PDA Diagnosis at a Tipping Point
The process of diagnosing Autism has changed in recent years, following the direction of the American diagnostic manual (DSM-5) which did away with the distinction of 'Asperger's syndrome', 'Autism' and 'others' and provided us with the formal diagnosis of ASD, with profiles then being described. Although it is the International manual that is more commonly used in the UK, the expected 2018 revision is likely to follow suit and a shift in the way ASD is diagnosed in the UK is already well underway.
The NICE guidelines published in 2014 have led to a broadening of the process, stating that diagnosis should involve multi-disciplinary teams. The first NICE quality standard derived from the guidelines describes timescales and the expected make-up of Autism Teams.
The movement to the use of 'behavioural profiles' has also been reflected by a recent change to the NAS website.
In my article in January's SEN magazine I look at the implications for the diagnosis of Pathological Demand Avoidance.
