I'm heartbroken by all the pessimism on here

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*Edit button dissappeared, but in above post I would have been more accurate to use the word "skewness" over "bias", although I'm sure y'all know what I meant

AND science also shows that approximately one-third of school age children, now, are assessed as pre-type two diabetic;

Thanks for the link =)

I think there are still a few issues with the numbers though, and I'll give my hypothesis for that (for what it's worth).

On the link you provided, you'll notice in the tables at the bottom that among those in the studies sample, the median age of diagnosis was 2 years older for Aspergers than for Autistic Disorder or ASD/PDD.

Also of note, the sample used for this study was one of 8 years old. According to other research conducted by the National Autistic Society, the average age of diagnosis for Aspergers is 9 years old, although they also felt compelled to note that it often goes undiagnosed into adulthood (meaning there is not likely to be a normal distribution around the mean, but a distribution biased towards older ages).

So, to get to my point. If Aspergers tends to be diagnosed later than more classical forms of Autism - perhaps due to the symptoms being less obvious - and the mean age of diagnosis is 9 with a distributional bias towards older ages, it would be fair to assume that a study conducted using a sample of 8 year olds would not provide a fair representation of what percentage Aspergers represents of the total Autistic population.

Now, to consider that alongside the previous extrapolation - that Aspergers represents around 50% of the Autistic population - from studies using samples with larger sample sizes which included more variety in age, I would say that it's possible the results of said CDC study are misleading on this matter.

n.b. Sorry if my writing is messy, it's 5am here! :P

When I was a senior in high school, I was the second heaviest senior in my high school at about 160 pounds. The heaviest was about 185 pounds and most were about 140 to 150 pounds. A 160 pound senior in the local high school these days would be easily under the median weight.

As far as 'US' goes, Autism Speaks does not speak for Asperger's Syndrome and never will now that is it has been subsumed under the new DSM5 diagnostic criteria.

However, Asperger's Syndrome per the last report of research while it actually existed as a Syndrome in the U.S. DSM5 diagnostic criteria comprised 9% of total cases of Autism Spectrum Disorders in the US.

So it is rational to suggest that Autism Speaks is still speaking for the majority of the spectrum WHATEVER THAT IS, OTHER THAN the folks who post here.

The organization is simply a non-profit science run organization that does NOT RUN BY EMOTION ALONE, but the science of Autism Spectrum Disorder based on SCIENTIFIC FACT and not conjecture.

And emotional hyperbole is also part of Marketing Science 101 so the experts attempting to generate as much money as possible for research for the more scientifically noted severe aspects of the Spectrum use that to their advantage as all Non-Profit Organizations do.

The 9 percent CANNOT SPEAK FOR THE 91 percent EVEN THOUGH they do OFTEN SPEAK VERY WELL, PER THAT 9 PERCENT.

BUT I LIKE NUMBERS AND VERBAL LANGUAGE TOO.

On this Internet site, the type of Asperger’s syndrome per symptoms of nonverbal learning disorder is common according to informal polls that are done here.

Additionally, while the common stereotype of the Asperger's type of Autism is the STEM major type of mind THAT is a myth in the U.S., as studies in college educated Asperger's type students are only 33 percent of that statistic, with 66 percent in other fields like English.

NO surprise there as science shows over 50 percent of folks diagnosed with the historical DSMIV diagnostic criteria for Asperger's syndrome in the U.S. have symptoms mirroring non-verbal learning disorder.

A common symptom of nonverbal learning disorder reported here often to break the math nerd genius stereotype is problems with math ranging to dyscalculia where a person is effectively number blind, and also potentially mind blind as to not even recognizing facial features.

I am not suggesting that anyone has these issues in this discussion as I have no way of knowing that, but based on my expertise in numbers as that is a large part of what I did for decades in life, there are likely people in this discussion that have no way of cognitive empathy through the math of statistics to understand the common sense behind what I am saying here.

The Autism Spectrum is extremely complex and per the exhaustive study I will link below.

http://katiemiaaghogday.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-problem-of-determining-who-is.html

Truly NO ONE HERE can speak for anyone else.

But some organization somewhere has to, to make things work in an approximation of what they can REASONABLY SCIENTIFICALLY DO, and for that 91%, which is truly only an approximation, Autism Speaks does a great job as their over a million supporters do agree with.

But still EVEN THAT is only a very small percentage of the United States Population, so even Autism Speaks is still just a RELATIVE voice in the wilderness crying out, AND MUCH MORE THAN A FEW THOUSAND FOLKS SCREAMING on the Internet that are part of that 9%, overall.

TO BE FRANK, and statistically correct, all of this complaining about Autism Speaks, is a total waste of time, that does not change anything to the positive nor to the negative overall about anything other than causing people who have related by their own report paranoia, in this overall forum, worrying that their life is at risk, because of a totally benevolent seeking non-profit organization, and that per individual suffering is truly sad to me, as it COMPLETELY AVOIDABLE BY JUST TURNING THE SWITCH OFF ON MISINFORMATION.

BUT truly some folks have no innate way of understanding the statistics and that is just a fact of nature, and probably why I cannot get through to some folks per the truth, as I did for literally years here trying, as now I understand better potentially why I could NOT through my own scientific research per SOME OF the folks who post here.

