How do you respond to “why is everyone diagnosed with ASD and ADHD nowadays”?

[Outdated]

I believe that there are loads of adults on the spectrum living unsuccessful lives in poverty and living on the streets.

I'm one of those, I was homeless for 12 years.

 

[Forest Cat]

I have also noticed a bit of a difference in trends between those who were diagnosed as adults and those who were diagnosed as children. Those who were diagnosed as adults tend to be a lot more successful in life.

I think it's to do with standard psychology of teenagers. All of us, myself included, struggle with adapting to the responsibilities and demands of being an adult. If during this phase a teenager has a handy excuse for why they're failing then they'll latch on to that excuse instead of trying harder to adapt.

I was diagnosed as an adult, I was given a wrong diagnosis when I was very young so that left me with no option but to try harder. Everytime things were difficult I didn't have any other choice than to try harder and somehow make it work. I sometimes thought I was a little stupid and I was often very upset with myself. But there was nothing I could do other than keep trying. I think that if I had been diagnosed as a kid, I could have ended up thinking that I couldn't do more and just given up. But not being dignosed lead to me spending 25 years fighting myself and an invisible wall over and over again and not understanding what was going on. And that is terribly exhausting.

I don't know what my point is now... I had a point earlier but I don't know. There can be some differences. It's all just quincidences and good luck and bad luck and failing and trying and trying again.

 

[annO]

I was diagnosed as an adult, I was given a wrong diagnosis when I was very young so that left me with no option but to try harder. Everytime things were difficult I didn't have any other choice than to try harder and somehow make it work. I sometimes thought I was a little stupid and I was often very upset with myself. But there was nothing I could do other than keep trying. I think that if I had been diagnosed as a kid, I could have ended up thinking that I couldn't do more and just given up. But not being dignosed lead to me spending 25 years fighting myself and an invisible wall over and over again and not understanding what was going on. And that is terribly exhausting.

I don't know what my point is now... I had a point earlier but I don't know. There can be some differences. It's all just quincidences and good luck and bad luck and failing and trying and trying again.

Upon reading your post, I'm now thinking about all the adult diagnosed people that may appear successful but may have had to work much harder than their peers and people that possibly had some key elements (strong family and social network, consistency and stability, encouragement to pressure interests, education opportunities) in place all along, unintentionally fostering an appropriate environment for their successful development just because they were born when and where they were born.

I don't know what your point was going to be but that's where my mind went.......

 

[Atrapa Almas]

I think there are many factors, most of them have already been explained.

There has also been a change in the definition of autism. Some years ago, to be "defined" as autist a person should need to have very evident symtoms and problems.

Today, people like me, with autism traits but not big autism related problems, can be considered in the spectrum too.

As we move from autism being a mental illness to a neurodivergence the definition gets wider and way more people can be defined as autist.

Its like the definition of black people being actually black to being whatever colour but white. As the definition changes, more people gets included in it.

 

[vergil96]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has ever encountered this question?

To be honest - not in response to my diagnosis, because I didn't tell that many people and most of them were also neurodivergent, including family members. I have heard this statement said sometimes, though. My take on overdiagnosis: diagnostic criteria are broader, the knowledge about neurodivergence is expanding. Also there is nothing wrong with it, because if someone doesn't have a certain condition, they don't benefit from ways to cope with it. It's all about getting appropriate help, suited to your needs.

When reading the thread, I also think a diagnosis when younger could also harm me, because it would cause loss of belief in myself. Especially the social awkwardness part. I was labelled as such just for the reason of being good at math sometimes... it was bad enough. I'm an adult now so I see now what really happened, I was being told I lack social skills and that I'm not paying attention in class, because I was bored. What was going on was uninteresting for me and I needed to be encouraged to do what I found satisfactory, it wasn't that I lacked skills.

 

[MNAus]

There's a lot of good points in this thread. I think one aspect that is overlooked is how societal pressures are affecting people's need to be diagnosed. First an anecdote.

