Autism, Neurodivergence, Support Needs and Inclusion — What’s New in March
In this research roundup, Ann Memmott highlights new studies on late Autism diagnosis, personality disorder misdiagnosis, dyslexia screening, hypermobility, and “treatments,” alongside ongoing concerns about media misinformation.
What’s good about getting a late diagnosis, as an autistic adult? Why was it delayed?
Good to see this new research by Cambier and team, looking at late/delayed diagnosis of Autism. They interviewed Autistic adults, and also some Psychiatrists to get their views. They note various things that have stopped the adults from getting a diagnosis earlier, and several very useful outcomes from that diagnosis:
Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted (11 adults diagnosed with autism and 5 psychiatrists)...Results: Several factors contributing to delayed diagnosis were identified including difficulties accessing healthcare, limited awareness of autism among some clinicians, the use of camouflaging behaviors by participants, and family adaptation to their symptoms. Receiving a diagnosis was often described as a relief, allowing participants to understand past social difficulties and seek better acknowledgment and accommodation from their environment. The analysis highlighted the need to reduce wait times and service costs, as well as to enhance clinicians' knowledge of autism to improve accessibility and satisfaction with diagnosis. Participants also noted the complex interplay between media portrayals of autism and public understanding...
Cambier, G., van der Hoeven, J., Chaix, G., & Dondé, C. (2026). To improve the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder without intellectual impairment: A qualitative study among adults with the diagnosis and psychiatrists. L’Encephale, S0013-7006(26)000308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.encep.2025.12.010
Finding Dyslexic Adults – is the Dyslexia Adult Checklist the right screening tool?
Stark and team take a much needed look at the Dyslexia Adult Checklist which is available at, e.g. British Dyslexia Association. It’s used a lot, but arguably hasn’t had a proper test to find out how reliable it is. They suggest that a cut off score of 40 instead of 45 would be fine for that first-stage screening, followed by full testing by an appropriate professional.
Although widely available online, the Dyslexia Adult Checklist has yet to be validated. The purpose of this study was to validate this Checklist in a sample of adults with and without dyslexia using both univariate and multivariate statistical approaches. We hypothesised that the Dyslexia Adult Checklist would accurately distinguish between individuals with a self-reported diagnosis of dyslexia (n = 200) and a control group (n = 200), as measured by total scores on the screening tool. Results from our sample found the Dyslexia Adult Checklist to be valid and reliable. Compared to the originally proposed cut-off score of 45, given the higher sensitivity rate and negative predictive value, we recommend researchers and clinicians use a cut-off score of 40 to indicate possible mild to severe symptoms of dyslexia when using the Dyslexia Adult Checklist.
Stark, Z., K. Elalouf, Soldano, V., Franzen, L., & Johnson, A. P. (2024). Validation and Reliability of the Dyslexia Adult Checklist in Screening for Dyslexia. Dyslexia, 31(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.1797
Sensory-Processing Informed Autism Practice for Child-Centred Therapists
Daniel and team look at the importance of sensory-processing evaluation, for Autistic children. Whilst some therapies continue to believe that listening to a child’s experiences of their sensory world, and adapting it to lessen overwhelm and exhaustion, are ‘failing to build resilience’, this is part of a growing set of research showing the need to be far more mindful of sensory factors. Likewise, so many are now moving away from the outdated idea that autistic children must be trained to communicate solely in Non-Autistic ways.
A majority of autistic children experience sensory processing difficulties. In this paper we give concise summaries of the impact of sensory processing difficulties and baseline chronic dysregulation for autistic children. We acknowledge the need for flexible, informed and individualized child-centred therapy practices that are sensitive to, embrace and include autistic sensory experiences. In consideration, we discuss the subtle implicit assumptions and communication biases non-autistic therapists may hold due to their neurotype. We consider the concept of interactive mismatch: exploring how difficulties in autistic/non-autistic interactions are bidirectional in nature and not inherent to either neurotype. We identify five areas of sensory-processing informed adaptation in clinical technique, encouraging practitioners to (1) create sensory-stable spaces for their clients, (2) adapt their basic use of voice and body, (3) consider cross-neurotype differences of emotional experience and employ behavioural observations at the heart of empathic processes, (4) facilitate interoceptive awareness and support personalised connections between sensations and regulatory actions, and (5) support the development of individually tailored vocabularies of feelings. The strategies we present in this paper offer a practical roadmap to address each autistic child’s sensory needs, reducing dysregulation and fostering meaningful connection without compromising the child’s agency.
