I’ve just read One in 14 children (or rather their parents) are currently claiming DLA for ADHD or autism.

Caleo

Maybe I should have addressed my last post to Frogs.

Thank you Caleo for taking the time to respond to my posting.
The YouTube video may go a way towards helping you understand little about autism but as one of the people said in the video ‘it’s complicated’.

I’ve been living autism within my family for over 40 years and wouldn’t claim to know everything - I’m still learning new things every day.
When my son was diagnosed it made my husband realise that to a lesser extent he’s on the spectrum too as was his mother. It made him realise why he’d struggled with certain things all his life.
Three of my grandchildren have been on the list for diagnosis for over 2 years, I don’t think it’s any easier today to get a diagnosis than it was - my DILs tell me schools no longer accept private assessments.

I’ve just had a ridiculous thought after catching up with this discussion.
I remember the first time hearing from the tv news that smoking could cause lung cancer. I was about 11years old. Both my parents, 4 grandparents, every aunt and uncle, our neighbours were all smokers. I remember going out of the living room to avoid the rug and the thought of car journeys yuk.
My parents quoted ‘experts’ who challenged the evidence. They eventually did stop smoking. I don’t know any smokers in my family or friends now.
My point is of course, that there is always resistance to ‘experts’. Eventually, it will be obvious that the psychiatrists, psychologists, senco’s and family members/adults newly diagnosed were right

Frogs, the assessment of our 6 year old led to his grandfather identifying his own neuro diversity and significantly of his own son.

So many heartbreaking tales on here.
Thanks to you all for contributing to a lively and stimulating discussion. I’ve learned a lot.

And as (I think) Iam said up thread, ND now accounts for 7% of the population of the UK. That’s some percentage and some need help, others it seems, not so much.

FGT where do you get the statistic for one in 14 children? I’ve looked and looked and the highest rate I can find is one in 16 children getting DLA for all kinds of disability. ( see the resolution foundation) . Is it 1/14 of children with ADHD and or autism or a particular age group such as 15 year olds still needing overnight care ( as many with the more severe end of these conditions do?
I think it unlikely there are many parents if any who falsely claims in order to get money. DLA may however be very welcome to families where parents cannot work due to the needs of their disabled children.
There are charities who help with the filling in of forms to ensure wording is accurate. This is because most parents tend to minimise when talking about the difficulties at home- it’s their normal- after all of course they get up in the night to change a disabled child’s bed or run to an alarm, or answer cries of distress- or sort out medications even though their child is now a teenager - they have after all always had to do this- it’s normal for them and somethings are private so difficult to admit. Charities who help parents fill in forms will ask the correct questions?

FGT where do you get the statistic for one in 14 children?

I believe the poster read it somewhere.

Has snyone read The Anxious Generation. By Jonathan Haidt. It explains a lot about how children born after 1995 have had their brains rewired thru hitting puberty around 2010....broadband. social media 24/7 ,sleep deprivation, social skills deptivation and attention deficit. These poor kids have been failed by us all while the tech giants have made their billions.

Yes. To give the book it's full title: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.

Review here:

www.theguardian.com/books/2024/mar/21/the-anxious-generation-by-jonathan-haidt-a-pocket-full-of-poison

It needs to stop, doesn't it?

I worry about the future. For some people, these conditions render them incapable of any kind of work or independent living, and will need much support for the whole of their life. I do not know, and could not guess, what proportion these are of the numbers quoted.
For others, I would hope that they can work through their difficulties in order that they can be employed, enjoy relationships, go on interesting trips and so on. Life without these seems rather bleak to me.
And, of course, there are financial ramifications for the whole of society if such a percentage of young people are unfit to work.

I have been very interested in this discussion as recently back from a visit to the family in Australia. GS aged 7 was diagnosed with ADHD last year and is on medication, and GD (his twin) is just in the process of starting medication. Their father and his sister and one cousin have also recently been diagnosed! My DD informs me that there is a shortage of ADHD medication in Australia at the moment, which does not surprise me at all. Just in the twins year at school there seem to be at least half a dozen children who queue up for their tablets at lunchtime, and others who are in the process of diagnosis. I do appreciate that they need to have appropriate diagnosis and treatment but I hate the thought of such young children on medication (possibly for life) GS has two tablets a day plus melatonin to help him get to sleep at the end of the day. GD's medication has been complicated by being coeliac, some ADHD medication apparently contains gluten (who would think of that?) So it is just as big a problem over the other side of the world as it is here in the UK. It makes me rather sad......

I Mayhave sourced the newspaper article from which the headline of this thread came from.
www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/opinion-i-m-sorry-but-adhd-has-become-a-scam-that-is-wildly-overdiagnosed-and-an-excuse-for-poor-behaviour/ar-AA1AMb82?ocid=winp2fptaskbar&cvid=0f86b1c611704704bf2af6e533968b34&ei=10

The link title gives you the tone of the article, but in it the author writes:
But the problem goes further. ADHD is, for instance, not only one of the most popular grounds for obtaining that useful state benefit, Personal Independence Payments – it’s number 14 of the 500 grounds for claiming

I find the mention of '14' significant.

