Episode 237 Dr Tony Attwood – Understanding Autism Diagnostic Criteria and Why Girls often Overlooked

Key Insights for Understanding Autism Diagnostic Criteria:

✅ The diagnostic criteria for ASD are laid out in the DSM-5. It requires persistent deficits in social communication/interaction and restricted/repetitive behaviors.

✅ To meet the diagnostic criteria, the symptoms must be present in early childhood even if they are not recognized until later.

✅ There are 3 levels of ASD severity in DSM-5 – Level 1 is “high-functioning” autism without language or intellectual impairments. The transcript refers to this as Asperger’s syndrome.

✅ The diagnostic assessment involves exploring social relationships, communication difficulties, sensory sensitivities, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors.

✅ Co-occurring conditions like ADHD, anxiety, OCD are common with ASD. An individual may have multiple diagnoses.

✅ Standardized diagnostic tools like the ADOS-2 and ADI-R are commonly used. But assessment also involves clinical judgment.

✅ Early comprehensive diagnostic evaluation is important for early intervention. But girls and high-functioning individuals are often diagnosed later.

✅ Diagnosis can be confusing because autistic traits exist in everyone to some degree. It’s about the number of symptoms and the impact on the person’s life.