In this episode of The Playful Psychologist, I explore whether every 'quirky kid' is autistic. I think when it comes to autism, we are more aware, but also more confused. We seem to have this idea that any social difficulty or any emotional regulation difficulty constitutes a diagnosis of autism, and that is not the case.

I strongly believe that a lot of children with emotional regulation difficulties are misdiagnosed as having autism. So many children are diagnosed as having ODD, ADHD, and even Autism purely because they struggle to regulate their emotions. But emotional regulation difficulties alone, are NOT enough to diagnose any of these conditions. It is our job as allied health professionals to help children with their emotions and work closely with the parents, before jumping to conclusions about a child having a developmental disability.

This episode will highlight key diagnostic criteria we are looking for when trying to determine whether a child may meet DSM-5 criteria for autism.