[Disclosure of the autism spectrum]

Since the concept of Asperger syndrome was advocated by the child psychiatrist Lorna Wing (1981), atypical cases not accompanied by intellectual disability have been considered for support. In clinical settings in the 1990s, children began asking the names of their diagnoses. In a field study by the authors, an increasing number of children at the age of 8 years realize the name of their diagnosis, and many children know their diagnosis at the ages of 12 years. Although explaining the diagnosis to the child plays an important role in the treatment of autism and Asperger syndrome in a clinical setting, very few studies have examined such explanations as part of the treatment technique. This paper presents the authors' efforts in psycho-medical education, by disclosing the diagnosis to the children. Further, the study examines the effects and side effects of diagnosis disclosure as a counselling technique. For the symposium's theme of 're-examining the clinical significance of diagnostic thresholds', in this manuscript, the author discusses her views on explaining the diagnoses to the children.