Autism Spectrum

Research into autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Deaf people has highlighted the importance of language role models for deaf children and the importance of diagnosticians being culturally and linguistically trained to work with Deaf people.

Although ASD is more common in deaf populations whose cause of deafness may have been associated with neurological damage, the rate of misdiagnosis in people with all types of deafness [Page 66]is high. Overdiagnosis may be linked to the existence of conditions that mimic ASD, which result from some deaf people experiencing poor early language environments, isolation, and poor access to information. Both over- and underdiagnosis is linked to a paucity of specialist services and specialist clinicians for deaf people.