A WORLD expert on Asperger's syndrome warns there will be a deluge of adults diagnosed with the autism-related disorder in the next decade.
Australian clinician Tony Attwood said the condition could occur in as many as one in 250 people.
"Based on the prevalence we are finding in children, a lot of people born between the 1930s and 1970s [will] have the syndrome but not [be] aware of it," Professor Attwood said.
More adults labelled "mad" or eccentric were being diagnosed.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/adul...72689.html
Amy, that would not surprise me one bit. I was born in the 1960's and only diagnosed about 3 years ago and I know other people in their 20's and 30's who've only been diagnosed recently too.
I wonder if governments are going to be prepared to be able to offer suitable services for all the adults who will get diagnosed.
I have spoken with Dr. Attwood in person a few times, and while I find his manner of public speaking very offputting, he is doing us all a bit of a favour by making this statement in public. On the IMDB forums, I encountered one moron who honestly thinks ninety percent of people on the autistic spectrum are unable to lead independent, "normal" lives. No doubt he got this figure from CAN, which I accused him of being a member of until he took his little ball and ran away.
If we accept six billion as a mean estimate of the present Earth population, one in 250 means there are twenty-four million individuals with autism in the world. And I have no doubt this figure will go up as other, less civilised parts of the Earth start keep statistics. As a matter of fact, the figure I have had quoted to me by colleagues of Attwood is one in 150, translates to forty million. Put simply, if twenty-two point four million or thirty-six million people worldwide could not function well enough to exist in everyday society, people would not have been able to ignore it for so long.
Personally, I think it is about time we stopped talking to the press about how many of us there are and instead talk about what that populace actually does.
Personally, I think it is about time we stopped talking to the press about how many of us there are and instead talk about what that populace actually does.
I agree, that's a very good idea.
If we accept six billion as a mean estimate of the present Earth population, one in 250 means there are twenty-four million individuals with autism in the world.
Um, I think that statistic was for just AS, not the whole spectrum.
Well, the one in 150 statistic I was given by one of Attwood's colleagues was intended for the whole spectrum, so depending on how many people on the spectrum have Asperger's Syndrome, I would say one in 250 is a high estimate.
I am having a serious think about scraping together some funds and buying a digital video camera capable of recording in HD so I can shoot interviews with professionals and people actually on the spectrum. If I do this entirely by myself, I estimate I may be able to get one post-MoneyMas. Maybe a little sooner. What does everyone else think?
Amy, that would not surprise me one bit. I was born in the 1960's and only diagnosed about 3 years ago and I know other people in their 20's and 30's who've only been diagnosed recently too.
I wonder if governments are going to be prepared to be able to offer suitable services for all the adults who will get diagnosed.
Same here, I was born in the mid 70's and was only diagnosed about 2 years ago.
I wonder if governments are going to be prepared to be able to offer suitable services for all the adults who will get diagnosed.
Don't count on it. That would equate to an admission of liability for all the abuse they helped fund. And if there is one thing governments like Australia's never do, its admit when they've made a grevious mistake.
Yes, just look at some of the big blunders in the past - Maralinga, refusing to pay compensation to the survivors of the crash between two ships in the early 60's (I forget what they were called), East Timor in 1975, and quite a few others.
I am having a serious think about scraping together some funds and buying a digital video camera capable of recording in HD so I can shoot interviews with professionals and people actually on the spectrum. If I do this entirely by myself, I estimate I may be able to get one post-MoneyMas. Maybe a little sooner. What does everyone else think?
Larry Arnold is doing something similar, or has done at certain times... might want to work together?
Just an idea...
If he is up for it, I can talk with him. I still prefer to do my own thing in the meanwhile as I can, because obviously I work best when I answer to nobody. Well, almost nobody.
Sounds like a very good idea.
There are much more people than 1 in 250 who are on the autistic spectrum. Whole families share the traits, going back generations.
And I think my family is one of those families.
Callista, I don't fit into either of your categories but don't need a lot of help overall. However, when I do need help, I usually can't access it. I know of others in the same position and I don't think enough attention is put on discussing the difficulties faced by adult aspies.
There is so much attention given to the kids (which is good) but it comes at the expense of adult aspies. We need to see publicity given to both groups of Aspies.
Ranger 2736, I agree with your comment. There has always been autism but perhaps it came under a different name or people in the old days were so busy surviving, they were less worried about kids not being sociable.
In the days when kids were supposed to be "seen and not heard" it would in fact have been seen as a good thing if a child didn't speak much.