I have a serious allergy, one that will (and almost did) kill me stone dead within 30 minutes. To narrow down what caused it specifically I had to go to an allergy clinic, but the waiting list was months long. The first one I went to looked at my notes, looked at me, back at the notes and said "So you actually had anaphylaxis? Sorry, you're in the wrong place". When I finally got to the second place they confirmed what was going on, but as I was sat there for a couple of hours watching my skin swell up on my arm I could hear arguments from other rooms as people getting tested objected to the result that they didn't have a life threatening condition that could kill them stone dead within 30 minutes. It struck me as bizarre that there was a clinic that couldn't actually deal with a real allergy yet was packed, and that people were arguing that they were sure they (or their kid) were definitely allergic. Why would people be so keen to have an allergy label that they'd go to a clinic that couldn't deal with actual allergies and argue with a medical specialist that said they didn't have a life altering condition but an intolerance?

I think a few things have combined. Social media, a loss of communities leading to a feeling of not belonging, a natural shift towards a new cult of sensibility where how you are affected by a situation increases perceived legitimacy and Gen-X/millennials having and ongoing need for attention even in adulthood. These have all combined to make it "desirable" for some folks to be diagnosed with something. Of course that doesn't mean all diagnoses are dubious or that we aren't seeing better diagnosis or more openness to conditions, but there does seem to be a draw.

IMO it offers people a few things:

- It provides answers and an explanation for things that are actually just life's unfairness
- It provides a shield against others to deflect criticism and retain high ground
- It provides a comfort blanket when experiencing perceived personal failings
- It lends authority by giving the person the ability to claim lived experience that others do not have
- It provides a sense of belonging to a group
- It allows a person to lower their own expectations of themselves without guilt.

I find all of these negative and regrettable. I do believe it's the result of a deep seated need in people to feel a sense of belonging and legitimacy in a world that is heading in the opposite direction. It's also leading to an increase in tribalism.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I have also noticed a bit of a difference in trends between those who were diagnosed as adults and those who were diagnosed as children. Those who were diagnosed as adults tend to be a lot more successful in life.

I think it's to do with standard psychology of teenagers. All of us, myself included, struggle with adapting to the responsibilities and demands of being an adult. If during this phase a teenager has a handy excuse for why they're failing then they'll latch on to that excuse instead of trying harder to adapt.

I have thought about this a lot. For those of us reaching the teen and adult years during a time when autism was rarely diagnosed we had no choice but to adapt and take responsibility for ourselves. Of course there were frustrations such as having social goals without the skills or aptitude to realize those goals. Instead of blaming my neurology and giving up I would be hard on myself regarding my perceived deficiencies. I ended up internalizing too much and damaging my self concept. Eventually I was successful, but not without a lot of work.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Happy to be retired, happier to be undiagnosed happiest to not care.

 

[Human Avatar]

I am diagnosed ASD-2.I have worked so hard and have been through so much to be functional.

I could have been much more successful if I was diagnosed as a child.If I dwell to much on it I get depressed. At least once a week I feel like I haven’t accomplished much of anything in life .

I don’t think it is over diagnosed.

 

[vergil96]

I wanted to add that I think I would benefit from getting my sensory issues diagnosed and if people cared instead of telling me I "misbehave". They could ditch the autism as a whole, just diagnise the sensory issues and life would have been easier and less stressful. I function a lot better if I don't put sensory strain on myself. Also I wish people didn't attack me for meltdowns due to sensory issues, but see them for what they are, that I don't want them either and I cannot cope at all with the kind of input that just happened. They could have given me a diagnosis of sensory processing disorder or something like that. It would improve my life.

 

[tazz]

Time for an anecdote: A couple of days ago I was pottering around some shops and I overheard a woman at the checkout. She was just paying for a couple of things. And out of nowhere she loudly said in a jovial manner: "Where are my kids? Oh there they are. I have two autistic kids - oh my! They pay attention to all sorts of details they shouldn't be paying attention to and never listen to me." and then did a little forced laugh. It was a totally random thing to say in the situation. My interpretation was that she wanted the guy serving her at the checkout (and anyone else within earshot) to know about it. He hadn't mentioned her kids. I don't think he'd even said a word. And the kids were standing there a few feet away not causing any trouble just waiting quietly for her to finish paying.

