Forum: Diagnosis should help us understand autism, not define a person
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Kenneth Li’s commentary on understanding autism was a helpful reminder of the dangers of labels and oversimplification (We are more aware of autism, but how well do we understand it?, Aug 5).
His description of autism as a “constellation of traits” rather than a “single sliding scale” captures the complexity of not just autism but also many mental health conditions. It encourages us to resist placing people in boxes and to be more inclusive and less judgmental.
Diagnoses can be useful tools for understanding and managing difficulties, but they can also become blunt instruments, denying someone’s lived experience if they do not meet a diagnostic threshold, or stereotyping them if they do. A diagnosis should help us understand a person, not become a definition of who they are.
Clients may want a diagnosis to make sense of their struggles or to navigate family or work pressures. In contrast, therapists do not want a diagnosis to become the focus at the expense of practical support, which is needed even when they do not fit neatly into a diagnostic category.
Ultimately, we need broader acceptance that we are all wired differently, and that is all right. Acceptance should also go beyond having a “live and let live” attitude.
It should mean that we are willing to make the structural and behavioural changes needed – at home, at school and at work – to help every member of society thrive.
Chirag Agarwal
Co-founder
Talk Your Heart Out
