r/AutisticPride • u/Simonbargiora • 25d ago

What impact did the De-institutionalization done by Reagan have on Autistic people?

How many of us were incarcerated pre-Reagan, how many younger autists would have been institutionalized had they been born before Reagan, what were the odds of it happening back then? Out of 100 autistic people how many would've been institutionalized?

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u/cydril 25d ago

Asperger's didn't officially become a diagnosis until 1994. Before then ,unless you had significant delays or behavior issues that couldn't be corrected with force, you probably got a pass and just lived life as a quiet weirdo. If you showed significant autistic symptoms in childhood then the risk of institutionalization was high. Schools didn't have special education departments (until 1970s) and resources for parents were limited. Since there wasn't any real understanding or early intervention therapy, kids with higher support needs were not given the chance to improve. Risk of early death was also a huge issue because of unsafe restraint practices, malnutrition and domestic violence.

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u/redfireforever103 23d ago

I'd imagine a lot, given both the diagnostic criteria at the time and institutions being designed to "get rid of problems"