“What this report demonstrates most clearly is that ‘autistic people—of all ages, races, and genders–have always been here’; we just need to get better at finding them.”
“When the United Kingdom conducted an adult prevalence study, it found the same rate of autism in adults as children, helping to debunk public hysteria over a so-called ‘autism epidemic.’”
“The CDC’s adjusted prevalence rate will probably still be criticized by those unfamiliar with the contributing factors… Non-autistic people aged 40 and older frequently make assumptions such as, ‘we never had autistic kids in my school’ and ‘I never knew anyone autistic growing up,’ when what is more likely is that they went to school with and knew plenty of autistic people who were undiagnosed—and who typically had to survive a lifetime of bullying and other abuse without appropriate supports or any understanding. They probably also never met high-support people… because in previous generations disabled children with the highest support needs were usually either automatically institutionalized or hidden away at home, and so never had a chance to become part of their communities.”
via THINKING PERSON’S GUIDE TO AUTISM: New 1 in 59 CDC Autism Prevalence Rates Approach Reality
Adriana Lebrón White 