posted February 19, 2010 03:23 PM         

Psychology Today: Here to Help

Positively Autism
News and advice from an educator's perspective
by Nicole Caldwell

Nicole Caldwell is a teacher, autism specialist, and editor of PositivelyAutism.com.

No More Asperger’s Syndrome?
In 2012, will there be no more Asperger’s Syndrome?
Published on December 22, 2009

In 2012, there may be no more Asperger's Syndrome. No, I'm not talking about some sort of 2012 doomsday prophecy or suggesting that there will be some sort of cure for this particular Autism Spectrum condition. According to a proposal from the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the Asperger's diagnosis, along with another "form" of Autism, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) will be removed from the next edition of their diagnostic manual, the DSM. The DSM stands for The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). It is the standard reference for mental health professionals in the United States to use for diagnostic criteria for mental disorders.

Upon first reading this headline, I was pleased to think that perhaps Asperger's would no longer be considered a mental illness or disorder. To me, it has always seemed a little stigmatizing for the Autism spectrum to be considered a mental illness. Working in the education field, I have always considered Autism to be a developmental disability or difference, but I guess there is no definite answer about its exact nature. Honestly, I don't think that mental illnesses or disorders should be considered so stigmatizing in society in general, but that's a topic for another essay.

The proposed changes to the DSM focus on eliminating the different labels associated with the Autism spectrum and replacing them with different ratings of the "severity" of Autism: "most severe ASD," "moderately severe ASD," and "less severe ASD." The APA's argument for combining the forms of Autism into one broad diagnostic category is based on three reasons:

1. A single spectrum is more reflective of the symptoms,
2. Separation of the conditions within the Autism spectrum is inconsistent and variable,
3. Individuals are already commonly diagnosed by the severity of the symptoms, rather than specific condition within the spectrum.

According to an article published in the New York Times, there is concern that the change in diagnostic label will discourage some individuals from seeking a diagnosis. For example, an individual who is able to communicate and socialize fairly well and who may have previously received an Asperger's diagnosis, may not seek diagnosis because he or she doesn't believe they have "Autism" because they can talk and communicate. Another challenge may be who receives government benefits under the new diagnostic categories. According to the New York Times, some states provide state services for individuals diagnosed with Autism, but not individuals diagnosed with Asperger's or PDD-NOS.

The APA has yet to make an ultimate decision about the changes, and will solicit feedback from the public before making the changes final.

So, what do you think? Is there a concern that fewer individuals will seek diagnosis under the new label? Do you believe there will be other problems associated with it? What do you see as the benefits?

Have a peaceful holiday,

Nicole Caldwell, M.Ed. http://www.PositivelyAutism.com/

References

A Powerful Identity, a Vanishing Diagnosis (New York Times, November 2, 2009): http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/health/03asperger.html

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual: http://www.psych.org/MainMenu/Research/DSMIV.aspx

Report of the DSM-V Neurodevelopmental Disorders Work Group: http://www.psych.org/MainM enu/Research/DSMIV/DSMV/DSMRevisionActivities/DSM-V-Work-Group-Reports/Neurodevelopmental-Disorders-Work-Group-Report.aspx
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/positively-autism/200912/no-more-asperger-s-syndro me

Do you think the inclusion of Aspergers into Autism is part of the consciousness shift of 2012! Many Aspergers might view it as the end of the world for them. hahahahaha

j/k

seriously....It's a major big deal for them. It could change perceptions of how they are viewed. The views of Autism are changing. Many nonverbal Autistics are actually a lot more intelligent than people think of them. They are just given the wrong type of intelligence tests. They perform much higher on intelligence tests that test visual problem solving skills. Some people equate high functioning autism with Aspergers. Take Dr. Temple Grandin for instance. Some view her as having Aspergers because she is high functioning. However, she has a history of speech delays in childhood,and she was even recommended to be institutionalized. She was actually humming,screaming to communicate. She benefited from early intervention therapies.

It can be early intervention therapies that that make the difference between a high functioning autistic and low functioning autistic.

