The New Normal: Is Autism A Disorder?

About

It has been more than 80 years since Leo Kanner, Austrian-American physician and social activist, first described autistic syndrome. Now more commonly known as ASD (autistic spectrum disorder) there is still much debate regarding how much genetic and environmental factors play a part in it’s cause, but it is now widely accepted that it is a 'spectrum' condition that affects different people in different ways, and does not require a ‘cure’, but should rather be seen as a difference, not a disadvantage.

In the 1940s autism was thought to affect 1 in 2,500 children. That has gradually increased to around 1 in 36 children. Increases in diagnoses have been a feature of autism for almost as long as it has been a recognised condition, with a reported 787% rise in the number of diagnoses between 1998 and 2018 in the UK.
Recent government estimates suggest that around 700,000 people in the UK have a diagnosis of autism, but other research (O’Nions 2023) highlights around 436,000 diagnosed, and 1.2 million undiagnosed cases, putting the possible figure of autistic people in the UK closer to 1.7 million.

Join David Gray-Hammond, autistic author and neurodiversity specialist, as he explores the ideas behind the neurodiversity movement, which drove through huge changes in identification, fighting stigma and redefining autism as an identity rather than a disease. David uses his personal and professional experience to discuss why autism has been viewed as a disorder of the mind, and not just how the neurodiversity paradigm is changing our view of it, but why that is necessary.