Why a neurodiversity diagnosis matters

Access through your institution Buy or subscribe About 15% of the global population are said to be neurodivergent. In the UK, about 3-4% of the population are thought to have ADHD and at

least 1% are thought to be on the autism spectrum. Roughly one in 10 have dyslexia,1 but the truth of the matter is these figures are likely to under-represent the true numbers; it is to be

expected that these will rise with increasing awareness and access to assessments. Recent figures show that as many as 1 in 36 children are believed to be autistic and this indicates that

the total autistic population in the UK may be greater than 1.2 million.2 Similarly, there is recognition that prevalence rates for ADHD and other neurodivergences are likely to be

significantly higher than current figures suggest. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution ADDITIONAL ACCESS

OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support REFERENCES * National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 2024. Assessment and

diagnosis of autism: what to expect. Available online at: http://www.nice.org.uk/about/nice-communities/social-care/quick-guides/assessment-and-diagnosis-of-autism-what-to-expect (accessed

July 2024). * Onions E, Petersen I, Buckman J _et al_. Autism in England: assessing underdiagnosis in a population-based cohort study of prospectively collected primary care data. _The

Lancet Regional Health_ 2023; 29: 100626. * Murphy J, Andrews F and Morgan M. Embracing neurodiversity-informed dentistry. Part five: Diverse minds in the dental profession. _BDJ Team_ 2023;

10: 21-28. Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * BDJ In Practice, London, United Kingdom David Westgarth Authors * David Westgarth View author publications You

can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to David Westgarth. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS

ARTICLE Westgarth, D. Why a neurodiversity diagnosis matters. _BDJ In Pract_ 37, 284–285 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41404-024-2813-8 Download citation * Published: 05 August 2024 *

Issue Date: 05 August 2024 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41404-024-2813-8 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link

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