There is a difference between genetic autism and acquired autism too. It could be that the people with genetic autism are the ones with high inteligence. The people with acquired autism from heavy metal poisoning,toxins,vaccines could the ones with low intelligence. People loop both genetic autistics and acquired autistics, and treat them the same.

I am hoping that my future neurodiversity organization will be making a difference in a lot of people lives by 2012 too.

Raymond

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"Nothing matters absolutely;
the truth is it only matters relatively"

posted February 20, 2010 03:03 AM         

I can be like that....hyperfocusing because of ADHD and being obsessive from Dyspraxia.

The neurodivergent conditions overlap.

Many neurodivergents have more than one neurodivergent condition.

yeah..many Aspergers have been misdiagnosed as having ADHD.

I agree that just because a person has socially awkward nerdy type of personality doesn't mean that they are Aspergers.

the main reason that they are adding Aspergers in with autism because they are not seeing much difference between high functioning autism and Aspergers.

also people with Aspergers will more likely to qualify for certain services,benefits under the Autistic diagnoses.

Raymond

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"Nothing matters absolutely;
the truth is it only matters relatively"

posted February 21, 2010 12:54 PM         

I mean you'll have people such as myself diagnosed, saying I'm not Aspergers or questions the diagnoses.

I still question the diagnosses because I'm stil able to perform all the same tasks as everyone else.

I gurantee you if you collect a number of Aspergers into a group, you will find each indvidual is at a diffrent level.

I know its not right, to compare one individual from another.

But, I was in a group of aspergers, it was a college get to know group organized by the registration office.

I didn't want to be judgmental, but I could tell as soon as I entered the room the diffrences from the individuals some were vary obvious others not so much.

I myself felt out of place, I kinda felt one side of the room were geniuses one was taking Network Security,

After just talking with him I'm convinced he can hack into anything.

On the other side I don't know what to say.
I did try to help one of the students that was in that corner, but he ended up droping out.

I was thinking I should sit in the middle then. But thats what was gowing thought my head.

So there are diffrent groups.

posted February 21, 2010 01:01 PM         

Your relationship might have been a strain, but you should take some pride in the fact that.

You played a part in his life that helped keep him on track.

I think the higher-functing Aspergers just need a little nudge, but not a hard pull to set them in the right direction.

I'm sorta getting a nudge from someone right know, if all goes well you can call me a Software Engineer/Developer.

As long as there obsesed they'll continue in that direction until perfection.

posted February 21, 2010 06:38 PM         

quote:

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need to realize that not all socially awkward nerd types have it, it's pretty specific

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I'm always suspicious of a label given too fast, including by professionals (who are easily fooled in even more objective areas of expertise). But frankly I CAN'T tell the difference between socially awkward types and those said to have Asperger's. Like this guy says:

quote:

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I gurantee you if you collect a number of Aspergers into a group, you will find each indvidual is at a diffrent level.

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posted February 21, 2010 06:41 PM         

quote:

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I would think he was deliberately ignoring me sometimes when he was on the computer. I didn't know that since he has Aspergers, it's hard for him to notice the world around him when he's focusing on something. Instead, I was hurt for being "ignored."

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As for this guy that just seems normal. I don't do that but I know others who do. For example, I once lived with a guy who'd actually sit in the bathroom for over half an hour playing some hand held video game because he got so into it that he forgot to finish up and come out and would start stammering if I told him to hurry up because I needed it as he completely forgot everything but the game in his hands.

And now for some tangential thinking on my part: I recall coming from a nature hike one evening to get to a road with several houses on it, and instead of being out to enjoy the glorious sunset all the houses had the blue glow of the TV coming out of it. That's what normal people do.

And do you know how many people watch TV and tune everything out? It's said that plenty of times they won't even register gunshots down the street because they're so into the TV (granted, enough shows have their own gunshots in them...)

And so it wouldn't surprise me if a computer had the same effect, especially as it requires more concentration than a TV.

So it seems to me that becoming so focused on something isn't that unusual. In fact it may be unusual to NOT get that focused, at least once you've been sitting down doing it for awhile. I understand that as a general rule we females don't get as into it because our brains have to be more sensitive to background noises (especially if we have children) than men.