The Story of Different Minds  ·  DSM 5 and the Autism Spectrum

Labels and Identity

Why diagnostic changes affect more than paperwork.

A label can become part of how someone understands their life.

Simple version

Changes to diagnostic labels affect services, research, community and self identity.

Why it matters

For some people, a label brings relief. For others, losing or changing a label can feel destabilising.

Awareverse lens

Awareverse respects both support needs and identity.

Question to ask

When looking at labels and identity, ask: who had power, who was being labelled, and what would have changed if the human being had been seen first?

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