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Timeline for autism diagnosis rates?

Jenny Butterfly

Just wondering, is there such a thing as a basic timeline showing autism diagnosis rates over the decades?

I am thinking that my dad, born in the 1920s, stood no chance until old age.  Being born in the 1960s meant I stood little chance of diagnosis early in life, so it's no surprise it took until my 50s.  But then, from the 80s onwards, it changes.  And what were the chances in the 90s?  I didn't pick it up in my sons, but then I can remember having a very different idea of what autism actually was.  And it wasn't us.  

Against this timeline, there must be a related but reversed trend for the likelihood of remaining undiagnosed but still possibly needing support.  Are there any efforts to reach such people or any information specific to them?

I really wish I'd known sooner and then been in a better position to help my sons.  And to me it seems quite likely that there will be people out there who are in the same position as I was just a couple of years ago.  This troubles me.  

Parents

  • Hi, you raise alot of good points there, I was born 1980 and what I was taught of autism as a child and even into my teens ( mum was studying early years support and has dyslexia so I read all her course to her) is very different to what is taught now, when I first mentioned to my mum that my daughter is probably autistic she laughed and said no she is just weird! After showing her newer research into how autism affects people and presents differently in nearly every case ,she agrees and started questioning how many children she had seen over the years with traits that simply weren't recognised then how many people had slipped through the cracks and not received the support they needed?

    Awareness has come along way but it still has a hell of a long way to go.

Reply

  • Hi, you raise alot of good points there, I was born 1980 and what I was taught of autism as a child and even into my teens ( mum was studying early years support and has dyslexia so I read all her course to her) is very different to what is taught now, when I first mentioned to my mum that my daughter is probably autistic she laughed and said no she is just weird! After showing her newer research into how autism affects people and presents differently in nearly every case ,she agrees and started questioning how many children she had seen over the years with traits that simply weren't recognised then how many people had slipped through the cracks and not received the support they needed?

    Awareness has come along way but it still has a hell of a long way to go.

Children
  • in reply to NAS39248

    Yes, much of what I went through as a child was labelled as weirdness.  Or being highly strung or temperamental.  Plus my own understanding of autism, the very limited one that could never feed into my parenting because it stayed on the margins of my awareness, only began to be formed in the 90s.  It involved obvious diagnoses and special schools.  Whereas we were a family of hermits, eccentrics and "ragged philosophers".  I therefore completely disregarded the possibility of autism in the family.  Yet now, after a couple of years of fairly intensive reading on the subject, I am forced to wonder how I managed to live like that.