41 reasons to save Asperger's, not mild, DSM-V

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here are 41 reasons to save Asperger's DSM-V as a subtype:

i.e

Autism spectrum disorder:
profound, severe, moderate, Asperger v.s mild.

Autism spectrum disorder:
profound, severe, moderate, Asperger vs


Autism spectrum disorder:
profound, severe, moderate, mild

you have by 2013
Autism spectrum disorder: mild
books and articles on Autism spectrum disorder: mild : nothing,

books and articles on Autism spectrum disorder: Apple, Orange, Grapes Wolf, Dog, Puppy nothing

books on
Autism spectrum disorder: severity: asperger's:

http://www.aspergersyndrome.org/BookCat ... r+Syndrome


The OASIS Guide to Asperger Syndrome: Completely Revised and Updated Advice, Support, Insight, and Inspiration

by Patricia Romanowski Bashe and Barbara L. Kirby

Look Me In The Eye

by John Elder Robison

Complete Guide to Asperger Syndrome

by Tony Attwood, PhD

Mozart and the Whale: An Asperger's Love Story

by Jerry Newport, Mary Newport, Johnny Dodd

Kids in the Syndrome Mix of ADHD, LD, Asperger's, Tourette's, Bipolar, And More!: The One Stop Guide for Parents, Teachers, and Other Professionals

by Martin L. Kutscher, M.D.

Employment for Individuals With Asperger Syndrome or Non-Verbal Learning Disability: Stories and Strategies

by Yvona Fast


Succeeding in College With Asperger Syndrome

by John Harpur, Maria Lawlor, Michael Fitzgerald

Asperger Syndrome and Young Children: Setting the Foundation for the Real World

by Teresa Bolick

Asperger Syndrome in Young Children: A Developmental Approach for Parents And Professionals

by Laurie Leventhal-Belfer, Cassandra Coe



Perfect Targets: Asperger Syndrome and Bullying--Practical Solutions for Surviving the Social World

by Rebekah Heinrichs, Brenda Smith Myles (Foreword)




Women From Another Planet? Our Lives in the Universe of Autism

by Jean Kearns Miller

This is collection of writings by women on the autism spectrum. The book offers up their stories, their perspectives and provides information that will help the rest of us understand, appreciate, and and respect these amazing women.

The Asperger Parent: How to Raise a Child with Asperger Syndrome and Maintain Your Sense of Humor

by Jeffrey Cohen




Getting Services for your Child on the Autism Spectrum

by DeAnn Hyatt-Foley & Matthew G. Foley



Social Skills Training for Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome and Social-Communications Problems

by Jed E. Baker, PhD




Asperger Syndrome in Adolescence: Living with the Ups, The Downs and Things in Between

by Liane Holliday Willey

Contributors: Richards Howlin, Tony Attwood, Isabelle Henault, Steven Gutstein, Marc Willey, Liane Holliday Willey, Dennis Debbaudt, Rebecca Moeys, Jacqui Jackson, DeAnn Foley, Lise Pyles, Stephen Shore, and Mike Stanton. Foreword Luke Jackson

Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence

by Luke Jackson, Tony Attwood




Asperger Syndrome and Long-Term Relationships

by Ashley Stanford



Right Address ... Wrong Planet: Children with Asperger Syndrome Becoming Adults

by Gena Barnhill




Asperger Syndrome and Your Child: A Parent's Guide

by Michael D. Powers, Janet Poland (Contributor)



A Parent's Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism

by Sally Ozonoff, Geraldine Dawson, and James McPartland




Asperger Syndrome in the Family : Redefining Normal

by Liane Holliday Willey



Asperger Syndrome and Adolescence: Practical Solutions for School Success

by Brenda Smith Myles, Diane Adreon




Hitchhiking Through Asperger Syndrome

by Lise Pyles



Reweaving the Autistic Tapestry : Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and Adhd

by Ami Klin, PhD, Fred R. Volkmar, MD, and Sara S. Sparrow, PhD Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.

This book is a wonderful collection of articles which delve into all aspects of Asperger Syndrome. While I HIGHLY recommend the book, particularly for seasoned parents and adults who have already spent some time doing research, professionals and students, those who are new to the diagnosis might want to start out with the Tony Attwood and Brenda Myles books (see below) and, then return to read this excellent resource.



Asperger's Syndrome : A Guide for Parents and Professionals

by Tony Attwood, Lorna Wing (Preface)

Sept. l997, 176 pages, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, ISBN 1 853025777 1

This book is definitely a MUST READ. It's very positive, clearly written, and should be required reading for parents and those who work with AS children.


