The Canary Code

APPENDIX D UNDERSTANDING ADULT DIAGNOSIS AND AVOIDING STEREOTYPING

While increasingly common, the late diagnosis of autism, ADHD, or learning differences such as dyslexia is still met by surprise.1, 2,3 In particular, many managers and HR personnel may wonder about a newly diagnosed employee, “How can this be? How did they get so far without being diagnosed? Is this for real?”

This book is filled with stories of late-diagnosed neurodivergent individuals, including myself. Here, I provide some additional resources that help understand this topic.4, 5

Adult diagnosis of developmental differences is recognized and well documented. Numerous studies identify the reasons for late diagnosis. Generational differences, gender disparities in diagnosis, ...