Rising Concerns: The Growing Prevalence of Autism in Today's Society

johnfuller on 31/07/2024 - 16:43
Last edited 08/08/2024 - 08:31 by 2 other users

I'd like to discuss a serious and seemingly widespread issue: autism. When I speak with individuals aged 80 and above, they recall that there was typically one person in their village with Down syndrome, known by everyone, and they were treated just like everyone else, leading a normal life. Nowadays, a child born with autism has their life significantly adjusted to accommodate their needs.

I've observed that many families have at least one child on the autism spectrum, and some even have two, despite the parents being unrelated. This appears to be becoming increasingly common, raising concerns about the future and whether our children will be able to have their own children, given the prevalence of this issue.

In my opinion, this situation is more alarming than any pandemic because it is insidious and often goes unnoticed.

Is it pollution? The environment? Stress? The food we eat? Plastics?

As a new parent, this truly terrifies me.

Health & Beauty

Comments

  • original15 on 31/07/2024 - 16:49
    +82

    Got any articles or research or figures to suggest it is increasing and an issue. I mean it’s likely it’s on the up but by how much? And why? Gotta bring something in to this convo.

    Wouldn’t rely on what you’re seeing and hearing vs what the 80yr olds can recall from their village and incidence of something that wasn't described in the DSM until the 90s

    • jv on 31/07/2024 - 20:07
      +9

      I mean it’s likely it’s on the up but by how much?

      Why is it likely?

      • original15 on 31/07/2024 - 23:11
        +14

        Ha fair question, as a ‘newer’ disorder I would have said the understanding of it was still being developed and evolving, so spotting it and diagnosis hypothesised to be on the up

        • jv on 31/07/2024 - 23:21
          -2

          so spotting it and diagnosis hypothesised to be on the up

          that is very different to

          it’s likely it’s on the up

    • anonymous01 on 01/08/2024 - 01:03
      -1

      "The studies are being suppressed by the elite, they don't want you to know that Autism is caused by xxxx factor, so they can keep making money because of that xxxx factor"

      Puts on the tin foil hat

      /end of sarcasm

      Or is it? Think, think and think for yourself. LEAD in petrol caused issues in general population decades ago, how can we know something else in modern society isn't doing the same thing? In the words of Socrates, 'I don't know anything'.

      • ssfps on 01/08/2024 - 01:26
        +1

        Worth pointing out that they (DuPont scientists and leadership) knew leaded petrol was bad for us before it was widespread. What regulators exited at the time, and until it was banned and why did it stay around for so long?

        • Alley Cat on 02/08/2024 - 14:50
          +7

          lol DuPont again? They really hate humans.

          • Jackson on 03/08/2024 - 09:13

            @Alley Cat: Give them a break, they're American

          • Dsiee on 03/08/2024 - 10:34

            @Alley Cat: They make a lot of stuff so chances are they would make a fair bit of the bad stuff even if there was nothing unusual about the and negative side effects were randomly distributed.

    • CalmLemons on 01/08/2024 - 19:09
      +4

      Yes, appears OP is just going with his opinion/heresay.

      Autism is also being thrown around because kids are getting shorter attentions spans due to devices and apps, as simple as that.

      Down syndrome is a congenital disorder, google it and you will get all the relevant results.

      We also screen and measure with different methods these days and more accurately so this may skew any results you may see, because 100 years ago we weren't exactly pumping excel…

      There is so much zero science in this post.

      • CodeExplode on 01/08/2024 - 23:18
        +2

        Additionally 80 years ago there were about 28% of the number of people in the country as there are today. Old people would perceive there being less of everything in the past. If you removed about 3 of every 4 people in every street, you'd be back to population levels 80 years ago.

        Mortality rates for people different were probably much higher and less well documented as well.

      • taradavey on 04/08/2024 - 07:56

        Autism doesn't present with just lower attention span… I think you're thinking of ADHD.

