One in 68 is “on the spectrum.” That is NOT how many have autism. And there’s where the huge rate of increase comes from: we’ve gone from measuring those disabled by autism to measuring those “on the spectrum.”
Heck, I’m probably on the spectrum.
Some clues my wife was taught to look for for signs of autism among high school students:
Delayed sexual activity.
Fan of science fiction.
Likes numbers, chess, computer programming, etc.
“Fan of science fiction.
Likes numbers, chess, computer programming, etc.
—
Those are considered positive things IMHO.
.
I'm glad I went to elementary school when I did. I got to be just a kid. I shudder to think of what I would be diagnosed with (and medicated/poisoned for) if I were a schoolboy today.
There's money from Fedzilla in them thar diagnoses ...
Life is harder with brains that have trouble with interpersonal relations, even if someone is only mildly affected. Just like life is harder if you have diabetes or a serious allergy. This is true even for forever undiagnosed people barely on the spectrum.
And if the child is diagnosed, it means there are problems just being educated, living, getting from one activity to another, coping with normal life. These problems affect everyone around the child.
Thirdly, some children are affected so severely that they will never for a moment be able to care for themselves. It is a huge spectrum.
But if we can prevent it by keeping our lives and bodies safe from neurotoxins, we should try. Even if it hurts various industrial or medical industries.
“Some clues my wife was taught to look for as signs of autism among high school students: Delayed sexual activity. Fan of science fiction. Likes numbers, chess, computer programming, etc.”
I have to call BS on that.
All that means is that sometimes bright kids are late bloomers physically.
and don’t forget socially stunted which in my day was SHY!
They keep changing the “list” so that we are ALL autistic.