Has the Definition of Autism Become Too Broad to Be Useful?
- UCL Professor Dame Uta Frith argues the current Autism Spectrum Disorder label has become a "catch-all diagnosis" that is too broad to be useful, calling for the spectrum to be "split up" to prevent misdiagnosis.
- Diagnoses have surged from about 4 in 10,000 children in the 1960s to around 1 in 57 today, a more than 40-fold increase Dame Uta attributes to broader diagnostic criteria and social media influence.
- There is no biological test for autism, so diagnosis relies on judgment and self-report; concepts like "masking" further widen criteria, creating tension between viewing autism as a disorder versus a natural difference.
- Roughly 240,000 people are currently on NHS waiting lists for assessments, and Dame Uta warns that "a wrong diagnosis can lead to the wrong help- or no help at all," shaping treatment and identity.
- Reacting to the essay, Mel Merritt, head of policy at the National Autistic Society, stated the spectrum is not a straight line of "more" or "less" autistic, noting each person has a unique combination of characteristics.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Autism used to be a disability now it's an identity - Dr Renee Hoenderkamp
As a GP, I regularly see parents of teenagers who present not with profound language and developmental differences, but with anxiety, social awkwardness, or a sense that life has not unfolded as hoped. The request is familiar: “We want an autism assessment.” The young person is bright, verbal and capable of relationships, yet the family believes a formal label will explain the unease and unlock understanding or identity. This has become routine.…
Broader autism definition may lead to confusion and possible misdiagnosis
The definition of autism may have become so wide that it risks confusion and even misdiagnosis, according to a new editorial by UCL Professor Dame Uta Frith, whose pioneering research in the 1960s and 70s lay the foundations for how we understand autism.
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Joo-young = As the definition of autism expands to include Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which encompasses various characteristics, confusion, misdiagnosis, and over... in the medical field
Has the definition of autism become too broad to be useful?
The definition of autism may have become so broad that it risks confusion and even misdiagnosis, according to a new editorial by UCL professor Dame Uta Frith, whose pioneering research in the 1960s and '70s laid the foundations for how we understand autism.
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