Professor Amanda Kirby, CEO of Do-IT Solutions., Campaigner for Neurodiversity, Medic, Knowledge Translator, researcher.

Originally published as part of The Neurodiversity 101 LinkedIn Newsletter.

For decades, the way we’ve defined autism has been shaped by what I think of as an evolving recipe — a mix of ingredients, methods, and assumptions about what autism “looks like.” This is the case also for other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Each edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) has rewritten that recipe and sometimes adding new ingredients, sometimes removing them, and always changing how we understand difference. This means we were making cakes but are now making biscuits… similar ingredients to some extent- mixed differently and with somethings added or taken away… and baked at a different temperature!

But as we look ahead, perhaps it’s time to ask:

❓Is it still one recipe — or have we been trying to bake a complex cake from a dozen overlapping recipes all along?

From Absence to Difference: The Early Recipes

In the 1950s and 60s, autism was seen through a narrow lens — often confused with schizophrenia or emotional disturbance. The early recipes were more about what was “missing” than what was different.

By the 1980s, Infantile Autism entered the DSM-III, and later Autistic Disorder took shape as a defined neurodevelopmental condition. The ingredients were clearer: social communication differences, repetitive behaviours, and early onset.

But these definitions still treated autism as a separate dish — not part of a larger neurodevelopmental menu.

DSM-IV to DSM-5: The Spectrum Era

The 1990s and early 2000s brought a full menu of related conditions — autism, Asperger’s, Rett’s, and PDD-NOS — which were eventually folded into Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the DSM-5 (2013).

This version finally acknowledged variation, but it still framed autism as a distinct entity. Meanwhile, research showed that autistic traits often overlap with those found in ADHD, DCD (developmental coordination disorder), DLD (developmental language disorder), dyslexia, and dyscalculia and that anxiety and depression were frequent companions, not coincidences.

The more we looked, the blurrier the edges became. The recipe for autism was starting to look like part of a shared family cookbook.

The Hidden Ingredients: Overlaps and Intersections

When you sit down with autistic people and their families, the story is rarely simple.

It’s not just autism — it’s:

• A child who is autistic and has DCD, making writing and sports exhausting.
• A teenager with ADHD traits who also struggles with reading and organisation.
• An adult with undiagnosed dyslexia who experiences sensory overload and anxiety.

Each of these overlaps changes the flavour of daily life — how someone learns, communicates, and copes. The place they live, their typical family interactions; their culture; all add flavour.

Yet, our systems — education, health, justice, employment — still too often act as though we can isolate each condition, diagnose it neatly, and treat it separately.

We can’t. And we shouldn’t.

The Future Recipe: From Labels to Layers

Perhaps the next DSM, or whatever replaces it, won’t offer a recipe for autism alone — but for neurodevelopmental diversity as a whole.

Imagine a future framework that:

• Describes core domains (e.g., attention, coordination, communication, learning, emotional regulation) rather than separate labels.
• Uses dimensional models rather than categorical ones — recognising where someone’s strengths and challenges sit across continua.
• Integrates mental health as part of neurodevelopment, not as a separate layer added later.
• Prioritises function and context — how traits interact with environments, demands, and supports.
• Moves beyond “impairment” toward participation and accessibility.

This wouldn’t erase autism or any other condition; but it would contextualise what we mean for that person— acknowledging that the human brain doesn’t respect neat diagnostic boundaries. It shifts the conversation from “What disorder do you have?” to “What support helps you/me thrive?”

🌐 From DSM to ICF Thinking

The WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) already takes this broader view. It focuses not on labels but on:

• Activities (what you can do)
• Participation (how you engage)
• Environmental factors (what enables or hinders you)

A future neurodevelopmental framework could combine the DSM’s precision with the ICF’s inclusivity allowing clinicians, educators, and employers to see the whole person, not a fragmented set of conditions.

What about the Emotional layer

We also can’t ignore the emotional “ingredients” that come with living in a world that isn’t always designed for difference.

Anxiety, depression, burnout, and low self-concept often arise not because of autism itself, but because of friction between individual needs and systemic inflexibility.

The future recipes must bake in safety, acceptance, and belonging and not just using a linear approach to support using ‘simple’ symptom checklists.

Time to rewrite the Cookbook

So, what might the future recipe for ADHD/ASD/Dyslexia or DCD look like?

• One that views neurodivergence as a network, not a hierarchy.
• One that recognises intersectionality in everything we do — how neurotypes, gender, culture, and trauma intersect.
• One that integrates biology, environment, and lived experiences equally.
• One that is co-authored by neurodivergent people, not just clinicians.

Maybe then, we’ll stop arguing about which label fits, and start asking better questions:

How can we help you learn, connect, work, and live well?

What tools do you need — and what needs to change around you?

My final thought

The recipe for autism has changed dramatically from exclusion to recognition. But perhaps the next evolution won’t be a new recipe at all. We need to move from awareness to action, from identification to inclusion.

We need to create a buffet of human variation — where we accept that everyone’s plate looks a little different, and no one is told they’re eating the wrong food or using the wrong cutlery!

Blog Author

I am Amanda Kirby, CEO of Do-IT Solutions a tech-for-good company that delivers thought provoking consultancy and neuroinclusive guidance and training. We have developed cutting edge web-based screening tools that have helped 10s of 1000s of people. We strive to deliver person-centered solutions relating to neurodiversity and wellbeing.

I am a mixed bag of experiences and skills, an odd ball… and have 25+ years of working in the field of neurodiversity.

I am a medical doctor, Professor, and have a Ph.D. in the field of neurodiversity; parent and grandparent to neurodivergent wonderful kids and am neurodivergent myself.

Theo Smith and I wrote the UK award-winning book Neurodiversity at Work Drive Innovation, Performance, and Productivity with a Neurodiverse Workforce. My 10th book came out called Neurodiversity and Education in March this year. Excitingly, Theo and I have another book coming out next year!