Why is Autism generally only related to children?

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It seems that whenever Autism is mentioned anywhere (but here), it's always focused on Austic kids. I see TV commericials for Autism support groups for parents of Austic kids, treatment for kids, charity events to support Autistic kids, etc. If I ever mention that I have Asperger's and explain that it's HFA, I'll always here someone say they have a kid or child relative with it or some other form of Austim. Why are the struggles of Austic adults just ignored in the public domain?

I agree with you. It's just what the media puts a spotlight on. I suppose parents with severely autistic kids need support as well as the ones with HFA's.
As adults were not at school, we've stop growing, and some of us aren't still living with our parents.
People think that autistic kids can outgrow their autism much more than adults can. There's still hope for them.

I dunno. That's just my take on it.

I don't know, but I am so sick of being asked over the phone if I am [my name]'s mom.

"No, I am [my name]. I'm the patient/one seeking help/whatever."

(few seconds of silence) "Oh, well, um, uh, we only do/know of stuff for kids."

Sigh...

Honestly, in the United States at least, once the developmentally disabled reach adulthood they tend to be a very forgotten part of our society. The tendency of our society to focus so much on children is part of it, and that they are in schools and in the public plays another part. But there is also something to be said for them ceasing to be as "cute" and instead only being the "burden". It's unfortunate, but the sad truth is that most of the autistic (and other conditions) adults that we serve are very forgotten not only by society, but also by their families. It often makes me quite sad when I am serving them and it comes to the fore how isolated they are.

Probably kids are seen for having 'potential,' whereas adults are seen as a lost cause. Maybe that's part of the focus on a cure -- if you're an adult you're assumed to be either cured (somehow), or a sad tale, a lost cause.

Kids are cuter, too. That probably adds to it.

for the same reason you always hear about Dolphins being endangered, but other animals that are just as in danger of going extinct (some even more so) never get "counted". No one sems to want to save the Goliath Bird Eating Spider for instance...but save the dolphins! They are so cute!
However, with children they ARE more vulnerable just by being kids so I think the attention to children with autism IS very important...I just think that society should recognize that those kids grow up to be adults and their Autism doesn't just go away. Autism affects all kinds of people- not just young kids. But when I say that to people they just look at me like I'm speaking in tongues or something

I also agree that people seem to think adults with Autism are either "cured" or mentally ill (instead of neurologically different) or that they should "just get over it already" like it some kind of clinical laziness or attention-seeking. It really pisses me off.

Autism is an old disorder, but a new diagnosis. And when people are obviously odd, they will usually get a diagnosis in childhood.

It wasn't actually called Autism until 1980. At that point, the first true definition of "Infantile Autism" was put down in the DSM-III. Most of the definition had to do with speech/interaction deficits, and mostly served to state that autism, as separate from schizophrenia, existed at all. At that point it was still considered vanishingly rare.

Revised in 1987 to include a better definition of autism, the DSM at this point still emphasized the severity of the disorder. The criteria were extremely strict, and autism was still considered rare.

The true explosion in autism diagnosis came in 1994 when autism was once again redefined, this time with criteria that weren't as strict and included people with simple impairment, rather than obvious and severe impairment as before. Asperger's was added, the first time the autism spectrume didn't necessarily include a lack of responsiveness to other people; and the large "NOS" category became popular as autism became more well-known, allowing for the diagnosis of people who didn't fit specific categories precisely. Autism diagnosis quickly increased, from one in a thousand to one in a hundred.

Very few people were diagnosed during the "Childhood Schizophrenia" era; only a few more when autism was considered extremely rare and extremely severe. Because the criteria have been only recently revised to include orders of magnitude more cases than before, and because people are much more likely to be diagnosed when their oddities first seem apparent than they are to be rediagnosed later on when they have already been labeled with something else, the vast majority of autism diagnosis still exists in people who are young enough to have been pre-teens or younger in 1994.

