Are there any conditions which have yet to be formally recognised?
First of all, there are hundreds of conditions, and some of them are better known than others. For example, with connected disorders, most people have heard of Down’s Syndrome, some have heard of Fragile X, but when you get to Rett Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Angelman, and so on, they’re less well known. But to answer your question about ones that haven’t been diagnosed yet, I’m sure there are. For example, the debate that’s raging at the moment as to whether or not all the people diagnosed with dyslexia are actually dyslexics, or if people are simply jumping on the bandwagon. What is important to remember there is that they have a difficulty which is preventing them from learning and making the progress they should. Whether we call that dyslexia, or in ten years time find a new condition that matches half of those people, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is not the label, it’s about making sure help and support are there, and it’s there early when everything is first picked up
