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A study on autism has emphasised an urgent need for teachers and mental health professionals to be trained to better screen, assess and diagnose presentations of autism as early as possible.
According to a study by University of Cape Town researchers, a late diagnosis of autism negatively impacts individuals’ psychological wellbeing due to factors such as social isolation, bullying and psychological distress caused by a lack of understanding of autism-related difficulties.
The study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychology, explored the first-hand experiences of 10 adult males aged 25 and above who were diagnosed with autism in their adulthood.
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Through in-depth interviews, the researchers sought to explore and understand symptoms and challenges of a childhood associated with undiagnosed and misdiagnosed autism, the ramifications thereof and the impact of receiving an early diagnosis.
The findings reveal that individuals who are not diagnosed or who receive a late autism diagnosis are affected by the resulting lack of support services – which are vital for scaffolding the environment to help the individuals better manage their challenges – and therefore fail to thrive.
The global prevalence of autism has increased significantly in the recent past. The initial estimates were as low as five in 10 000 children, but more recent studies indicate that one in 160 children globally have autism.
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Dr Anastasia Maw, who co-authored the study, says parents whose children live with autism need to be provided with psychoeducation – a therapeutic intervention that provides information and support to better understand and cope with illness – and to access available support services.
“We found that indicators of autism were evident during early and later childhood. However, these symptoms were either overlooked or normalised by parents and teachers, or understood as being due to a psychiatric disorder other than autism by mental health practitioners. This had a significant impact on the overall life experiences and outcomes for the participants in this study, as they were forced to navigate through their lives without an understanding of their difficulties,” Maw said.
The study also found that receiving a late diagnosis affected the participants’ ability to attain a sense of normalcy, as their autism-related challenges affected their ability to progress academically and to attain and retain employment.
“Participants in this study described using maladaptive coping strategies such as masking, substance use and withdrawn behaviour, while caregivers employed strategies such as discipline as an attempt to manage challenging behaviour.”
She said several participants described engaging in masking at an unconscious level through observing the behaviours of others and mimicking them without being aware of it.
“Masking had positive outcomes in that it provided a way for participants to manage their difficulties and navigate their way through the world. However, masking also resulted in negative outcomes because the effort required to hide challenges and differences resulted in exhaustion and an increased sense of isolation and distress at not being able to fit in.”