    • RefusdClassification on 03/08/2024 - 14:21

      Asperger's disorder goes back to the 1940s (Hans Asperger). Autism isn't new. Schizophrenia was coined by Kraepelin in 1910, from memory (before that it was called dementia praecox). Besides autism, we have an epidemic of ADD/ADHD, which used to be called hyperkinetic impulse disorder or MDB (minimal brain damage/dysfunction) in the 'good old days'.

      The problem is, people are incentivized to get both autism and ADD diagnoses. Autism gives parents access to the NDIS (which is causing massive budget headaches). If there was no financial benefit to the parents for an autistic diagnosis, less children would be getting diagnosed thus. What about ADD? No NDIS, but legal access to performance enhancing substances (Dopaminergic stimulants). Dexamphetamine is just a slightly less potent form of methamphetamine (speed/crystal meth). Ritalin is closer to cocaine, a DSRI. Adults are paying lots of money to get diagnosed as ADD. Sure, in low doses uppers improve focus, but that happens regardless of whether you are ADD or not. Avoid higher does though; they can induce psychosis and cause cardiac problems, plus you have to deal with tolerance.

      That said, the 3.5 year old boy next door to me has full autism. He cannot speak, and he doesn't look at people. He's not faking it, and his parents haven't coached him to feign disability; his order sister is a normal carefree extrovert.

      In the US you actually get paid SSDI for every disabled child in your custody; a poor American once said to me, "The best thing is to have a disabled kid". Ex-soldiers in America get a reasonably high payment from the Feds if they PTDS; not surprisingly, nobody receiving a PTSD payment ever goes into remission - they are incentivized by the government to "remain ill".

      Lastly, the incidence of a lot of illnesses is going through the roof/exponential (at least in Western countries): depression, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, Alzheimers, carcinomas, etc. I called out the malingers above, but even when you exclude them, there still is a significant increase over time.

      Maybe our culture is making people sick, a toxic combination of capitalism, liberalism, identity politics and hyper-individualism. As Thatcher said, "There is no society, only individuals". Solution: collectivism. Rebuild community.

      • Scrooge McDuck on 03/08/2024 - 20:03
        +1

        People will do what you pay them to do.

        That's a fact which seems to lack enough consideration by policy makers.

      • Shunter86 on 05/08/2024 - 08:50

        Weapons grade ignorance.

    • CalmLemons on 16/11/2024 - 01:27

      For those that may search this in the future:

      Vaccines do not cause autism. The study used had faked data and that British doctor was registered.

      Here is a full report.
      https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3136032/

  • Porker on 31/07/2024 - 16:50
    +37

    Just enjoy your newborn - be thankful they are without the challenges you worry about within this post.

    • Silentin on 04/08/2024 - 14:09

      They will be eventually. Can't keep them away from social contagions and whatever the newest trends are.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 31/07/2024 - 16:52
    +67

    I often joke that I must be on the spectrum- but the more I read into it , I’m thinking it might not be a joke - it would explain so much! My poor eye contact, my anxiety in social circumstances (unless in work scenario , where I’ve got a pre defined and meticulously crafted persona), my predefined routines, not being able to keep or make friends IRL etc - but I still managed to live a .. reasonably.. normal life - thankfully there is way more support and resources these days, than say 30 years ago.

    • mrdean on 31/07/2024 - 16:58
      +7

      My poor eye contact, my anxiety in social circumstances

      Yes, good examples. Looking back to my early years, I recognise I had both, especially the eye contact. In the last ten years, this has changed, eye contact & anxiety are no longer issues.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 31/07/2024 - 19:11
        +1

        Was it though medication, sheer force of will, self help book, or you just grew out of it? I hope it’s the last one… and I hope I haven’t missed the deadline 🥲

    • brendanm on 31/07/2024 - 18:07
      +7

      I'm your friend jimothy.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 31/07/2024 - 19:09
        +9

        My misso: JW you really need to make some friends… you’re getting isolated and weird.

        Me: I have plenty of friends on ozbargain!

        Misso: that doesn’t count!

        • brendanm on 31/07/2024 - 21:00
          +7

          Of course it counts 🙂

      • BewareOfThe Dog on 31/07/2024 - 22:46
        +2

        Me2.

