Was the diagnosis of autism around when our older generation was growing up? I don’t remember the term when I was young in the 50’s. I was just wondering if the condition is more prevelant now or maybe it was called something else when I was young?
Autism has indeed grown enormously since 50 years ago. It’s not linked to IVF as far as I know.
Many FReepers suspect that childhood inoculations are a factor - and certainly my own nephew become autistic not long after a barrage of shots. Anecdotal evidence, of course.
You are right about the rates of autism increasing from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. As usual, you must be careful because of better diagnosis could be the cause. For example, as a child psychiatrist (MD) told me autism used to be misdiagnosed as childhood schizophrenia which we know today is very rare. Also, we understand that there are varying levels of autism ranging up to highly functional. Most likely, highly functional just went on their way in the “old days”.
My relative is a child psychiatrist with an autism specialty
He says that a generation ago many of the autism cases he see would have been classified as retardation
Plus autism is more cool today than being called retarded...
Plus you can score an SSI check for your autistic child
“Was the diagnosis of autism around when our older generation was growing up? I don’t remember the term when I was young in the 50’s. I was just wondering if the condition is more prevelant now or maybe it was called something else when I was young?”
The diagnosis and classification of mental disorders has become more sophisticated over the years. “Mental Retardation” is too broad a term; I think even “Austism” is too broad a term to describe the spectrum of disorders ranging from mild to severe. Go back a hundred years and every village had its “idiots”.