Diagnosis · Autism guide
Autism diagnosis and self-identification: who gets to belong?
By Helen Edgar and David Gray-Hammond · From the Re-Storying Autism workbook, Module 2
Diagnostic systems are not neutral. They reflect the biases, values, and cultural assumptions of the societies in which they are created. Autism diagnosis is shaped by:
- Racial bias
- Gender bias
- Class bias
- Linguistic expectations
- Limitations of observation-based assessment
- Stereotypes rooted in early work dominated by white male samples and the idea that autism is a childhood disorder
- The pathologising agenda of psychiatry
Diagnosis can be helpful for accessing support, language, and community. But diagnosis is not a prerequisite for identity, nor is it a moral endorsement from medical professionals.
Keep going in the course
This is a short extract. The full lesson in Module 2: Identity, Language and Disability Models includes the video teaching, the rest of the workbook text, reflection questions for parents, carers and Autistic people, and progress tracking.