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
The First Stitch: Why an early diagnosis is a lifeline, not a label
Early autism/ADHD diagnosis empowers parents and children, offering understanding, access to vital support like EHCPs, and a path to authentic self-acceptance. 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
PDA Research News
As many people who have attended the various PDA conferences over the last couple of years may know, we as a team, decided back in 2016 to collate all of the information we collect as part of our assessment process, and analyse what we found. We realised we were in a very fortunate position; we were seeing a large number of children and young people who fitted the PDA profile, and this seemed...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
Missed or delayed Autism and PDA diagnoses
This article is equally applicable to both boys and girls. In the course of many years of clinical experience I have learned that boys can be just as good as girls at ‘masking’ their difficulties (particularly those who have the Pathological Demand Avoidance profile). Way back in the early 2000’s I remember when the National Autism Plan for Children (NAPC) guidelines were developed...Learn More