Transdiagnostic research and the neurodiversity paradigm: commentary on the transdiagnostic revolution in neurodevelopmental disorders by Astle et al.

Abstract

In their comprehensive and articulate paper on the Transdiagnostic Revolution in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Astle, Holmes, Kievit and Gathercole (2021) ‘consider how well current classifications of neurodevelopmental disorders serve our understanding’. They examine the lack of mapping between clinical diagnoses such as ADHD or autism and research data at other levels of explanation, including genetics, neural structure and function, and cognition. The authors come to the conclusion that, if our goal is to explain variability and complexity, understand mechanisms and guide support decisions, ‘diagnostic taxonomies that classify individuals in terms of discrete categories are ill-suited’. In this commentary, I explore alignment between their account of the transdiagnostic revolution and the neurodiversity paradigm and identify how transdiagnostic methods may promote neurodiversity-affirmative research and practice.