So I can partially understand the fact that people with no experience with neurodiversity might wonder why autism and ADHD seem so much more prevalent than they did a few years ago. think. Before Eddie was born, I might have thought the same thing. But the simple answer is that we didn’t have the science, knowledge, and skills to diagnose it in the past.
In fact, recent research shows that the number of people diagnosed with autism increased by a staggering 787% between 1998 and 2018.
Researchers compared the prevalence of autism recorded in UK GP records covering more than 9 million patients from GP practices. This research Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatrysuggested that this increase may be due to increased reporting, recognition, and application of the autism diagnosis.
long waiting time
Recent NHS statistics show that children are currently forced to wait at least 10 months after an autism referral for an appointment (which I think is generous) and then receive appropriate support. To receive it, you must navigate a minefield of expanded services, abbreviations, and medical teams. And the ultimate goal is the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), which specifies the measures that need to be put in place in educational settings for children with additional needs. For example, Eddie’s book, which we had to sue to get, states that he is visually impaired and may need larger fonts and colored backgrounds to read. It has been. He has an average IQ, but has difficulty concentrating in noisy environments and his behavior can be very repetitive.
But autism itself is not new. The concept was first coined in 1911 by German psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, who also coined the term, to describe the symptoms of the most severe cases of schizophrenia.
When Eddie was diagnosed at age 7, after nearly three years of waiting to see the overburdened and underfunded CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), I had to see a clinical psychologist to review his medical history. It didn’t. My late brother, Charlie, said he suffered from schizophrenia (which ultimately led to his untimely death).
The psychologist then said, which I thought was rather insensitive and thoughtless, that autism used to be called “childhood schizophrenia.”
However, although autism and schizophrenia are both classified as neurodevelopmental disorders, they are quite different. One is a neurological disease and the other is a mental illness.
ongoing stigma
Unfortunately, the stigma and lack of understanding about autism makes children like my son the target of bullying in mainstream settings. One of the children at my last school, a small elementary school in a nice village, called my son “brain damaged.” Another called him an “autistic idiot.” He was always the child least likely to be invited to parties. So much for inclusivity. I think that says a lot about my parents.
This is one reason why it is so important to have a basic understanding and awareness of autism and other neurodiverse conditions. The right support makes a big difference. In fact, it can be life-changing, but it took me a while to figure it out.
We fought to get Eddie into a specialist school almost a year after he had his time slot reduced at his mainstream primary school because he “couldn’t meet up”. [his] He’s made great progress since starting at his new school last June. He’s like a different kid, enthusiastic, happy, talkative, and relaxed. He’s finally letting himself be who he is. Being in a place where you’re accepted for who you are is all parents want for their children, right? And every child should have the right to an education.