I've seen this behaviour maybe half a dozen times in recent memory - like maybe the last couple of years. Enough to make me think that there's a cohort of young(ish) mothers out there that derive some sort of personal satisfaction from having autistic kids. It's like they are wanting attention for themselves and using the fact that their kids are "special" as a way to get it.

I've seen similar behavior with regard to kids with allergies.

Obviously I'm making a lot of assumptions here. My guess would be that some people are attention seeking and finding out that their kids have autism gives them a convenient way to get it. Whether or not this would have an impact on the number of kids being diagnosed I don't know. But it definitely seems like there's something going on there.

On a related note, I have a nephew who was diagnosed autistic as a young child. He's about 20 now. His mother, my cousin, also does this. Quite often she will introduce the topic into conversation and then go on about it quite energetically, describing some of the "odd" ways in which her son behaves regardless of whether anyone seems interested - and in my view she's totally misrepresenting what autism is, but she's not very smart when it comes to all the medical stuff so I think she only has a basic understanding of it. Anyway, the point is she's talking about her son and his autism, but it's coming across all the time as "this is something special that happened to me".

 

[old dog 16]

It sure does seem that easy on the surface. I believe that there are loads of adults on the spectrum living unsuccessful lives in poverty and living on the streets. We won't ever hear about the unsuccessful people that will never get diagnosed or helped.

Well here I am! I am a 62 year Navy veteran, employed most of the time. Soon to be unemployed again. I could easily see myself homeless soon, except I think there is a better course.

 

[Rogue Princess]

Most of the posts on this thread are too complex for me to get my pretty little head around.

But I always found it hard to understand how the other Autistics were not so obviously autistic as children as I was. I didn't really think my case was that bad....

I get a little scared seeing autism "en trende" on Instagram. I'm concerned how it will effect us disabled ones. On the other hand, it's great it's being normalized. Perhaps the kids of today won't get stuck with the retard label. Though, I'm not sure if kids say retard anymore these days anyway...

 

[old dog 16]

It sure does seem that easy on the surface. I believe that there are loads of adults on the spectrum living unsuccessful lives in poverty and living on the streets. We won't ever hear about the unsuccessful people that will never get diagnosed or helped.

I absolutely, sincerely, believe you are correct. And I believe many of these people helping less fortunate individuals, myself included, are sincere. Both. However, there is a lot more money in treatment, than there is in cure.

I'm one of those, I was homeless for 12 years.

I'm 62, haven't been homeless yet, but I can see it down the road,

 

[Outdated]

I'm 62, haven't been homeless yet, but I can see it down the road,

I don't know how it works where you live, but here we get a higher priority for social housing once we're over 55, and even without a formal diagnosis if you identify as autistic that adds weight to your claim as well.

 

[old dog 16]

I don't know how it works where you live, but here we get a higher priority for social housing once we're over 55, and even without a formal diagnosis if you identify as autistic that adds weight to your claim as well.

Wow! Not that way in America. We are very fortunate in many ways, but the rich keep getting richer, and everyone else keep getting poorer. I don't want to go to the poor house, but there are alternatives.

 

[old dog 16]

Wow! Not that way in America. We are very fortunate in many ways, but the rich keep getting richer, and everyone else keep getting poorer. I don't want to go to the poor house, but there are alternatives.

Also, your way of government might be better than ours. Or less corrupt.

 

[Outdated]

Also, your way of government might be better than ours.

It's not without it's faults but it seems to work fairly well. I believe Canada's parliamentary system is very similar too, based on the English Westminster system.

 

[old dog 16]

It's not without it's faults but it seems to work fairly well. I believe Canada's parliamentary system is very similar too, based on the English Westminster system.

Too bad the U.N. can't stop war. Separate or together, we could all live better without war.

 

[GrownupGirl]

ASD used to be seen as primarily a white male child disorder, but now the experts know that it affects adults, female people, and minorities. Also it's a spectrum disorder that affects people very differently, the stereotype of a small boy wearing a helmet while staring off into space and drooling on himself needs to die. DIE.