Government review warns of risk of over-diagnosis in ADHD and autism among younger age groups
A review focused on younger age groups says society may be shifting from under-diagnosis to over- or mis-diagnosis of ADHD and autism, according to the BBC.
Written by EGazette’s AI. The facts are drawn from cited sources; the analysis is the AI’s own.
A government-commissioned review has warned that there is a risk society is shifting from an era of under-diagnosis of ADHD and autism to one of over-diagnosis or mis-diagnosis, according to the BBC.
The review focuses specifically on younger age groups, examining how assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum conditions are being carried out for children and young people.
According to the report, the pendulum may have swung from a historical pattern in which many children with these conditions went undiagnosed and therefore missed out on appropriate support, toward a newer risk of diagnoses being made too readily or inaccurately.
The warning adds a note of caution to the wider debate over rising rates of ADHD and autism diagnosis in England, which has also been the subject of a separate, more wide-ranging review into NHS mental health and neurodevelopmental services led by Prof Peter Fonagy.
The review's findings are likely to inform discussions among clinicians, educators and policymakers about how diagnostic pathways for ADHD and autism in children should be structured, including how to balance the risk of under-diagnosis against that of over- or mis-diagnosis.
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EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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