The autism wars..NYT article

[Fortune]

Originally Posted by Lillianmay

I have a few thoughts based just on my own experience. I know a few people with ASD and some have Asperger’s. I do think they ought to keep the Asperger’s as a separate subset because the two groups seem to have some differences in the type of support they need. The few Asperger’s students I knew did pretty well in school handling academics, but sometimes had a hard time with social situations, while the high functioning autism kids needed academic support and a different kind of social skill support.

I don't see a problem with merging the categories. The way the new ASD is supposed to work, you're supposed to include what kind of support and how much each individual needs, rather than simply basing it on a diagnostic label (especially when a lot of people with some diagnoses can't access services but people with other diagnoses can).

I wasn't diagnosed with anything as a child (although people did notice and tell my mother they thought I was autistic), and AS itself didn't exist as a diagnosis at the time. I did need academic support, which I only ever received for one year (fifth grade) and the rest of my grades 1-12 experiences were pretty abysmal.

I don't think a diagnostic label should define what anyone needs. Rather their needs should define that, and their diagnoses should be related to their needs, and not to arbitrary assumptions about what speaking at a certain time means to one's overall development.

I do think that the DSM needs to be more precise in its criteria for autism. My newspaper today quoted an Associated Press article that said 1 in 88 kids is being diagnosed, but that some of the milder cases would outgrow their diagnosis. If a person outgrows autism, then they never had it.

The number will shrink with the DSM-5 criteria, unless Autism Speaks, ASAN, and others successfully campaign for more inclusive criteria (and a continued separation of AS and autism, which I find nonsensical).

[fracturedstory]

I actually agree that people that are too mild are being diagnosed and I tire from the over emotional back lash. I believe that you get a diagnosed with a disorder to seek treatment and support. I'm over the gifters and next phase in evolution crapola.

Who here has mild ADHD? I mean really! I haven't got ADHD as bad as some here but I've got it bad. I'd have it worse if I was not medicated.

I've talked to many people seeking a diagnosis who have it extremely mild and just want to get diagnosed to belong somewhere. I've got severe symptoms and I hate it. In fact I'm almost suicidal. When people go on about the positives it just makes me want to lash my wrists even more. How can these people be successful when I have failed? I usually just roll my eyes at them and move on. It's less painful.

Autism symptoms can get so mild that you just turn into a quirky NT. I know many people with traits with no diagnosis and they manage just fine. I don't want to see these people diagnosed just because they think they fit the criteria and oh it's such a relief that I finally found out why I feel so different. Because you're an individual? Because you have your own mind and experiences that shape who you are?

People who were diagnosed with AS or HFA in childhood and get the supports can actually lose their diagnosis later in life - no longer autistic! Say autism is hard wired and I might just bang my head on the table. I am so over this discussion.

I think I may have to be assessed for ODD. It's getting a bit out of control.

You may commence with the flame war.

In conclusion: if you want help to deal with your autistic symptoms get diagnosed, if you want a label go to the copy shop.

[Fortune]

Originally Posted by fracturedstory

I actually agree that people that are too mild are being diagnosed and I tire from the over emotional back lash. I believe that you get a diagnosed with a disorder to seek treatment and support. I'm over the gifters and next phase in evolution crapola.

I think these are primarily adults who are seeking a diagnosis for the sake of validation? I am not sure that children in that same category are getting diagnosed.

I've talked to many people seeking a diagnosis who have it extremely mild and just want to get diagnosed to belong somewhere. I've got severe symptoms and I hate it. In fact I'm almost suicidal. When people go on about the positives it just makes me want to lash my wrists even more. How can these people be successful when I have failed? I usually just roll my eyes at them and move on. It's less painful.

If you've seen a thread I started on WP recently, you can see my reaction to that particular segment of the autistic community. I find it frustrating to talk to them about this sort of thing because it seems to me that so many of them want to redefine AS as this mild, quirky thing that has no real impairments.

Autism symptoms can get so mild that you just turn into a quirky NT. I know many people with traits with no diagnosis and they manage just fine. I don't want to see these people diagnosed just because they think they fit the criteria and oh it's such a relief that I finally found out why I feel so different. Because you're an individual? Because you have your own mind and experiences that shape who you are?

I agree with this. I don't see a problem with people identifying with the autistic community and even describing themselves as BAP or whatever, but if there's no impairment, there's no diagnosis.

You may commence with the flame war.

No flames from me. I hope you are not disappointed.

In conclusion: if you want help to deal with your autistic symptoms get diagnosed, if you want a label go to the copy shop.

[Jr1985]

Just because someone may be "mild" compared to to you doesn't mean they aren't impaired in some way. If people feel the need to get a diagnosis to "belong", then clearly there's still something wrong with them, that prevents them from belonging in the first place.

[Fortune]

Originally Posted by Jr1985

Just because someone may be "mild" compared to to you doesn't mean they aren't impaired in some way. If people feel the need to get a diagnosis to "belong", then clearly there's still something wrong with them, that prevents them from belonging in the first place.

I don't know, when I see people insist that they're not impaired at all, and try to redefine Asperger's Syndrome as "just a difference or a personality type, not a disability" and that they want a diagnosis as a label to explain their quirks, and not dealing with any impairments that they're willing to acknowledge, I seriously wonder why they need the diagnosis in the first place.

Diagnoses aren't something you generally go shopping for. That's generally a bad thing.