Life Undiagnosed: When Gender Bias Hides Neurodiversity
Disclaimer: Article written based on research & lived experiences as a late diagnosed AuDHD woman. Judged by the cover & left to struggle in silence. The way autism is understood and diagnosed has always been flawed, but one of the biggest issues is the oversimplification of its spectrum. While earlier versions of diagnostic criteria's were only male centric, the revised DSM-5 merged different diagnoses—like Asperger’s, classic autism, and PDD-NOS—into one term, “Autism Spectrum Disorder” (ASD), erasing crucial distinctions. While the change may have made diagnosis easier for professionals, it created a system that often fails to recognize the vastly different needs of autistic individuals. People making these decisions rarely consider how they impact those of us who actually live with these neurological differences. Clubbing varying support needs under one umbrella has led to many people—especially low to moderate support requiring individuals—slipping through the cracks. ...