It has been argued that diagnosis of learning disorders including those associated with ASD involves stigmatisation and is therefore not desirable.1,2, 3 Parents have claimed that the social factors involved in identification, interpretation and remediation determine what it means to be autistic.4 On the other hand many clinicians, health practitioners, educators and parents have argued that ASD is partly genetically determined and diagnosis is essential as young as possible to treat and manage the condition.5,6 In order to address this debate we examine whether diagnosing ASD in children leads to a deterioration or improvement of the condition over time as compared to an undiagnosed group with similar social awareness skills, using ALSPAC data.

How parents perceive diagnosis of ASD at the point of diagnosis has not been studied. To address this, a qualitative study will examine what triggers parents to ask for diagnosis, and how parents, who receive or do not receive a diagnosis, view the diagnosis of the condition and construct their own explanations and causes for it. These views will be mapped on to the views of experts to examine any differences of perspective that may exist to highlight how parents and professionals can best work together to help the children.