On Tuesday, the journal Lancet published a 2+ year long endeavor around understanding the heterogeneity of autism not just in features but in access to services for individuals and families across the world. They called for a stepped care to help individualize and prioritize needs in different individuals based on their needs, not their diagnosis. They also called for the label of “profound autism” which describes individuals with very different outcomes compared to those who have a higher verbal and cognitive ability. Recognizing everyone needs supports and help, the “profound autism” label needs different supports, like different employment situations and different living accommodations. Thankfully, to authors, Dr. Catherine Lord from UCLA and Alison Singer from ASF explain the article and the impact they hope it makes on the field.

The article is open access but you have to register to download a copy, here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01541-5/fulltext