Kathleen Seidel has a wonderful long post deconstructing the ideas surrounding "the hidden horde" of adult autistics. The "hidden horde" idea is this: the upswing in diagnoses of autism in children is real, it's caused something (probably vaccines or the preservative in vaccines ) otherwise there would be thousands of adults with autism. The "hidden horde" idea refers the alleged number of undiagnosed (or not publicly identified as) adults with autism.
The suggestion that there are insignificant numbers of adults whose developmental pattern was similar to that of children now diagnosed autistic has percolated beyond the popular sphere into the academic and clinical realm.
Link: neurodiversity weblog: Reflections on the "Hidden Horde".
Adult diagnosis presents a very different set of dynamics. Although undiagnosed ASD adults may face problems related to their autism, many may not be motivated to obtain a clinical diagnosis. People on the autistic spectrum tend to value their privacy, and are often not inclined to share personal information. Some have difficulty explaining their thought processes and emotional states to others. Some may have been subjected to professional scrutiny in childhood, and do not welcome further examination. “Odd” folks may not be motivated to submit themselves to psychological examination if they have attained a degree of social and environmental adaptation that enables them to function independently and “pass” for neurotypical, or if their economic means or level of family support enables them to live without state-funded services.
In fact, there are many reasons for adults to avoid seeking a diagnosis; among these are stigma, potential loss of legal rights (including child custody), and the potential for negative treatment from employers, colleagues and others who might learn that a person has been identified with a label erroneously associated with “mental illness.” All too often such a label leads people to assume that the labeled person is inherently violent, or only fit to live in a nursing home or mental institution.
Furthermore, there seem to be few outreach programs or clinics that seek to identify adults with ASD-related problems; few clinicians possess expertise in diagnosing ASD in adults. Nonetheless, opportunities to determine rates of ASD in specific populations of adults do exist. For instance, universities provide accessible pools of subjects already grouped into areas of interest and aptitude — a subject of direct relevance to the study of ASD given existing research that suggests a statistically significant incidence of autism in families of engineers and mathematicians.
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