Blog

Below we offer some tips to colleagues who are diagnosed. We believe in training and support on how to communicate assessment results to families in a meaningful way that is respectful and supportive.

• Remember that “words are powerful” (Donaldson et al., 2017).How the series tells the story makes the difference. Consider some of the terms used to describe a child and the diagnosis from the perspective of the neurodiversità (see Bottema-Beutel et al., 2020, for a more detailed discussion). For example, instead of using the word "deficit", try "area of challenge/difficulty"; instead of co-morbidity, try "co-be"; and for tiny children, consider the use of "high probability" of autism rather than "at risk". These changes in vocabulary communicate to families that their child is more than a label and that their child is the same child who came with their first diagnosis.
• Collaborates with parents during the disclosure (Anderberg & South, 2021). Ask parents how they feel about the idea of receiving a diagnosis and what they think and know already. This will help you identify where parents may need more information and support. They will also need information about why their child fits this diagnosis and what to do after. This could be a change for many diagnostic that is not formed in this process and currently undertake rarely in the definition of a shared calendar (Mule et al., 2021). Sets a positive tone and warmth (Anderberg & South, 2021; Crane et al., 2018). A warm clinical and positive clinical can mitigate the parents' emotional reactions and help them identify the strengths in their capacity of parents and their children. Get to know the child and family and provide empathetic and respectful feedback to recognize the parents' concerns and feelings and share strengths.
• Sets a positive tone and warm (Anderberg & South, 2021; Crane et al., 2018). A clinical warm, positive can mitigate the emotional reactions of the parents and help them to identify the strengths in their capacity of parents and their children. Get to know the child and family and provide feedback so empathetic and respectful to recognize the concerns and feelings of the parents and to share strengths.
• Be honest and stay confident (Mulligan et al., 2012). We need to balance the discussion of the points of force with the recognition of the child's needs, both in terms of learning (such as intellectual disability) and the environment (such as the need for additional structure). The parents came to the assessment due to concerns, and ignoring such concerns may leave the parents to go unheeded. The challenges can be recognized in the context of a child with strengths and weaknesses that can be exploited or supported.
• Consider how they are presented, and the interventions/treatments. Many families receive a diagnosis and immediately begin a journey in search of more and more hours of intervention to "cure" their children. Rather than talk about recovery, describe the intervention as a way to increase the ability to adapt and promote the quality of life. Research on early intervention, in particular, autism, has become more natural and appropriate for children while remaining highly effective in improving the communication and support of social interactions and gameplay based on a child's strengths and interests rather than a "cure".
• Consider the intersectionality. Disclosure diagnostics should be carried out using practical, responsive, and culturally sensitive. Depending on their culture, families may have a history of negative interactions with health professionals and a general mistrust in the system (Moseley et al., 2007) or may feel that they are not valued or not listened to by medical professionals, particularly if their initial concerns were not taken seriously. Disorders of neurodevelopment, in some cultures, may be stigmatized, which may require even more care in how you share the diagnosis, with particular attention to the possibility that the parents are involved in the differences between their children (Stahmer et al., 2019).
• Respond to the support needs of caregivers. Parents of neurodivergent children often experience more significant stress than parents of neurotypical children (Keenan et al., 2016). Caregivers often experience a lack of support, negative judgments, and stigma from friends, family, and the community with additional financial burdens (Papadopoulos et al., 2019). Data-all of these impacts, many parents may need support and validation. We do not believe there is indeed a contrast between the need for a vision for a positive evolution of autism and acknowledge honestly the challenges that health professionals face in our society.