside a fortunate minority who benefited from the extraordinary philanthropy of others.
This is true of almost all disabilities. People with visible deformations or abnormalities often became the subject of fear and fascination in circus sideshows. Still more were dissected and pickled in formaldehyde as medical curiosities, collected by the rich. For every "lobster boy" in the circus there were 100 "lobster child" samples in jars.
A non verbal autistic would just have been called "mute"
An autistic who frequently had meltdowns would be a "wayward child" or in adulthood a violent criminal, "madman" or "hysteric"
An autistic who descended into depression and shutdowns was a "melancholic"
An autistic who was synaesthetic would be regarded as insane or a heretic.
An autistic child with dyspraxia would just be "clumsy"
Even if they were lucky enough to be taught literacy in the first place, a dyslexic child would just be an "idiot"
An autistic who withdrew from the stresses of society and lived alone off the land would be a "hermit" and the same one who did so within a community a "beggar" or "vagrant"
The list goes on and on....
Many of the traits we now know to be associated with autism were bullied out of the child so they could function enough to survive, they died or they ended up on the scrapheap. Few lived long enough to reproduce and pass on their autistic genes, but some did. If there is any rise in the number of autistic births today, it is not because of any environmental factor other than social progress. More autistic people survive into adulthood and have children thereby continuing the mutation that led to our existence. Less dead or lost autistics means more newborn autistics. The survival of those genes for so many millennia, maybe back to our origins, is testament to their value to society. It was the bright eccentrics, the innovators, the inventors and the artists who had value to society so passed on their genes. Only the most capable and valued of us ever got the chance to do so. Society has changed for the better so we have flourished like never before.
Most of us who in the internet age exchange our views on this forum, would not have been talking about our autism were we born 100 years ago. We would be casualties of society.
Only a very select few with more pronounced traits, who were shielded by wealthy relatives, stood any real chance of surviving to be adults, and even then would be hidden from public sight. Others would have been institutionalised, imprisoned or permanently chained to the poor house. There were no social workers, support workers or benefits payments outside a fortunate minority who benefited from the extraordinary philanthropy of others.
This is true of almost all disabilities. People with visible deformations or abnormalities often became the subject of fear and fascination in circus sideshows. Still more were dissected and pickled in formaldehyde as medical curiosities, collected by the rich. For every "lobster boy" in the circus there were 100 "lobster child" samples in jars.
A non verbal autistic would just have been called "mute"
An autistic who frequently had meltdowns would be a "wayward child" or in adulthood a violent criminal, "madman" or "hysteric"
An autistic who descended into depression and shutdowns was a "melancholic"
An autistic who was synaesthetic would be regarded as insane or a heretic.
An autistic child with dyspraxia would just be "clumsy"
Even if they were lucky enough to be taught literacy in the first place, a dyslexic child would just be an "idiot"
An autistic who withdrew from the stresses of society and lived alone off the land would be a "hermit" and the same one who did so within a community a "beggar" or "vagrant"
The list goes on and on....
Many of the traits we now know to be associated with autism were bullied out of the child so they could function enough to survive, they died or they ended up on the scrapheap. Few lived long enough to reproduce and pass on their autistic genes, but some did. If there is any rise in the number of autistic births today, it is not because of any environmental factor other than social progress. More autistic people survive into adulthood and have children thereby continuing the mutation that led to our existence. Less dead or lost autistics means more newborn autistics. The survival of those genes for so many millennia, maybe back to our origins, is testament to their value to society. It was the bright eccentrics, the innovators, the inventors and the artists who had value to society so passed on their genes. Only the most capable and valued of us ever got the chance to do so. Society has changed for the better so we have flourished like never before.
Most of us who in the internet age exchange our views on this forum, would not have been talking about our autism were we born 100 years ago. We would be casualties of society.
I could also ad that my original diagnosis MBD was actually the pre diagnose for whats thise days known as ADHD (and the known side diagnosis to said MBD is also MANY of them associated to ADHD (and yes Autism /Asperger was as far as i have managed to find out among these as well (i got my MBD diagnose changed i think it was around 80 `s (when i was around 14 anyway if i remember correctly)
And Yes i remember when they lumped together the ADHD diagnose and pretty mush every kid with some extra energy got labeled ADHD
And Yes i remember when they lumped together the ADHD diagnose and pretty mush every kid with some extra energy got labeled ADHD
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The only "epidemic" I see in this instance isn't autism. It's the proliferation of scientific advancement relative to technology and communication. Allowing humanity to realize that it is not and has never been a monolithic entity.