Daniel, S., Mahler, K., Ray, D. C., Sharp, K., Clairy, K., Inderbitzen, S. M., Laurent, A. C., Fede, J. H., & Delafield-Butt, J. T. (2026). Sensory-Processing Informed Autism Practice for Child-Centred Therapists. Research in Neurodiversity, 100015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rin.2026.100015
Misinformation in the Press and in TES Magazine
There have recently been a number of articles from a Professor, inferring that, for example, there may be no such thing as different outcomes from Autistic masking, that most autistic women may be misdiagnosed, and that there may be no reliable research on whether sensory adaptations such as noise cancelling headphones improve quality of life.
Such statements are easily challenged with a search of research on the subjects, and observation of the thousands of personal accounts of autistic people of all ages, genders and backgrounds.
It is not clear why the Professor holds these seemingly outdated views, but it is fair to say that the Autistic communities, charities, researchers and specialists have been very clear in their responses. For example that of Dr Judith Brown at the National Autistic Society
For those wishing to have a look at just some of the research countering the Professor’s claims, I would recommend this as a good starting point, where Dr Chloe Farahar sets out a clear guide to the modern evidence.
Farahar, C. (2026, March 10). Why “Autism Is Not a Spectrum” – but Not for the Reasons You May Have Heard. https://aucademy.co.uk/2026/03/10/why-autism-is-not-a-spectrum-but-not-for-the-reasons-you-may-have-heard/
Health experiences and outcomes of autistic and non-autistic adults with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorder
Crompton and team look at Autistic and Non-Autistic adults with hypermobility diagnoses of various kinds. There is a large overlap, and it is still so often overlooked in identifying why a young person is tired, in pain, unable to do sports well or without injury, etc. Autistic patterns of what the adults found hardest were different to those of Non-Autistic people, so this is very relevant when putting together the right support, with the person.
A total of 1754 participants completed an online questionnaire about their diagnostic experience, hypermobile symptoms, co-occurring health conditions, self-rated physical and mental health, engagement with health services, and employment and benefits status. Around 25% of respondents were autistic; a further 25% had high levels of autistic traits. Autistic participants had more symptoms of hEDS/HSD and were more likely to have co-occurring physical and mental health conditions, compared with non-autistic and high autistic trait respondents. Autistic and high autistic trait participants self-reported poorer physical and mental health compared with non-autistic participants. Autistic participants’ mental health was impacted by limitations to everyday activities, whereas non-autistic participants were more impacted by difficulties with self-care. Autistic and non-autistic people may experience hEDS/HSD differently, which may impact the type of supports that are most beneficial to them.
Crompton, C. J., Efthimiou, T. N., Dockrell, D. M., & Berg, K. M. (2026). Health experiences and outcomes of autistic and non-autistic adults with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorder. BMC Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-026-04713-2
Personality Disorder diagnoses in UK Autistic people
O’Nions and team take a deep look at whether Autistic people are getting a lot of Personality Disorder diagnoses, compared to others. They are.
How many teams are still using the old, narrow definition of trauma and missing the trauma triggers and resulting distress, for Autistic people, I wonder?
We included 22,112 Autistic adults…We included 221,120 comparison adults. New personality disorder diagnoses were more than four times as common for Autistic men and women without an intellectual disability compared to men and women in the comparison group. For Autistic participants with an intellectual disability, the rate was twice as high for Autistic versus comparison men and 8 times higher for Autistic versus comparison women. Between 2000 and 2019, there was an increase in the rate of new personality disorder diagnoses among Autistic people, and in women. … The present findings highlight a need for efforts to reduce misdiagnosis of autism as personality disorder, with important implications for equity. This could include raising awareness of stress and trauma disproportionately experienced by Autistic people due to adverse experiences (Griffiths et al., 2019), social exclusion (Botha & Frost, 2020) and the cognitive demands associated with masking/camouflaging (Evans et al., 2024), which lead to emotional dysregulation that might be attributed to personality disorder.
O’Nions, E., Brown, J., Buckman, J. E., Charlton, R., Cooper, C., El Baou, C., Happé, F., Hoare, S., Lewer, D., Long, C., Manthorpe, J., McKechnie, D. G., Richards, M., Saunders, R., Mandy, W., & Stott, J. (2026). Personality disorder diagnoses in UK Autistic people: Evidence from a matched cohort study. Autism. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251414911
Borderline Personality Disorder/Emerging Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). Does it exist?
