Uta Frith Challenges 1-Spectrum Autism Model as UK Diagnoses Jumped 787%

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Nov 1

85-year-old autism pioneer Uta Frith says the single autism spectrum has become too broad, arguing many adults diagnosed later in life should not necessarily be labeled autistic.
787% growth in UK diagnoses from 1998 to 2018 and a 175% US rise from 2011 to 2022 have intensified scrutiny, with Frith blaming broadened criteria, social-media influence and blurred boundaries with anxiety-related conditions.
A recent UK-commissioned review also linked rising diagnoses to greater awareness and wider diagnostic concepts, warning of growing risks of misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis while stopping short of saying it is happening at scale.
Mary Doherty and other self-advocates say narrowing the label would invalidate lived experience and worsen mental-health risks, while Simon Baron-Cohen backs keeping a broad spectrum but splitting it into more precise subtypes.
The dispute now reaches beyond academia into schools, clinics and disability support, centering on whether a wider definition improves recognition or diverts attention from people with the most intensive needs.