In real life the majority of people just see a puzzle piece and give some money at wherever it is being collected at, as for any other problem of human beings that other folks collect for to help the herd.

If it is not a BAD PROBLEM PEOPLE DO NOT GIVE, so YES, TO MAKE DONATIONS WORK THAT IS THE ONLY WAY in marketing science 101 per the non-profit way of generating money for research for any human disorder to work.

And yes, science, not me, shows that Autism overall is a very disabling condition per limits of function of the human brain, as well as legally NOW, per the list of disabilities that Autism is now included in U.S. LEGAL CODE that consistently results in virtually all cases of protection under the Americans with Disabilities ACT.

This is serious business and serious business takes very deep pockets that have it to give, as well as the motivation to empty those pockets that takes the pulling of human heart strings through both cognitive and affective human empathy, and that is WHAT AUTISM SPEAKS excels in, in their relatively paltry effort of achieving donations that are still only 4 percent of total Autism Research as indicated in the last government report in 2010.

The Simon's foundation did 3 times as much, but the Simon's foundation for Autism Research is self funded by a billionaire philanthropist.

Mr. Wright and his 'Cohorts' did it through hard work and volunteer effort as that is how human cognitive and affective empathy can work when one of ONE'S own is affected and effected and one translates that human condition altruistically to other human beings undergoing the same type of human REAL LIFE SUFFERING, AS FOR SOME FOLKS WITH AUTISM THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT IT IS, HUMAN SUFFERING, AS SCIENCE SHOWS, IRREFUTABLY AS SUCH.

AND THAT IS PRECISELY why Autism Speaks still has over a million supporters including hundreds of thousands who volunteer their time to the betterment of their fellow human beings.

And as I have said many times here, my son died directly as a causal effect of the Autism co-morbid contributing factor of 22q11.2 gene deletion syndrome so the stakes here are LIFE AND DEATH FOR AT LEAST SOME FOLKS ON THE SPECTRUM, and researching the associated co-morbid symptoms that make this type of human suffering a LIFE OR DEATH REALITY is a part of AUTISM SPEAKS mission and goals, set forth as such.

AND WITH ALL OF THIS information for anyone who dismisses it as not warranted as such, there are potentially other problems that I cannot SCIENTIFICALLY address as to avoid hurting anyone's feelings.

maybe so but I still wouldn't compare them with a hate group who's only mission is hate crimes.

It is Autism Speaks in the title of their organization that is claiming to speak for all Autism, us critics are disputing that so I don't see where we disagree. Were I do disagree with you is the implication it primarily STEM Aspies and internet forum Autistics who dislike Autism Speaks . We have people on various parts of the spectrum that do like them. I have read a number of autistic bloggers who do not like them. I attend various supports groups where many members don't post on internet forums or have low regard for Wrong Planet. I have found near universal hostility towered Autism Speaks. The point I was making before we got sidetracked was the relationship between Autism Speaks and Autistics is vastly different then between people with other conditions and the their leading organizations. nothing you have written disproved this.

'Tis the season for a daily reminder:

Seven sites had accompanying data on intellectual ability for at least 70% of children who met the ASD case definition (range: 76% [New Jersey] to 96% [North Carolina]). Combining data from these seven sites, 3,604 (87%) of 4,140 children with ASD had accompanying data on intellectual ability. This proportion did not differ by sex or race/ethnicity in any of the seven sites or when combining data from all seven sites. Among these 3,604 children, 31% were classified in the range of intellectual disability.

@aghogday

There's also this bit from that CDC link, under the "Intellectual Ability" header:



Even expanding that to include those who were borderline IQ (between 70 and 85) you get 46%, leaving 54% who would likely be classified as high functioning, whether under an Autism diagnoses or an Aspergers one.

I agree with you that people as a whole need to get more excercise/real social interaction, but - and I'm not sure if I've misinterpreted you on this - I don't think HFA/Aspergers is caused by a lack of physical excercise or technology overuse.

I myself was diagnosed as a kid, but was a kid who got plenty of excercise (I did martial arts, swimming, badminton and gymnastics). Also, even for me - a 21 year old - technology wasn't as ubiquitous when I was a child.

These things didn't change the fact that I had trouble from my Autism and needed support such as a speech therapist, although I suppose you could argue it's possible these things helped me be better than I might have been, and that I was lucky to have been able to be so active in my younger years.

Also, most people I've seen in University and "geeky" places I hang out - such as hackerspaces - don't fit the bill for Autism at all (even if "nerdy"), including the ones who overuse technology and don't exercise much (although I notice these ones have a larger tendency for "recreational" drug use or alcoholism)...

It appears that we do not disagree at all, as it seems you misunderstood my comment above and perhaps you have not read my other LENGTHY comments in this discussion, AS I clearly state THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE that 'Autism Speaks' speaks for the overall spectrum per rarely at all, for the type of Autism, overall, that posts here, per that general 11% statistic from the CDC.

So it is rational to suggest that Autism Speaks is still speaking for the majority of the spectrum WHATEVER THAT IS, OTHER THAN the folks who post here.

The only thing that I am personally concerned about in this whole pie is the harm that comes to Naive Autistic folks online by believing the conspiracies about a so-called HATE GROUP.

The Autism Speaks organization sees Autism as disease and as curable disease, simple as that, as many other folks do in science as well.