    • justworld on 31/07/2024 - 18:19
      +28

      I'm a barrister and I'd say 70% of us are autistic

      Now where's my NDIS funded sex worker and personal chef? (Don't tell my wife)

    • kranix on 31/07/2024 - 21:46
      +11

      If you think you may have autism, there are some fairly simple places to start. The best site I've found is this one. Many autistics are DSM level 1 and often don't find out until much later in life. Neurodivergence covers 30-40% of the population according to some estimates.

      If you score highly on the screeners, it's pretty simple these days to get a proper assessment done and get help afterwards. We've come a long way in society.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 01/08/2024 - 11:12
        +7

        If you score highly on the screeners

        Doc: You got a perfect score on your autism questionnaire
        Me: Oh nice …wait.

      • trapper on 01/08/2024 - 11:59
        +7

        The term "divergent" implies a departure from what is typical or standard. If a large percentage of the population (40%) is neurodivergent, it raises a philosophical question about what constitutes the "norm" in human neurology.

        If such a high percentage was accurate, it might suggest a broader definition of normal neurological variation rather than viewing neurodivergence as an exception.

        • kranix on 01/08/2024 - 12:18
          +2

          It's often called neurodiverse instead of neurodivergent (both are acceptable) because there are so many variations. Most people have more-or-less one type of neurology. The remainder have an extremely wide assortment.

          • trapper on 01/08/2024 - 12:26
            +3

            @kranix:

            It's often called neurodiverse instead of neurodivergent

            Those words have completely different meanings though.

            Of course we are neurodiverse, everyone has their own unique neurological makeup. Divergent however describes a departure from the norm.

      • The Wololo Wombat on 04/08/2024 - 12:14

        If it's 30-40%… is it really 'divergent?'

    • OmboKing on 01/08/2024 - 07:07
      +1

      Welcome to the spectrum my friend!

    • Scrooge McDeal on 01/08/2024 - 08:42
      +5

      Oh shit! I thought you just described myself. 🥺

      • BrettSh on 01/08/2024 - 09:06
        +4

        Me too

      • eris on 02/08/2024 - 21:00

        ADHD often has those symptoms as well (social anxiety and poor eye contact are very common).

    • Vomo on 02/08/2024 - 06:58

      You can enjoy nature, go out and talk to the animals you see. Only half joking!

    • eris on 02/08/2024 - 20:56
      +1

      Social anxiety and poor eye contact are very common with ADHD as well.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 02/08/2024 - 21:02

        adhd

        googles

        People may experience:

        Behavioural: aggression, excitability, fidgeting, hyperactivity, impulsivity, irritability, lack of restraint, or persistent repetition of words or actions

        Cognitive: absent-mindedness, difficulty focusing, forgetfulness, problem paying attention, or short attention span

        Mood: anger, anxiety, boredom, excitement, or mood swings

        Also common: depression or learning disability

        Oh no… this is my whole damn personality!

        • Scrooge McDeal on 02/08/2024 - 21:09
          +2

          Hey Jimothy, looks like the same to me. But again I thought most people are like that. Or was it just me and some minority of people.
          Do you also get the non stop thinking of everything, even analyzing things that someone said done today, yesterday or even 10 years ago?
          It looks like I am locked in my brain and I can't escape. I run run but I can't escape the constant thinking.

          • Jimothy Wongingtons on 03/08/2024 - 08:34
            +2

            @Scrooge McDeal:

            Do you also get the non stop thinking of everything, even analyzing things that someone said done today, yesterday or even 10 years ago?

            Damn thought everyone did this. Especially either while taking a long shower or during yet another sleepless night of tossing and turning at 3am

          • Ironic fear on 04/08/2024 - 13:26

            @Scrooge McDeal: My doctor said doing this is a sign of Generalised Anxiety Disorder

            So many people were raised and taught practices to make us normal but that were actually surpressing ourselves and harming ourselves mentally.

            It comes out sooner or later
            😢

  • randomusername2017 on 31/07/2024 - 16:57
    +11

    Location north sydney

    /End

    • chriskq on 31/07/2024 - 23:10
      -1

      I don't get it…

      • Tambani on 03/08/2024 - 11:37
        +3

        Enough money to buy pearls to clutch. Not enough money to hire someone to review valid literature.

