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.
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.
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.
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.
Source: Woods, S. E. O. “Three Ways Differential Diagnosis Can Be Neurodiversity-Affirming.” Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism, February 26, 2026. https://thinkingautismguide.com/2026/02/three-ways-differential-diagnosis-can-be-neurodiversity-affirming.html
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