Hello,
Hope I am allowed to message in regards to the petition I have started. I am 32 years old and I'm in the process of going through an autism assessment. My children are too. I have been obsessed with researching into everything I can about autism, and currently doing a diploma too. Amongst my research I have come across so many stories of those presenting differently (commonly females) who are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. It's so sad to see so many individuals missing out on the support and help they deserve. I'm hoping I can change this but I need support from as many people as possible in order to do this. I'm posing that diagnostians need to be trained to higher standards at being able to identify those that are high masking or presenting differently, even needing regular updates training every 3-5 years or so. Another aspect I think that could help is have the APA Board of Trustees responsible for the DSM-5 to research the accuracy of the criteria that is being used in terms of the individuals receiving misdiagnosed or undiagnosed entirely, although I still believe that falls more in line with diagnosticians lack of training. I hope you can understand the intention behind my petition and I would hugely appreciate any interest for signing it, or sharing it so it can get the attention it needs, especially as I am not on social media myself.
https://www.change.org/p/diagnostic-criteria-and-diagnosticians-for-autism/sfs/copy/1315089546?recruiter=1315089546&recruited_by_id=7a65e3c0-4370-11ee-8d08-e3a93f72ce20&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard_share_modal&utm_medium=copylink
Thank you for taking the time to read 😊