  • Duckie2hh on 31/07/2024 - 16:59
    +10

    known by everyone, and they were treated just like everyone else

    They lying to you boo. I thought they throw them off the cliff^

    ^Reference: https://www.history.com/news/8-reasons-it-wasnt-easy-being-s…

  • spackbace on 31/07/2024 - 16:59
    +13

    I've observed that many families have at least one child on the autism spectrum, and some even have two

    Well that goes against the stats…

    It is estimated that 1 in 100 people in Australia have Autism.

    In 2018 there were 205,200 Australians with Autism, a 25.1% increase from the 164,000 in 2015 (Source: ABS SDAC 2018– Autism in Australia).

    • spackbace on 31/07/2024 - 17:01
      +7

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/770586

      Ok, explains a bit…

      • DashCam AKA Rolts on 31/07/2024 - 18:16
        +29

        Those accusations about teflon don't stick.

        • Jimothy Wongingtons on 31/07/2024 - 19:47
          +3

          Underrated comment

          • Scrooge McDuck on 03/08/2024 - 20:12
            +1

            @Jimothy Wongingtons: OP:

            I've observed that many families have at least one child on the autism spectrum, and some even have two, despite the parents being unrelated.

            *Sweet home Alabama.*

      • maximum on 31/07/2024 - 22:52
        +5

        I thought the op may have been wearing a tin foil hat too long - but perhaps it was made from telfon.

      • Miami Mall Alien on 01/08/2024 - 16:02
        +2

        You gotta be a terminal level of special to not be aware of the fact that DuPont/Dow Chemical has been sued and sued into conceding admission that PFOAs like Teflon are universally bad for human health and that their internal documents revealed they were aware of this fact since the 1940s but repeatedly suppressed any disclosure of this and bullied whistle-blowers into silence to avoid any negative impacts to their bottom line.

        Go watch Dark Waters and educate yourself for once. You can read it on Wikipedia. It's all public record now.

    • trapper on 01/08/2024 - 12:06
      +3

      A 25.1% increase every 3 years, so we could project 321,138 in 2024 - and with most of all the new recruits being young children.

      • Tambani on 03/08/2024 - 11:39

        Citation?

  • Duckie2hh on 31/07/2024 - 17:00
    +19

    Is it pollution? The environment? Stress? The food we eat? Plastics?

    Don't forget the 5G

    • spackbace on 31/07/2024 - 17:01
      -1

      Teflon

      • Duckie2hh on 31/07/2024 - 17:01
        +2

        PFAS

      • johnfuller on 02/08/2024 - 11:25
        -2

        a woman usually brings up the history like an archeologist

        look at asbestos, everyone thought it was safe until people started choking and dying.

        they recently banned man made stone, wonder why?

        • spackbace on 02/08/2024 - 11:32
          +7

          a woman usually brings up the history like an archeologist

          Wut?

          • Ironic fear on 04/08/2024 - 13:38

            @spackbace: Idk where OP was going with that comment but ut made me think of that old rolo advert with the elephant

    • belongsinforums on 31/07/2024 - 21:53
      +2

      someone beat you to the punch with fluoride and 'modern medicine is quackery' above lol

      • mrdean on 01/08/2024 - 07:42
        +4

        If you are going to quote me, do it correctly. I said "mainstream medicine is at least 80% quackery.”

        • belongsinforums on 01/08/2024 - 11:29
          +1

          Oh that's so much better thank you

          • Chandler on 01/08/2024 - 13:09
            +1

            @belongsinforums: He's not necessarily wrong but - what is mainstream medicine? "Oh, you have X symptoms? Ok, X usually represents Y. Lets do Z to resolve it." I'm not that this methodology is wrong or bad, but it is what it is.