Asperger Syndrome and Sensory Issues: Practical Solutions for Making Sense of the World

by Brenda Smith Myles, Katherine Tapscott Cook, Nancy E. Miller, Louann Rinner, Lisa A. Robbins

This is a wonderful book which very clearly describes the sensory issues that many individuals with Asperger Syndrome face. Includes Assessment and plenty of practical interventions.



Asperger Syndrome Employment Workbooks : A Workbook for Adults with Asperger Syndrome

by Roger N. Meyer



Asperger Syndrome and Difficult Moments: Practical Solutions for Tantrums, Rage, and Meltdowns

by Brenda Smith Myles, Jack Southwick

This is another book that should be required reading. It offers "Practical Solutions" for addressing behavioral problems that often occur with AS children. Recommended highly for parents and especially for teachers.


Asperger Syndrome : A Practical Guide for Teachers

by Val Cumine, Julia Leach, Gill Stevenson, Burnley Stevenson

This is a WONDERFUL resource for teachers who work with AS children. Highly recommended by many parents and teachers.

Asperger Syndrome: A Guide for Educators and Parents

by Richard L. Simpson and Brenda Smith Myles

This is another exceptional book. It's not as easy to read as the Attwood book, but content-wise there is a great deal of information on Assessment, Teaching Academic Content, Social and Behavioral Success and planning for the future.


Pretending to Be Normal : Living With Asperger's Syndrome

by Liane Holliday Willey, PhD

Liane is a writer, teacher, wife and mother who discovered her AS after her daughter was diagnosed.

Eating an Artichoke : A Mother's Perspective on Asperger's Syndrome

by Echo R. Fling, Tony Attwood (Foreword)




Asperger's Huh? A Child's Perspective

by Rosina G. Schnurr, John Strachan (Illustrator)



Making Sense of Art: Sensory-Based Art Activities for Children with Autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorders

by Sandra R. Davalos




Autism and Asperger Syndrome

by Uta Frith (Editor)

While this book doesn't offer a lot of practical information it does have the translation of the original Hans Asperger paper. I consider this book a classic and must read for those who wish to better understand how the diagnosis came about. It was through reading this book that we discovered our son's AS.

Children With Autism and Asperger Syndrome : A Guide for Practitioners and Carers

by Patricia Howlin

While I have not read this book, it comes very highly recommended from families.


Pervasive Developmental Disorders : Finding a Diagnosis and Getting Help

by Mitzi Waltz

This books is a wonderful resource. Highly recommended.

Autism: Preparing for Adulthood

by Patricia Howlin

I found this book on Amazon and one of the reviewers indicated that it was excellent and offered quite a bit of information on AS. Resources for transition are few and far between. I would appreciate comments from anyone who has read this book.


Higher Functioning Adolescents and Young Adults With Autism : A Teacher's Guide

by Ann Fullerton (Editor), Joyce Stratton, Phyllis Coyne, Carol Gray

While I have not read this book, it listed on Tony Attwood's list of resources in Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals.

Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism? (Current Issues inAutism)

by Eric Schopler (Editor), Gary B. Mesibov (Editor), Linda J. Kunce (Editor)




High-Functioning Individuals With Autism (Current Issues in Autism)

by Eric Schopler (Editor), Gary B. Mesibov (Editor)

The books do not become obsolete once the DSM-V comes out.

Someone doesn't like change...

I see where you're coming from, Tangerine. There is a large body of information specifically about Asperger's that will be harder to directly consult when people are no longer labelled with "Asperger's." However, I still disagree with you because I think the new classification scheme is more accurate, and people will have to adjust what they think they know about autistics accordingly. Part of the reason I say this is because not all Asperger's is mild. Some "Aspies" will be labelled as moderate or severe, and yet the current AS literature inaccurately treats all Asperger's as mild. Because of this, some people are not getting the support and understanding they need. The DSM-V seeks to address these issues, and I am hopeful that they are taking a step in the right direction.

They are going to have to republish all those books when the new DSM comes out because no one will know what the heck Asperger's is.

I still don't think we should be lumped together into one generic category - autism. There are many degrees of autism, and Asperger's Syndrome is of course mild. I don't think anyone will understand what we are then if they generalize.

It's not "autism", it's ASD.

If you read Wing's original paper, the one that brought AS to life in the West, you'll see how she says very few people actually meet Asperger's definition of the disorder, so she had to change it. Then she did that really big study with a ton of kids, and she found that an ASD is a better term to describe the various iterations of social disorders.