This is certainly a generalization:

There is a lot more going on in the mind of an Autistic individual than many parents seem to understand. Parents want to change, cure, "unlock" or otherwise bring their children closer to their ideal. Part of what drives parents to speak out, act and mobilize the way they do is the fear of their child's unknown future. Autistic adults have their own voice, their present and future is more predictable and when they speak for themselves, their views aren't necessarily in line with that of parents.

I thought that the movie "Dad's in Heaven with Nixon" illustrates this point.

Because like Joe Queenan claimed in his book "Balsamic Dreams", Americans all seem to be card-carrying members of this bizarre "cult of the tyke".

In fact.....we really ought to consider removing Jesus from the cross and replacing him with a bearded 7 year-old.

Adults are no longer viewed as innocent and helpless. Even when these adults might be MORE innocent and helpless than many children. I'd say the implicit belief in free will has alot to do with this and children are comparatively exempt from that (until a nine year-old commits some heinous crime of course and then everyone is ready to burn them at the stake ) dubious ghost in the machine.

Look at the way pedophiles are viewed as opposed to some neo-nazi skinhead who tortures and murders a black man. I'm certainly not defending pedophiles or saying they're any better but seriously, can we REALLY make a logical moral distinction here in favor of the skinhead?

And last but not least....our money-grubbing capitalist swine largely consisting of angry white NT men who hate taxes (unless they're funding something cool, useful and collectively beneficial like a trip to Mars or a laser that shoots down nonexistent Iranian ICBMs ) and omnipotent insurance companies are always looking for ANY excuse to deny social services, treatments, coverage, etc....to anyone.

So in the interest of not appearing like the heartless and self-entitled sociopath cretins they really are, a few generous crumbs are thrown to the "children" and a big self-congratulatory spectacle is made of it all. Adults with bona fide mental disorders in need of services and treatment can go hang as far as most Americans are TRULY concerned. Take a look at the number of homeless schizophrenic adults and then tell i'm wrong. Not to mention the ones in prisons, abusive institutions and graves. Economically disadvantaged adults with ASDs don't have it much better if they can't fend for themselves for whatever reason.



Jesus...I mean...Ronald Reagan...would be proud.

Very true and very sad.

It tends to get diagnosed in childhood more and the symptoms are more severe when they're children so it makes for better sensational TV. I think more people are interested in a mother crying over her non-verbal, rocking, screaming 4 year old than a 25 year old who's doing relatively well and hasn't got any savant skills and is average IQ.

Because children are cute, and people are more likely to help someone who's cute.

The reason so much time and media attention is focused on "kids" rather than adults affected by Autism and Asperger's Syndrome is because of the money...and other funding needed to support their care and treatment. One only needs to put a bunch of adorable, autistic kids on a poster, commercial or other media display, exposing their needs ( please help these poor, sweet, little kids) and the money begins to pour in.

Yeah.. And if you act strange at all.... for kids it's "oh, it's ok.. s/he's a special needs kid." For adults it's "s/he's annoying and just being difficult."
I also find that in all of the bookstores near me, if i want to find a book about Autism then i have to look in the KIDS section.. It took me awhile to figure this out. I was always looking in the Psychology section, because i thought that was the obvious place for it, and i didn't really want to ask anyone working there. But at some point i checked the kids/parents section and they have a ton of autism-related reading material.

What is so stupid though is that all of the adult books about autism are in that section too... I always feel like a complete pillock standing at the childhood illnesses section...

I do have to admit, the focus is more on children. It is true what some of you have said, they are cuter, better to look at. Some people might be more frightened that an ADULT might have this condition! I am going to be honest though and be thankful to the BBC who are currently doing a season about autistic ADULTS, starting with the follow up to autism and me, next week; autistic driving school, about an adult who is autistic, who teaches other autistic people how to drive. Sounds quite interesting so thanks BBC!

+1

Kids are cute. Adults are boring. Fix the face of a poor kid in Guatemala will get donations. Help the person next door? Not a dime.