Autism diagnoses are increasing and God has guided our family with a neurodivergent daughter

‘I still struggle with those Christians in the Church, who misunderstand neurodivergence, when I think they should be reflecting God’s message of acceptance and celebration around difference,’ says Ann Wilson.

An article from the Guardian caught my eye recently, because I recognised some of the professionals interviewed. All of them agreed that autism diagnoses are rapidly increasing, but their responses as to why this is varies.

As a professional in the field, I am well aware of the increased referrals for assessment.  I support assessment and if necessary, diagnosis because of the increased understanding it can bring to families, teachers, professionals and of course autistic people themselves. We now understand much more about how autism presents differently in girls and women and professionally I view this very positively.