However it has become even more apparent that we need to be more educated not only of the existence of these conditions, but also their classification, diagnosis and most importantly their complexity.
Current struggles
Not long ago, I came across the story of Hayley, a young woman aged 22, who is diagnosed with autism. She was so frustrated with the way people have perceived her all her life. She is frustrated with people that labelled her as "disabled" and dismissed her, assuming that her disability will get in the way of being a part of the community, both in the early years of her life and during her young adulthood years. As well as people who meet someone with autism and assume that all other people with autism will be the same.
"What bugs me is people who assume they know autism! They know someone with autism, so they must know a lot about it. No two people with autism are the same. We all have different trades, abilities, skills and more," she wrote.
Unfortunately, Hayley is not the only one going through this. There are thousands of stories like hers. Her words have reflected on the reality of these conditions and confirmed that a vast number of people are still not aware of their complexity.
Lack of training
Although information on both autism and ADHD is growing, recent developments on autism training for teachers - where over 7,000 people including MPs and school staff in England have signed a letter calling on the Education Secretary to make autism training mandatory for teachers in England - has proven that we need to develop a more effective training system in order to support children and young adults diagnosed with these conditions.
But it's not enough to just talk about autism or ADHD, as evidence shows that often these two conditions are interlinked - someone diagnosed with autism can exhibit symptoms of ADHD and those with ADHD often are on the autism spectrum. This knowledge helps us understand how to identify and support these conditions, since someone who is diagnosed with both might need a completely different type of care.
With years of research into these conditions, I have learned one thing; it is extremely difficult to understand these conditions fully and some still argue that nobody truly knows what they really are.
What can be done?
As Francis Bacon once said: "Knowledge is power". The best way to understand these conditions is to learn as much as we can about them. To support this, we at the University of Derby have created a free online short course "Understanding Autism, Asperger's & ADHD" that is designed to help individuals learn more about these conditions, the importance of understanding the classification, assessment, diagnosis and more. Online course delivery has allowed us to engage with people all over the country and the world, giving learners an opportunity to engage in discussions and exchange their thoughts and experiences. Our ambition is to raise the profile of these challenging conditions, comorbidity within these conditions and the treatment.
In return, we hope it will allow people with these disabilities to be better understood and supported, allowing us all to be a part of the community without any discriminations.
"Understanding Autism, Asperger's & ADHD" is now open for enrolment. Enrol before 17 July 2016 to explore autism, Asperger's and ADHD further. For more information and to enrol visit University of Derby website.
Created by: DR. SIMON BIGNELL BA (HONS), PHD, MBPSS
Chartered Psychologist and Senior Lecturer in Psychology in the Department of Life Sciences, University of Derby
