Misconceptions re. re-classifying Asperger's in the DSMV

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I suspected it would be like this. That's actually awesome because what drives me nuts is when people forget that AS is part of the spectrum and is in fact autism. I currently refer to myself as autistic (as well as aspie) anyway, so there's no real change for me.

Thanks for your post callista. Actually I think that removing Asperger is necessary. Talking about Asperger is like saying "Ok, red haired, blue eyed, left-handed autistic people are called xxx". Asperger is a sub-group too much stereotyped. I consider myself Asperger only for the "functioning" aspect but I'm far away the Aspie stereotype as I said in other posts, and I say a lot of people here far away each one in his other way.

As for the functioning label I'm happy for the subclinical and normal categories. I'll probably end-up in the subclinical one because actually for me is only some minor sensory issue and way of thinking nowaday, but is good news that they'll introduce a "category" for "autistic who don't need help" instead of saying "you function too well to be autistic".

my shrink said he heard that there were removing aspergers alotgether, not integrating it with the spectrum at all, and that it simply would not exist. people currently diagnosed with aspergers would not be anything anymore and would have to see if they fit into HFA or not (which they most likely will as it is so close to AS). kinda thinking i mgiht tell him what your psych said, haha!

According to APA’s reporting on the process, your shrink is wrong.

haha according to every source my shrink is wrong!! i'll find out where he got his info when i tell him about danielismynames list.

The "rituals, repetitive behaviors and fixated interests" are listed as "frequent and interfering" at the Moderately Severe level, and "occasional" with "some interference" for Less Severe.

So basically it's largely up to what specialist you see to determine what category you fit in. I would more than likely be under either of those categories, but I'm clueless as to how interfering I am.

Great; sort of!

I call myself Aspie because I feel HFA downplays the negative aspects. Being labelled 'mild' or 'moderate' Autistic is only going to make recognition of my difficulties a more arduous process. I don't want to not have AS but life can be damn hard at times. Mild, moderate or high-functioning are terms which give most NT's the impression that you really have no problems at all.

Really? Seems to me that the general public thinks "autistic" equals "ret*d," and "Asperger's" equals "computer nerd/math genius." Seems like the former is a lot more negative.

That's exactly what I was thinking when I read that.

I fail to see how cognitive retardation and higher-than-average cognitive functioning are part of the same spectrum (continuum). They're qualitatively different, not quantitavely.

I also fail to see how NLD is so different in any way as to warrant being left out of the spectrum.

As usual, the DSM is the least appropriate and effective of all reality-describing systems.

The stereotypes need to get changed anyway. I've had people assume I'm ret*d despite my AS diagnosis, so it's not like you haven't gotten that before, and why should it be such a horrible thing to be anyway? It's just prejudice. The solution to prejudice isn't to try to distance yourself from the targeted group.

As long as Autism and AS have no point of comparison re cognitive functioning, claiming it's a spectrum (continuum) is just ridiculous. Oh well, as usual, they'll realize the problem a few days after publishing the new DSM and promise to correct it in a few years with the next DSM.

Imagine a blind person mentally "ret*d" and a blind person with a "genius" IQ. Do you think that they have different kinds of blindness?

AS is not an illness.

Then, imagine a left-handed person mentally "ret*d" and a left-handed person with a "genius" IQ. Do you think that they have different kinds of left-handedness?