A stitch in time or a lifetime of scars? The urgent case for early autism assessment
Exploring the need for early child autism assessments to prevent a lifetime of scars from misdiagnosis and creating a ‘stitch in time’ for a child with autism. Learn More
The Devastating Impact of Missed Autism Diagnoses: A Look at the St. George’s House Report
Understanding the crisis of Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) allegations and its profound connection to undiagnosed autism. Here at Help for Psychology, we are dedicated to providing the highest standards of care and support for children and families. A crucial part of this commitment is staying at the forefront of our field’s latest research and discussions. That’s why we...Learn More
Autistic Burnout and Misdiagnosis: The Hidden Toll of Masking
For many neurodivergent children and young people, navigating the social world can feel like being an actor in a play where they are the only one without a script. From a very young age, they learn through painful trial and error that their natural way of communicating, playing, and being is often seen as “different” or “wrong.” To cope, to survive, and to find some...Learn More
Diagnostic concerns and revisions to the DSM 5
Since the launch in March 2022 of the updated DSM-5 (now known as the DSM-5-TR), we have received a number of enquiries from people concerned about changes to the DSM-5 Autism diagnostic criteria. For those who are not aware, the DSM, (which stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), is the guideline where the criteria for diagnosing Autism are written down. The DSM is...Learn More
The Challenge of Complex (and Perplexing) Presentations in Autism.
This is the title of a new book I will be writing, along with colleagues, and which will include real life stories from individuals (and their families) who have been affected by either not having their Autism recognised or being misdiagnosed. It has been commissioned by Jessica Kingsley Publishers and will hopefully be complete by June 2022. young people arrive in inpatient services without...Learn More
The need for better diagnoses
Adult diagnosis, mis-diagnosis, and experience of parenting for autistic women Over the years I have spent a great deal of my working life as part of a multi-disciplinary team assessing both children and adults for Autism. When I first started work in the NHS in 2001, we saw very few girls or young women in our service. I have written before about my shock, when over ten years later, whilst...Learn More
It’s Not Only Girls Who Can Mask
Following on from the previous article regarding autistic children who mask, this article is going to look specifically at autistic boys who mask. These boys seem to fall into two distinct categories. The first group is those who understand the rules at school and appear to manage the structure of school very well, but who are often struggling socially and academically and who keep ‘below the...Learn More