Autism rates are surging - should we be worried?

I don't think it's necessarily the rates going up as in more people suddenly being on the spectrum but it is likely due to increased awareness which in turn leads to more assessments meaning more people diagnosed. Think back 20 years ago, how aware the population was of autism and the signs of someone being on the spectrum. 20 years ago a child/teen struggling socially, with sensory issues etc would likely have just been seen as a bit odd by teacher's/family whereas now with more awareness parents and teachers are more likely to question if it could be more then just being a bit quirky. Same with adults now getting diagnosed having lived through their childhood/adolescence believing they were just a bit different they finally have an understanding of why they had/have certain issues/struggles. So of course the numbers are going to go up with everyone being more aware - adults going for assessments after recognizing traits in themselves as well as parents/teachers recognizing what could be traits of autism in a child and going for assessments.

I don't think it's necessarily the rates going up as in more people suddenly being on the spectrum but it is likely due to increased awareness which in turn leads to more assessments meaning more people diagnosed. Think back 20 years ago, how aware the population was of autism and the signs of someone being on the spectrum. 20 years ago a child/teen struggling socially, with sensory issues etc would likely have just been seen as a bit odd by teacher's/family whereas now with more awareness parents and teachers are more likely to question if it could be more then just being a bit quirky. Same with adults now getting diagnosed having lived through their childhood/adolescence believing they were just a bit different they finally have an understanding of why they had/have certain issues/struggles. So of course the numbers are going to go up with everyone being more aware - adults going for assessments after recognizing traits in themselves as well as parents/teachers recognizing what could be traits of autism in a child and going for assessments.