Quite a wordy, but powerful, paper, and an important one for the diagnostic professionals. Like the research paper above, it questions whether we are labelling trauma and distress from e.g. very real sensory differences and life events as some sort of personality problem. It also questions what this might say about how some women and minorities are assessed and treated, compared to e.g. white straight male patients.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is widely presented as an objective psychiatric diagnosis describing emotional and relational distress. However, feminist, decolonial, neurodiversity and lived experience-led scholarship demonstrates that BPD emerged within colonial, cisheteronormative, misogynist and neuronormative epistemologies that moralise distress and regulate identity, self-expression and access to care. …Dominant narratives of dependence, attachment theory and emotional expression obscure trauma, sensory differences and structural violence, while legitimising coercive and exclusionary practices. Mental health nurses are positioned at the frontline of enacting these logics, often experiencing moral distress. The BPD diagnosis lacks epistemic, cultural and ethical legitimacy. Its continued use undermines therapeutic safety and trust. A harm reduction transition away from the BPD construct is required, prioritising relational safety, sensory-informed and culturally responsive care, epistemic humility and lived experience leadership.
Cobbaert, L., Maloney, E., Harding, K., & James, S. (2026). Dismantling the Diagnostic Construct of Borderline Personality Disorder: A Critical Discourse Analysis. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 35(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.70241
Autistic people and research – what’s a “reasonable” amount of information and timescale to think about it, for informed consent?
I see a lot that alleges to be ‘informed consent’ in research and in medicine. But, for Autistic people, its format, wording and time-expectations mean that the end result is not informed consent. Khatiwada and team use a US example, and notes that many groups, including Autistic people, are likely to not have much of a clue what they are actually consenting to, thanks to the lack of understanding and adaptation around this process. Well worth considering, when you read, ‘Consent was obtained from…’ on papers. Was it?
Information disclosure during the informed consent process presents a dilemma. If too little information is presented, participants are unable to make an informed decision. Exhaustive disclosure is, however, a practical impossibility. In the United States, this dilemma was historically navigated in the research context by requiring that disclosure include enumerated items: the purpose of the research, potential risks, etc. In 2018, federal guidelines were updated to require that disclosure adhere to the reasonable person standard, whereby participants must be given all information that an "average" person would want to know. Drawing on the Autistic community's unique concerns regarding research, we argue that, because of its emphasis on the informational wants of the "average" person, the reasonable person standard systematically fails to meet the informational needs of (many) people from minoritized populations. We argue for an individualized understanding of the reasonable person standard and provide recommendations for research teams.
Khatiwada, M., Howard, D., Krempley, T., Walton, K., Williams, C., & Graber, A. D. (2026). Reasonable to Whom? Rethinking Informed Consent Disclosures in Light of the Research Related Concerns of the Autistic Community. The American Journal of Bioethics, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2026.2632012
Pivotal Response Treatment for autistic children – does it improve quality of life? Seems not.
Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) is based on the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and is used by some centres to ‘treat’ Autistic children. The aim is to encourage them to behave like Non-Autistic children, using social engagement and play to reward any behaviour that resembles that of Non-Autistic people, rather than use ABA’s strict repeated routines and rules. Like ABA, the PRT industry hasn’t really questioned whether these are appropriate and ethical aims, given the concerns raised by autistic communities.
This research team has taken a look at whether PRT at least improves the quality of life (QoL) for the Autistic children. They noted that few previous studies had thought to ask.
It did not.
Results: …There were no significant impacts of intervention group on changes in QoL from baseline to post-intervention.
Schuck, R. K., Ferguson, E. F., Spackman, E. K., Jevtic, E., Millan, M. E., Paszek, K., Komaki, H., Ma, Q., Phillips, J. M., Uljarević, M., Gengoux, G. W., & Hardan, A. Y. (2026). Child Quality of Life as an Outcome Following Pivotal Response Treatment: Findings From Four Randomized Controlled Trials With Autistic Children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-026-07261-z
ADHD and the impact on health in midlife
We continue to see articles and interviews suggesting that we should not be identifying ADHD in as many children. This important study by Stott and team looks at the impact of ADHD on health by age 46. What do we risk, by deciding not to find, or support, those eligible for a diagnosis?
In this study of 10 930 people, more childhood ADHD traits were associated with a greater number of physical health problems... and more physical health-related disability by age 46 years. These associations were partially explained by smoking, psychological distress, and body mass index. These findings suggest that early ADHD traits are associated with poorer long-term physical health, highlighting the importance of early identification and targeted support across the life course.
Stott, J., O’Nions, E., Corrigan, L., Cotton, J., Donnellan, W. J., Nimmons, D., Shelford, H., Céline El Baou, Stewart, G. R., Cheung, R. W., Desai, R., Douglas, Aphrodite Eshetu, Saunders, R., Suh, J. W., Mandy, W., Darya Gaysina, Asherson, P., Agnew-Blais, J., & John, A. (2026). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Traits in Childhood and Physical Health in Midlife. JAMA Network Open, 9(1), e2554802–e2554802. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.54802
