Three Ways Differential Diagnosis Can Be Neurodiversity-Affirming
Published May 9, 2026
A psychologist’s commentary on making differential diagnosis more neurodiversity-affirming while preserving careful, individualized assessment.
<p>This professional commentary by psychologist Sara Eileen O’Neil Woods discusses ways clinicians can approach differential diagnosis with greater attention to neurodiversity, context, and the person’s own experience.</p><p>It encourages clinicians to consider overlapping presentations, bias, masking, and a person’s goals while completing an appropriate assessment. These are the author’s practice-oriented perspectives, not a diagnostic protocol or a finding from a controlled study.</p><p>Only a qualified professional can assess an individual’s circumstances. This resource cannot determine whether someone is autistic or rule out other explanations for a person’s experiences.</p><p>Source: Woods, S. E. O. “Three Ways Differential Diagnosis Can Be Neurodiversity-Affirming.” Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, February 26, 2026. <a target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thinkingautismguide.com/2026/02/three-ways-differential-diagnosis-can-be-neurodiversity-affirming.html">https://thinkingautismguide.com/2026/02/three-ways-differential-diagnosis-can-be-neurodiversity-affirming.html</a></p>