            Have a look at a lot of the edge cases where people have sought alternate or self treatments - a lot of their issues seem to be connected to gut health or exposure. Now obviously take it all with a grain of salt, but I've been noticing a pattern myself. That pattern could be them drinking the same Kool-Aid, or it could be due to some grain of truth…

            • ConsumerAffairs on 01/08/2024 - 15:50

              @Chandler: I think what you're trying to say is that modern medicine aims to treat the symptoms but alternative medicine aims to treat the cause.
              Modern medicine only thrives if people stay sick, it all comes back down to money and sick people make money.

              • Chandler on 01/08/2024 - 16:11

                @ConsumerAffairs: No. Sometimes yes, medicine does aim to just alleviate symptoms while the patients body handles the underlying cause - this is especially true regarding pharmaceuticals, in my opinion. But other times it does aim to treat the underlying cause.

                My statement was more saying that sometimes the underlying cause is a presumption based on the information presented, which is fair enough. To be fair, I think this thought process (and this could apply to others who have similar opinions) is based on my own experience, where I have been fortunate to not be stricken with many conditions that require medical intervention, and thus my own experience has mostly been symptom management.

                Going back to things like the comment by mrdean that belongsinforums comment was in reference to, presumably mrdean was suffering some symptoms that switching to RO (reverse osmosis, for those wondering) water alleviated their symptoms. Thus, presumably, something in the water they were drinking was causing their symptoms. I've also anecdotally heard a lot about the importance of gut health and potentially wide range of issues that poor gut health can be connected to, as mrdean alludes to in their comment.

              • iCandy on 01/08/2024 - 17:17

                @ConsumerAffairs: I have no idea why you were downvoted. Idiots never fail to surprise me.

            • belongsinforums on 01/08/2024 - 16:33
              +1

              @Chandler: Thanks doc. I'll tell my doctor that his 30 years of training is quackery

        • Roman Sandstorm on 01/08/2024 - 17:01
          +6

          I said "mainstream medicine is at least 80% quackery.”

          Geez, I hope the 20% are the practitioners who:
          * Cure my kid's leukemia
          * Set my broken leg, and monitor my physio recovery
          * Eliminate scourges like smallpox, polio, measles, cholera, diphtheria, etc
          * Remove and cure my mother's breast cancer
          * Prescribe antibiotics so simple infections don't kill me
          * Extend my life (and quality of life) with statins and blood pressure medication
          * I'm getting tired of typing……..

          Whew, those 20% must be oh-so-busy saints.

        • RefusdClassification on 03/08/2024 - 14:33
          +2

          Look up meta-studies of anti-depressants, eg :"The Emperor's New Drugs". Commonly used antidepressants are just snake-oil placebos; they are no more effective than an active placebo like a beta blocker or a anti-histamine or an anti-muscarinic.

          Very few medical treatments in the past 50 years cure disease; at best they reduce symptoms. Big pharma loves this; people remain customers their entire lives. In the old days you could permanently cure Syphilis with a single Penicillin injection (you still can, but few people get syphilis because antibiotics almost eradicated it). Where are the permanent cures for diabetes, depression, Alzheimer's, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinsons, asthma, hypertension and so on? Influenza and CoVid vaccines: maybe 30% protection for 6 months.

          When physical goods are free to the recipient (in this case price paid by the government), it generally means they are worthless crap. There is no free food, free electricity or free houses (public housing takes 25% of your income, and you get no equity).

  • TheOtherBigAl on 31/07/2024 - 17:01
    +92

    Wow, that's quite the rambling you've posted there OP. First up, Autism and Downs are completely unrelated. To mention them in the same sentance, let alone the same paragraph, shows a willful ignorance: Autism is a spectrum disorder, while Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder.

    Beyond that … open some books, do some reading. And perhaps most importantly, get off Reddit, Facebook and Twitter. Turn off the Sky News.

    • smpantsonfire on 01/08/2024 - 05:15
      +2

      OP should consider this a significant achievement in ‚being told‘.

      It looks like TheOtherBigAI only comments on average, 3 times a year. OP would have to feel special about that.

    • OBEY YOUR MASTERS on 01/08/2024 - 11:32

      Could you please re-write this post and increase the arrogance level by about 40 per cent.

      • Crow K on 23/08/2024 - 14:56
        -1

        Why, so you can pass it off as your own writing?

