Opinion: Why don’t we see older adults with autism? It’s history, not mystery
Robert F Kennedy Jr in recent months claimed he doesn t see older adults with what he calls full-blown autism and that this somehow supports his long-debunked theory about vaccines As two Bay Area moms raising autistic children we ve heard this line before It s not just wrong It s dangerous Here s the reality people with severe autism have invariably existed But in the s and s they were rarely diagnosed often misdiagnosed and frequently institutionalized If Kennedy didn t see peers with considerable sponsorship demands when he was a kid it s not because they didn t exist It s because they were hidden away Autism wasn t even listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders until Before that kids with what we now call Level autism were often labeled with schizophrenia or mental retardation They were placed in state-run institutions Sometimes for life When those institutions began to close in the s and s people weren t suddenly welcomed into society A large number of were shuttled into underfunded group homes bounced between systems or ended up on the street The Individuals with Disabilities Training Act required community schools to educate children with disabilities including autism But that didn t mean every child was integrated into the classroom especially not the private classrooms Kennedy was in Even now a large number of students with Level autism don t spend their school days in general training settings If you re not a facilitator a specialist or a parent you might never cross paths with them And where are those people nowadays the older adults Kennedy says he doesn t see at the mall Specific are in supported residential programs Others are living with aging parents who are scrambling to plan for the future And tragically a multitude of have died too soon after years of inappropriate diagnostic care Related Articles Mental physical condition services lacking in immigration detention centers California review finds Letters Death of our republic is the world s loss Judge orders involuntary medication of California conspiracy theorist charged with killing his kids in Mexico San Mateo County expands mobile mental medical response Deputies fatally beat California man experiencing mental healthcare problem lawsuit proposes Because so plenty of were misdiagnosed they were often treated with psychiatric drugs they didn t need Numerous experienced neglect institutional abuse or completely slipped through the cracks To suggest their absence from masses spaces in the current era proves autism is a modern phenomenon isn t just ignorant it s cruel We co-host Refrigerator Moms a podcast that tackles tough conversations about autism parenting We don t shy away from hard truths And here s one the systems that failed autistic people years ago are still failing them now If RFK Jr wants to make a difference he can advocate for better services for aging adults with autism and real advocacy for families like ours But misinformation and conspiracy theories aren t helping anyone Autism isn t new What s new is that more people are at last being seen Kelley Jensen and Julianna Scott two Bay Area mothers of autistic young adults co-host the podcast Refrigerator Moms
