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Autism Spectrum Now So Broad Anyone Can Be Diagnosed, Says Expert
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Health & Science

Autism Spectrum Now So Broad Anyone Can Be Diagnosed, Says Expert

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A leading expert on autism, Professor Dame Uta Frith, stated that the condition has become a "catch-all diagnosis" due to its broad definition.
  • She warned that the spectrum is now so wide that "anyone of any age or intelligence level" can be diagnosed with autism.
  • Frith suggested that social media and cultural trends have contributed to a "magnetic attraction" to being labeled with autism, blurring the lines between a medical condition and popular culture.

Autism has become an overly broad "catch-all diagnosis," potentially encompassing anyone regardless of age or intelligence, according to Professor Dame Uta Frith, a pioneer in the field.

Autism had become a “catch-all diagnosis” for a range of conditions and that “anyone of any age or intelligence level can be diagnosed with autism if they meet certain criteria.”

— Professor Dame Uta FrithProfessor Frith described her concerns about the current broad definition of autism.

Frith, an emeritus professor in cognitive development at University College London, expressed concern that the definition of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has expanded so widely that it risks becoming "completely meaningless." She noted that while the spectrum was initially devised in the 1960s and 70s to include less typical cases, it has now broadened to include individuals with milder traits and no language or learning difficulties.

Autism wasn’t always defined this way – a sort of catch-all diagnosis for a huge variety of conditions.

— Professor Dame Uta FrithFrith contrasted the current definition of autism with its historical understanding.

"Today, anyone of any age or intelligence level can be diagnosed with autism if they meet certain criteria," Dame Uta stated, as reported by The Telegraph. She observed that autism is no longer solely a medical term but has permeated "popular culture," with social media, films, and online communities contributing to simplified or misleading ideas about the condition.

Today, anyone of any age or intelligence level can be diagnosed with autism if they meet certain criteria.

— Professor Dame Uta FrithFrith elaborated on the wide reach of the current diagnostic criteria for autism.

Frith also pointed to the "neurodiversity" movement, which frames autism as a difference rather than a disorder. While acknowledging its role in reducing stigma, she questioned the continued use of a medical diagnosis if autism is not considered a disorder. She suggested that a "desire for inclusion" and an increased reliance on self-reported symptoms, alongside the acceptance of "masking", where individuals suppress autistic traits to fit in, may contribute to the surge in diagnoses. The 85-year-old psychologist warned that social media has "spread simplified or misleading ideas" about autism.

it has become part of popular culture.

— Professor Dame Uta FrithFrith commented on how autism has entered mainstream cultural discourse.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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