system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Where were all the autistic kids in the 60s/70s/80s? No one in my family remembers friends or classmates that were on the spectrum, now I seem to see them everywhere.

I don't mean to sound insensitive or sheltered.  I'm in my 30s and I know two different parents of autistic children.  Conversely, my parents never knew anyone with autism, period.  I was wondering if any teachers might be able to weigh in on where these kids were in the 60s/70s/80s...were they diagnosed?  We they just deemed "awkward" and ignored?  Is ASD just far more prevalent now?
gpt
As was mentioned, we're now better at diagnosing it.

In the past, people with mental disabilities (not just autism) were more isolated from the general public. Special schools when they're kids, and then institutions when they're adults. The idea that mentally handicapped people are capable of being productive members of society (in whatever capacity they can manage) is fairly recent. Better understanding of what their difficulties are and how we can treat/mitigate problematic behaviors combined with general public awareness/acceptance allows more integration into "normal" society, which is why you see more of them now.