Until the Feds began providing school $$$ for autism, it was very rare indeed, because it was defined very narrowly. I had acquaintances in the late 60s with a son who really WAS autistic - completely incapable of any human contact, non verbal, fixated on machinery and loud noises, just sat around and rocked repetitively. When they became too old to care for him he had to be institutionalized. Horrible, horrible situation but there was literally no way to make contact.
Now, kids who are just "a little odd" are given a diagnosis. It's made it difficult to quantify the problem, or to get any kind of strategy going to help the kids who really have the disorder.
Too true; see # 26.
‘... In the late 60s with a son who really WAS autistic - completely incapable of any human contact, non verbal, fixated on machinery and loud noises, just sat around and rocked repetitively’
Got two of them just in my extended family. Don’t know what we’ll do when their parents are gone.
Have one, two, three, four in my circle of friends all teens now
No speech until five or six years old - I’ve known them that long, violent, unable to function
You might want to just read the article or find out about the illustrious sharyl attkisson You sound ignorant on this subject. Willfully so
You are wrong. See my previous. There really are more kids moderately and severely affected.