In all likelihood, Asperger's will remain in the popular parlance, and continue to be used as a descriptor by many both on and off the spectrum. It is not as though the word is suddenly going to be outlawed. All they are proposing is to change the nomenclature in the diagnostic manual to better reflect that the conditions currently called autism and Asperger's exist along the same spectrum, with no sharp dividing line between the two.

Certainly doctors of a newly diagnosed autistic can direct the family to resources that currently exist under the name Asperger. As redwulf pointed out, people still recognize manic-depression. I would add to that that people still recognize ADD, despite it not existing in the DSM-IV. (The DSM-IV has ADHD and various subtypes. What we would call plain ADD is officially labelled ADHD-PI)

I personally will be glad to simply call myself autistic, others may prefer to stick with the now-informal term Asperger's; that is their choice.

Well, people have managed to know what Asperger Syndrome is without that name appearing in DSM-IV.

In DSM-IV there is: 299.80 Asperger's Disorder (AD)
With diagnostic criteria that differ from others like Gillberg's criteria still everybody knows it as Asperger Syndrome.

In any case, my reading of the new DSM-V is that Mild or Severe classifications are to be applied to the individual aspects of the diagnosis and not the whole.
So I don't have "mild" ASD but rather I could have ASD with:
1a mild pragmatic verbal communication deficit and moderate nonverbal deficit.
1b moderate lack of social reciprocity
1c severe failure to develop peer relationships
2a mild steriotype/sensory behaviors
2b mild adherence to routines
2c Moderate to severely restricted, fixated interests
3. Late diagnosed so little information of early childhood communication. Developmental history characterised by a severe lack of peer relationships throughout life with fixated interests present from a young age.

The new manual does not really supply a single general use label. I am still an Aspie, the new manual just gives me a more meaningful diagnosis. YMMW

I still reserve judgment on if this will play out in practice but that is the potential I see contained in the current draft.
This new draft will also provide a more consistent basis on which to do research and ironically makes it easier to identify a AS as a seperate condition than the current diagnostic mess does.

As we know, Asperger syndrome isn't always mild. Autism isn't always severe. What they find is that both can be mild, moderate or severe, because it's the same thing. just different presentations of it. Same as you can have people who are completely blind or partially blind. Or people who are completely deaf or partially deaf. Calling partially deaf people something else won't make it 'not deafness'.

At the point where it's so'mild that people barely notice even having it and none of life is affected by it, it's arguably not a form of autism at all, it's just a different personality. If there's a diagnosis in place, then things are bad enough to need a diagnosis because there are big problems in some area of life. That's certainly the case in the UK, where diagnoses are very very difficult to get. We might be able to get round those problems, but it doesn't mean it's always mild if we manage to do that for a while.

It really annoys me when many people assume that my form of Asperger syndrome (and all that goes with it) is bound to be 'mild' It isn't. It's been hell at time, it's always a challenge even in the good bits, and nearly cost me my life on a couple of occasions. There again, some people with Asperger syndrome or autism do identify with a 'mild' set of experiences, and I respect their own view of their own life.

I'm personally very happy to be included in the general autism spectrum, but also would like to keep callling myself an aspie if I so wish.

Hi All!

Don't worry about the proposed changes to the "official" book.

If you're an Aspie, you're an Aspie. If you're HFA, you're HFA.

For those who wish to keep Asperger's separate, just continue to refer to yourself as an "Aspie" or as having Asperger's Syndrome, and whenever anyone asks (or even if they don't ask but you feel for some reason they need to know), educate them about why you refer to it as Asperger's Syndrome, why it's no longer in the book, and that you believe it should be kept separate.

It doesn't really matter what a book says when, as a group, we can educate people.

There are plenty of websites and books dedicated to the subject, and as the count continues to increase, 1 in 110 now, we'll continue to come across parents whose children have been diagnosed with HFA and we can explain what Asperger's Syndrome is, or send the parents to a website about it, or refer them to a book about it, whatever you do to tell people about what Asperger's Syndrome is.

Just because the title "Asperger's Syndrome" is being eliminated or lumped in with another diagnosis in "the book", that doesn't mean that Asperger's is going away, any more than it means we are going away.

At some point, it's going to be those with Asperger's Syndrome that are the "authority" as our numbers will greatly outweigh the opinions of those who put together the diagnostic manual.

No worries.

Have a great day and make it count!
Diane