Personally, it is over 30 years since it was suggested that DS and I had ADHD. No one knew about it then. Now both DS and DGS await diagnosis. Over the last 30 years I have met people struggling with similar problems to ours.

The most signifcant thing about us, is that none of us have been disruptive, uncontrollable or had any of the other problems mentioned at a level that could ever justify receiving disability benefits and I think the proportion of those with ADHD whose problems with the problem are serious to need it is very few indeed.

That we, individually, have problems caused by it, is without doubt, but disturbed enough to be on benefits, certainly not, and while not ruling it out entirely I would expect the numbers, needing more than help with managing the condition and learning to live with it are very few indeed.

A man I know who has MS which does not prevent him going to the gym and leading a normal life has these benefits. His wife can't work as a hairdresser because she is allergic to dye and his son is autistic too although he goes to a normal school and plays sports .They have a big suv car given to them.

Your point is kircubbin200?

Diagnoses of special needs for unusual difficulties will inevitably keep pace with what the national budget will sustain.

This is okay except that some who are in actual need will fall through the grid.

It doesn't mean they face a hopeless future. Our education system needs to cater for all children. The current system is flawed. Many children are much better suited to learning practical skills, not learning from books. These children are being labelled as useless, whereas they just need to be given attention appropriate to them.
One of the biggest problems with having a large population is that individuals are not valued. Some are discarded simply because there are plenty to take their place.

ADHD children do not face a hopeless future, nor are they best left learning practical skills.

DS and I both have several degrees. DS is a university academic. I had a successful managerial career in industry. DGS is also academically bright and doing fine.

The problem is the current enthusiasm for everyone being a victim, the last thing you should be these days is be practical and optimistic about managing if life deals you a few minor problems, instead you get a label stick it on and then look pathetic and expect everyone to run round you.

It also does a disservice to those who do have real and diificult problems and who struggle to get the help they really do need.

mum2three
The current system is flawed. Many children are much better suited to learning practical skills, not learning from books.

But practical skills or courses are not valued by many parents, which is strange, because the need for builders, plumbers, electricians, etc has never been higher.

Many people on the spectrum are “high functioning” and quite capable of working, with support.

My DD is autistic, has ADHD, went to Uni, living away from home, and is a full time school teacher.

My friends son, less high functioning, works part time in McDonalds, my other friends son is doing an in grad course in performing arts.

Many, many people on the spectrum are making contributions to this country.

M0nica

ADHD children do not face a hopeless future, nor are they best left learning practical skills.

DS and I both have several degrees. DS is a university academic. I had a successful managerial career in industry. DGS is also academically bright and doing fine.

The problem is the current enthusiasm for everyone being a victim, the last thing you should be these days is be practical and optimistic about managing if life deals you a few minor problems, instead you get a label stick it on and then look pathetic and expect everyone to run round you.

It also does a disservice to those who do have real and diificult problems and who struggle to get the help they really do need.

👏👏👏👏

kircubbin2000

A man I know who has MS which does not prevent him going to the gym and leading a normal life has these benefits. His wife can't work as a hairdresser because she is allergic to dye and his son is autistic too although he goes to a normal school and plays sports .They have a big suv car given to them.

And ……

It's not a case of practical skills versus academic skills. It's a case of being able to think ideas including original ideas, versus not being able to think ideas.

There really are people who are 'slow learners '. I used to be ferried around on a minibus by a driver who one would not have discussed abstract ideas with , but who was a capable driver and had the sort of licence that allowed him to transport passengers.

Builders, plumbers, and electricians however need to be able to think about diverse possibilities , and not simply conforming to a simple skill like handling a vehicle in city traffic. If I engaged a builder to assess a house for possible dampness I'd expect to pay him to assess possibilities that were not right in front of his eyes. I hope that advanced problem solving is taught to all children who are capable of it.

So many new diagnoses since I was a social worker in what is now CAMHS.

How do you make the distinction between those who represent a variant of the normal spectrum of characteristics that we all possess and when that spills over into a diagnosable condition that needs treatment and qualifies for benefits?

And if they all have diagnosable conditions then why is this epidemic happening? Is there some environmental factor?

It is all very worrying.

MOnika, concerning people who label themselves "victim" is it not the job of the education system to teach children how to take responsibility for themselves.

You and your son learned this lesson. We need to ask the question "why has this other child not learned to be responsible for herself?" I imagine the answer to that question reveals whether the claimant needs educating or alternatively welfare benefits.

If I engaged a builder to assess a house for possible dampness I'd expect to pay him to assess possibilities that were not right in front of his eyes. I hope that advanced problem solving is taught to all children who are capable of it.

You mention one specific.
Advanced problem solving is taught to children who are capable of it, but which of the multiplicity of problems that need solving would you focus on and at what age?

I saw something on Facebook which said that many children have adverse reactions to some of the additives in food. It reminded me of when my son was an uncontrollable toddler from hell and I read about the effect that orange food colouring had on some children ( was it called tartrazine?). Anyway, I removed it from his diet and he became the quiet, gentle person that he is now. And my daughter would limit the amount of coca cola her sons had ( it was only ever an occasional treat anyway) because it made them totally hyper. I know if I have a cup of coffee in the evening I’m awake all night.