r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Jan 30 '25

Neuroscience A low-cost tool accurately distinguishes neurotypical children from children with autism just by watching them copy the dance moves of an on-screen avatar for a minute. It can even tell autism from ADHD, conditions that commonly overlap.

https://newatlas.com/adhd-autism/autism-motion-detection-diagnosis/
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u/CookieSquire Jan 30 '25

If someone incorrectly diagnoses themselves with ASD, but then finds their life improved by coping strategies intended for autistic people, that’s a good thing. If they start spreading misinformation about autism, that’s a different issue, and certainly is harmful.

I’m still curious as to why you believe misdiagnosis is common enough to be a problem. It seems just as likely that the increase in reporting is just a reflection of greater public awareness of autism.

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u/FloRidinLawn Jan 30 '25

It is anecdotal and perception based experience, that was all. Offering a view point

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u/CookieSquire Jan 30 '25

Fair enough. Anecdotally, it does seem like more and more people are publicly labeling themselves autistic. I would love to see numbers on how often people who get professionally tested find out they were incorrect, and if that frequency has increased recently, but that data seems hard to come by.

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u/FloRidinLawn Jan 30 '25

It has almost become fashionable to be neurodivergent. My daughter tells me this watching TikTok itself. Commoditize it. If it makes you stand out, run with it.