    • bp2000 on 03/08/2024 - 09:55

      I logged in just to upvote this and now reply. This or a comment like it needs to be top. Also, what does the OP mean by "parents being completely unrelated", if they mean like from an incest pov, I'm not aware that there has ever been a link with Autism and parents being close in genetic make-up. Not that I'd recommend that. Just a perplexing comment from the OP. Autism is such a spectrum and genetically heterogenous that they struggle to make any link. The OP is obviously very confused, or perhaps being intentionally misleading.

  • Dollar General on 31/07/2024 - 17:06
    +18

    For autism perhaps it’s better diagnosis in the past decade or so compared to previously

    • OutOfTime on 31/07/2024 - 17:12
      +18

      Definitely, there's much better awareness = less people undiagnosed
      Not sure if there's actually an increase of people with it, rather, just more are diagnosed nowadays

      • PeelThis on 02/08/2024 - 09:29
        +4

        100% pretty much all mental conditions and illlnesses are being identified and supported more.
        On top of that the stigma around them is dropping, so more people are identifing it in themselves and coming and seeking support instead of trying to hide it.

  • ihfree on 31/07/2024 - 17:10
    +9

    What is your source OP? IIRC, there was a similar question in a recent "We're pregnant thread"

    Down Syndrome could be tied to people having children later - Mothers over 35 are more at risk(Health Direct).

    For autism:

    Some studies have suggested that changing criteria over decades and improved awareness have led to more people being diagnosed…

    Source: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-unique-factor-th…

    Air pollution may also be a factor for autism.

  • soan papdi on 31/07/2024 - 17:18
    +26

    When I speak with individuals aged 80 and above, they recall that there was typically one person in their village with Down syndrome, known by everyone, and they were treated just like everyone else, leading a normal life

    The 80 year old you spoke to is spouting BS. Society on the whole has evolved to treating Down's kids a lot better.

    Here's a quote from the founder of the Down's Syndrome Association in the UK
    https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/about-dsa/our-history/

    At that time, people who have Down’s syndrome were generally referred to as ‘mongols’; they were considered to be educationally sub-normal. Many people who have Down’s syndrome lived in institutional settings such as long-stay mental hospitals. Parents were often encouraged to leave their children in such institutions and to forget about them. If they did take their children home, they could expect very little support in the community.

    ASD is similar. We are more aware of the causes. Instead of blaming the parents, we acknowledge the condition.

    From https://nationalautismcenter.org/autism/historical-perspecti…

    At the time, treatment for autism was very limited. Most of these children were placed in institutions, far from the public eye, to live out their lives. Professionals commonly held the view that “refrigerator mothers” were responsible for the symptoms observed in these children. Deficits in the children’s functioning were assumed to be linked to poor attachment and/or absentee parenting (Bettleheim, 1967). Because parents were often blamed for their children’s disorders, many experienced great shame for having a child with ASD.

    Much has changed in the last six decades. We now know that autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder, is most likely caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Although we would like to think that parents are no longer blamed, all-too-frequent examples demonstrate how autism is still widely misunderstood.

    Totally understand the worry you feel but rationally, there's no better time to be a baby than today. In western society at least. You have an incredible amount of information, medicines, resources and social medical assistance if you ever need it. Don't let a few worries ruin your time with the new baby. Good luck in your parenting!

  • mskeggs on 31/07/2024 - 17:21
    +33

    If you stop suppressing things, people feel freer to discuss their issues.

    We watched the original movie Twister the other night. A scene where one of the characters was belittled for needing therapy hasn't aged well.
    But when I was a kid getting labelled as autistic or Asperger's or ADD was a negative, and if you could mask your behaviour to avoid it, you almost certainly did.

    Now we have improved willingness to provide accommodation to people with different neurologies, so we can give them a better path at school, work and other areas.

    It's a bit like when the teachers stopped hitting the left handers with a ruler, all of a sudden there are more lefties.

    • ChrisLevo on 31/07/2024 - 17:49
      +7

      Peer-reviewed scientific proof of that statement?

      Crickets…

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