Educating Professionals for Better Diagnosis

This story from the UK tells the tale of difficulty getting an AS diagnosis; professionals fixated on pieces of what they were seeing instead of on the big picture. This same story is not confined to the UK--a similar tale is told by Jen Birch of New Zealand in her autobiography Congratulations! It's Asperger Syndrome. The issue also comes up a lot with people in the U.S., and not just with the AS diagnosis. For example, a professional noting "some sort of language-based learning disability" as well plainly atypical social behavior, and yet individually labeling each of these as distinct conditions instead of recognizing that they are both part of the criteria for autism. The older a person is, the harder it may be for them to find a professional who has good understanding of autism.

When we speak about "education" and "awareness" the emphasis is often on the general public, on school officials, or on parents. But education about autism is also important for the professionals who may be in a position to diagnose it. This means both recognizing the what sort of clusters of traits meet criteria, and being aware of the difference between stereotypes (e.g., "autistic people don't make friends") and the reality of how unique each individual person on the spectrum may appear. It also means understanding that professionals who are in a position to diagnose adults need to learn about autism, not just professionals who are in a position to diagnose children.