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Are there more autistic people now? (www.bbc.com)
submitted 4 days ago by sabreW4K3@lazysoci.al to c/autism@lemmy.world
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[-] alucard@feddit.org 32 points 4 days ago

Didn't read the article, but answering your question in the title:

> autistic people exist, but no real word to describe them adequately

> someone bothers doing research

> more and more people get the diagnosis based on scientific criteria and understanding, which is fluid as time and learning go on

> total number changes if autistic people are born or die, not just willy-nilly as so many people seem to suggest

> some person does not understand that growing number of autism diagnoses != growing number of autistic people

> "Are there more autistic people now?"

Not your fault OP, I'm just really bothered to read something like that. That's if our eyes got an upgrade and we were able to suddenly distinguish one more colour. No, nothing turned the new colour, it was always there. It just wasn't perceivable to us prior to the upgrade.

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 11 points 4 days ago

NTs are hilariously bad at spotting us. My niece just got her AuDHD diagnosis...years after i mentioned her parents might want to check some things. Her parents didn't care until the disregulation started becoming an issue for them.

[-] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago

Also:

  • People first only use the label "autism" on individuals who also have intellectual disability, which created the stigma of autism = intellectual disability but worse.
[-] vzqq 9 points 4 days ago

The article is much better than I feared. It mostly highlights expanded diagnostic criteria and a more accepting cultural environment. Crucially, it does not mention the V word.

[-] retrolasered@feddit.uk 6 points 4 days ago

Whats the v word?

[-] Deestan@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago

The conspiracy bullshit from the 90s about vaccines that doesn't deserve media coverage even to debunk it.

[-] retrolasered@feddit.uk 2 points 3 days ago

Oh lol. Thank you, im so out of phase 😅 its obvious now you told me but I would never have figured that out myself 🤦

[-] vzqq 2 points 3 days ago

I went into the section about “environmental factors” with a lot of trepidation, but it was surprisingly good!

[-] noctivius@lemm.ee 3 points 4 days ago

what is V word?

[-] vzqq 2 points 4 days ago

“Vaccination”

[-] Carmakazi@lemmy.world 7 points 4 days ago

The numbers are probably similar but back then more of them were abused into either permanent masking or madness/suicide. Not exactly an accepting world 80 years ago.

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

My grandfather died at 60 in 1990. Everyone who ever met the guy universally agrees he was autistic as fuck.

But he was employable, had a wife, six kids and wasn't uncommunicative so at the time he wasn't considered as such at all

this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2025
26 points (100.0% liked)

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