Deficit model

This page might be redundant since The pathology paradigm already exists. The contents may need to be merged.

In the deficit model, or medical model, most diagnostic criteria for autism are framed as being deficits when compared to allistic or neurotypical people. Although outdated, this is still used by many psychiatrists and physicians.

An analogy to support this might be: Asking a dog to be more ‘cat’ or a cat to be more ‘dog’. Assessing a cats skills using a criteria designed for dogs and vice versa… this will likely result in neither one achieving the ‘desired’ outcome.

See also

• Functioning labels
• The pathology paradigm