Are autism rates truly on the rise? Or, are we just now noticing it for what it truly is? First off, I need to make a point that autism isn't always debilitating. It isn't always obvious. Autism can be little things, or "quirks", that makes a person seem odd but nothing more than that. I know that older generations see autism as a severe disability that makes a person unable to function as a person which isn't remotely true. It can be that way but isn't always. This is why more and more scholars are discovering that autism rates aren't "on the rise" as society believes. Rather, we are understanding more of the little signs that make a person autistic. diagnosis rise, not rise of disorderMore people are becoming frightened by the number of children being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. The disorder itself varies person to person thus the "spectrum" part of the disorder. No two children are the same with it. They each carry their own burdens. Some are extremely sensitive to loud noises, overwhelming textures, and sensitive to stimuli while others are more socially impaired. For a list of other identifying autistic traits, click here to read more. Now we are all more educated in this generation of parenting, having the internet at our fingers with any mild concern about our children's health or progress. But many of us fail to see that autism goes beyond babies. There are adults with autism, too. Where are they? Who are they? Did autism just pop up one day, and start infecting all the babies? No. It did not. These illusive adults with autism aren't hidden away, or dead, or nonexistent. They are right in plain sight. They silently suffer while they wonder why they've never been able to understand their social awkwardness or their inability to fit in. Their day to day lives look just like yours. Go to work, pay bills, wash the dog, feed the kids, find some time for yourself, don't go crazy.. And, gasp, I know. I said kids. But in all honestly, they DO have children. Adults with autism, especially undiagnosed, still are able to live in the skin of a functioning person. Many are unaware of their struggle either. They've grown up in a world that just left them behind. So they go on with their lives, have children, have jobs and live a life. Most don't even know they have autism until they have a child with it. Autism is not as debilitating as people believe. Why Their children have opened gatesContinuing on from what I was saying before, these undiagnosed autistic adults are living life as they know how. But then, one of their children gets a diagnosis of ASD. It can be life-shattering. For any parent, there is grief. Then things start clicking together. Their spouse will say, "But my husband is the same way." Ah! The moment it all clicks together becomes so obvious it almost hurts that it's gone so long without being seen sooner. Understanding. This adult has been living their whole life with no explanation of themselves. Their depression, social anxiety, their fidgeting, their hatred of certain fabrics, picky eating, their isolation and withdrawn nature. It all makes sense. They have autism! Now it all makes sense to them and their loved ones. Then autism suddenly doesn't seem like a big deal. What a diagnosis doesI am apart of Facebook. I see lots of trash and misinformation get spread around about autism claiming that it's just "an excuse" for a child to behave badly. It hurts. Not that it accuses me as being a bad parent but rather, the lack of understanding of what autism really is. It is one of the key factors I started my blog, and my Instagram account: to shed light on the lives of those who suffer with disabilities mostly unseen. I'm fighting these stereotypes by showing my son in his full autistic glory. And yes, at one point I was very much against getting an autism diagnosis as possible. Back then, I was young (hadn't experienced the full fledged part of special needs parenting until Seamus came along) and felt that it meant exclusion. That having the word "autism" strapped to Hilo's back meant he wouldn't be a normal adult. He'd be crippled by it. That's far from the truth. A diagnosis isn't a death sentence, nor does it spell out his future in big bold letters. My son's autism diagnosis helps me better understand him. I know what he's going through. I now know why he does things. With autism, I've been able to find him services and help to make him be able to function better. Your child, husband, father, loved one, is still the same with ASD. They are the same person you fell in love with. All the little things they do may be attached with autism, but there is no them without it. Even if your husband hasn't been officially diagnosed, once it dawns on you that autism is behind their behavior, YOU get it. YOU understand it. YOU just know. For children, ASD is important to diagnose so they can get the services they need to excel with their abilities and understand their limitations. Speech and occupational therapy will help them overcome their picky eating habits, their delayed speech, assist in gaining independent skills much quicker than an undiagnosed child. With the knowledge of ASD, as a parent, you know what you have to work on so as adults they can better know themselves. For adults with autism who have been undiagnosed their entire lives, it truly means nothing significant. They have adapted to life being who they are. However knowing they have autism might help their loved ones better understand their struggles. You can learn to make your relationship stronger based on what they struggle with. For one, I know that I have to be direct with my husband. He isn't going to take my social cues of repeatedly sighing, and hearing the baby scream while he's staring at his phone. I have to ask him, "Can you make Seamus stop crying?" Just then he jumps up and helps me out. I used to never say anything because I just figured he didn't care that I was overworked and needing help. In truth, he didn't understand my body language to realize that I was overwhelmed. His mind doesn't see those things. Back to the "rise"It is easy to see how some with autism can slip through the cracks. If they have no significant delays, and are able to function as a person even if they aren't overly social, we see them as being "different" but not autistic. With numbers of autism diagnosis' being so high, there is a great chance that numerous people within our lives actually have autism. But it isn't seen that way by because of the lack of representation of these people in media or society. Generations before think of Rainman as autism and that's it. Significant, noticeable and gifted intellectually. With my son, that is not the case. He doesn't "look" autistic (whatever that means). He is very smart, determined, loving, gentle yet he does have a speech delay and he doesn't always look people in the eye. THAT IS HIS AUTISM. That's it. Hilo doesn't self harm. We don't really have meltdowns that aren't associated with his age of being three and throwing a tantrum. He's great in restaurants and in public. I could go on and on and on about him. Click here to read more about Hilo's life with autism. So truly autism isn't on the rise. The diagnosis rise is helping our children succeed. It's assisting the mild cases of autism be noticed for their disability and helped to overcome it. It's shining light on those who aren't severe and in great need of help. The rise is showing us that there is a great many of people in our world struggling with an unnamed monkey on their back. We need to help them understand who they are. So that they might thrive, too. SUBSCRIBE to Our blog to hear more on autism, genetics and special needs parenting.
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AuthorGabrielle Rae is a special needs, stay at home mommy of two boys. She enjoys reading and writing novels in her spare time. @onbothfrontsArchives
August 2018
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