ArticleSAGE open medicine2021
How UK health care professionals conceptualise parental experiences of the diagnostic process for autism spectrum disorder: A qualitative study.
Article in SAGE open medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Somali and Eritrean parents experiences and challenges in the diagnosis and early intervention of autism spectrum disorder in Norway.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- "Listening to the word autism changes everything": the impact of an Autism Spectrum disorder diagnosis on families.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Clinical Features of Children at Risk of Profound Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025Article
- Parent experiences of their children's diagnosis with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or both conditions.International journal of developmental disabilities · 2024Article
- Autism Diagnostic Assessments With Children, Adolescents, and Adults Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Professionals.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesMuch of the literature on diagnostic experiences of autism focuses on parental perspectives. Few studies have explored how health care professionals conceptualise parental experiences of the diagnostic process. The current study examines clinical perspectives of the diagnostic process with a focus on the perceived impact of assessment on families.
methodsQualitative interviews were conducted with 25 health care professionals from various National Health Service child and adolescent mental health services and general practices in the United Kingdom. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were analysed using a thematic approach.
resultsTwo main themes were identified: (1) stress and the autism spectrum disorder diagnostic process and (2) expectations of the diagnostic pathway. The main sources of stress perceived by the health care professionals related to diagnostic delay and ambiguity around the diagnostic process, with parents facing significant hurdles in understanding their child's behaviour. Many health care professionals also reported a struggle to navigate differing expectations of the diagnostic process between parents and clinicians, as well as managing objectivity in the face of significant distress. Parent internalised stigma and guilt was a key component of the health care professional's perception of sources of stress around the diagnostic process.
conclusionThe vast majority of clinicians recognised the diagnostic pathway as a significant source of stress for parents, with many hurdles and battles to finalise the process.
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