That there are some profoundly different subgroups within humanity itself.
And that in all likelihood that IMO we have been around for as long as any other subgroup of humanity. And that we shouldn't confuse recent advancement of technology and communication with any perception of an "explosion" of autism any more than a falsely perceived "explosion" of homosexuality.
In essence we aren't the byproduct of a nineteenth or twentieth century dirty toilet seat, drain cleaner or a box of Cheerios.
That there are some profoundly different subgroups within humanity itself.
And that in all likelihood that IMO we have been around for as long as any other subgroup of humanity. And that we shouldn't confuse recent advancement of technology and communication with any perception of an "explosion" of autism any more than a falsely perceived "explosion" of homosexuality.
In essence we aren't the byproduct of a nineteenth or twentieth century dirty toilet seat, drain cleaner or a box of Cheerios.
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Yeah, but you're already autistic my friend! What have you got to lose?!?!??!
Pop those tarts to your heart's content!!
N.B. I was diagnosed before Pop Tarts were launched in the UK, so I think that particular "medical professional" I made up might be mistaken
Oh - glad they stopped doing the blood letting thing at barber shops - we'd all probably be pretty anemic.
Oh, I only like the iced grape.That depends.
What flavor?
Ooh iced grape! Love the sound of that They don't do grape flavour anything here but I fell in love with grape soda in the Carribbean. Icy Grape soda is one of my favourite vapes
They don't do grape flavour anything here but I fell in love with grape soda in the Carribbean. Icy Grape soda is one of my favourite vapes
Ooh iced grape! Love the sound of that
Grape Nehi. It's the bomb.
https://www.amazon.com/Nehi-Grape-Glass-Bottles-Pack/dp/B00ANT69BC
I could mail you a box of iced grape pop tarts.Ooh iced grape! Love the sound of that
Monachopia
...spiral out... keep going.
I read an article a while back, that this topic reminded me of. I didn't read the whole thing, but the front side of it alluded to autism/being "Aspie" being a "trendy" tag these days. Or a slightly derogatory one. Much like when people say "Oh, don't mind my OCD" when they don't actually have OCD, or describing their slight mood swings as being "bipolar".
Article: Autism Spectrum: Are You On It?
My take on the OP's post is that because autism is more well understood, more people are diagnosed. There are some people who hop on the train because "it's quirky to have a flavour", but we know who we are and unfortunately it's really not that fun for us. The trend train irks me slightly - as on the one hand it dilutes and lessens the problems people with real autism do have... But then again, on the other hand there is a positive - it normalises the condition. More people know about it, and whether those people are or aren't on the spectrum, isn't the point; the point is that there is a movement for more of the general population to understand the disorder and accept that it's a normal occurrence.
Sorry if I didn't make any sense, my brain is full of fog.
Article: Autism Spectrum: Are You On It?
My take on the OP's post is that because autism is more well understood, more people are diagnosed. There are some people who hop on the train because "it's quirky to have a flavour", but we know who we are and unfortunately it's really not that fun for us. The trend train irks me slightly - as on the one hand it dilutes and lessens the problems people with real autism do have... But then again, on the other hand there is a positive - it normalises the condition. More people know about it, and whether those people are or aren't on the spectrum, isn't the point; the point is that there is a movement for more of the general population to understand the disorder and accept that it's a normal occurrence.
Sorry if I didn't make any sense, my brain is full of fog.
I could mail you a box of iced grape pop tarts.
OMG I would LOVE that!!!!!
You made total sense to me @Monachopia
There are definitely occasional fake Autistics. It's a manifestation of Munchausen's syndrome. They are a rarity though and are generally easy to spot, for us at least. It doesn't mean we can't be fooled though. It is an argument against self diagnosis for some people, but when you consider the difficulty of getting diagnosed in some countries, the reasonable people amongst us choose to be accepting.
There are definitely occasional fake Autistics. It's a manifestation of Munchausen's syndrome. They are a rarity though and are generally easy to spot, for us at least. It doesn't mean we can't be fooled though. It is an argument against self diagnosis for some people, but when you consider the difficulty of getting diagnosed in some countries, the reasonable people amongst us choose to be accepting.
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