What is the definition of the autistic spectrum?

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I agree with you. There seems to be some people who try to make themselves or their children look autistic because they need the help. That was what my mom did for me.

I think it would be a lot better if they could make a label or category that would benefit that population without forcing them to go without help or get a label that doesn't quite fit. They would probably also get help that benefits them more.

I was diagnosed with autism as a kid. That label benefited me because I got some help and funding, but unfortunately I couldn't benefit from any autism-specific help. It would have been way better if I got a better fitting label.

I probably wouldn't have had to deal with useless therapies, condescending people and I would have had more help that I actually needed. Because people were so condescending I got held back a grade for "emotional reasons". Most of the work was way too easy and most teachers would never give me work that was my level. The only teacher who did was my grade three teacher. I am now extremely behind in school because of those a**holes. I probably would have graduated early if I would have gotten the right schoolwork.

I was depressed and housebound for a few years because of all of this. I'm slowly recovering and life is getting better. Life got a lot better for me when I realized that the autism label doesn't really fit.

Just because you or that whole population of people who have non NT brains don't fit the diagnostic criteria for Autism, it does not mean that you don't have something. And if whatever you have makes you need help than you have every right to get the help you need. Perhaps there is another syndrome or neurological disorder that is the correct diagnosis for what your specific symptoms portray. The DSM is a big book and Autism Spectrum is just one thing in it. If I were you, I would try not to be horrified if you don't fit into the Diagnostic criteria for Autism and keep on researching and digging until you find what you think fits. Then I would approach a doctor and see if they can help you confirm what you find. But Autism is just one thing among so many. It is very important that you find what actually applies to you so that you can get the specific help that you need. If you just go with Autism you might not get the help you actually need. But either way you are absolutely welcome here at Wrong Planet. We have all kinds of people here not just Autistic people and we support each other no matter what we have or don't have. And you will always be welcomed here and we will support you as well.

I think as far as diagnosing it is important to distinguish between being impaired by definition and feeling impaired. Like in the example of the blind person that you gave, he may have learned methods to cope and deal with life and get around and do what he needs to do so he might feel impaired and he might even feel totally "normal" especially if it is all he has ever known. But by the clinical definition he is still impaired because he can't see. And I think that by that same definition, Autistic children who go to special needs classes since they are toddlers and even those of us who are higher functioning and did not have special classes because we are older than the diagnosis, may learn to get by and do what they need to do to live their lives. But I think that by clinical definition, they are still classified as impaired even though they have learned coping mechanisms. I think that to not be clinically classified as impaired you have to be able to do certain things by certain ages without the need for special interventions. And for those of us who did not have that kind of help, our coping mechanisms end up being different from the norm. Like rocking or hand flapping or developing special interests and strict, "not normal" routines. So I think that when we talk about impairment in a diagnostic sense the understanding might be more cut and dry. I don't know if "cut and dry" is the right expression but that is the expression that came to mind.

Thank you for that.
However, I have examined the entire DSM and ICD and all manner of books on psychology and neurology, and my core defects are nowhere to be found.
There was a time when Autism was not discovered yet (1943), and autistics had to be classified elsewhere by default (childhood schizophrenia). Today, autism is well known and popular, but my condition is still undiscovered. The rarer the condition, the longer it takes for it to be discovered, and those people can only hope to be default classified, or they could fall through the cracks altogether.
Of all extant classifications, the autistic spectrum is the only one deeply rooted enough to contain me by default. But there is a danger that if my doctor realizes too much how off I am to the autistic core defects, I may wind up in no man's land.

Zylon, you might wind up in no mans land. But while some people are able to correctly see ASD in themselves, self diagnosis has limits.

I was aware of Aspergers but I never would have thought I had it, if it weren't for seeing it in my daughter, and then seeing the funny looks (I can't believe she's for real directed at me) on her providers' faces, until finally my psychologist told me I had Aspergers and I argued how I didn't....come to think of it those funny looks have happened everywhere, my whole life.

My point is, when we don't fit in, we don't always know how much. I did not, but now I realize a lot of people agree I have AS. Some people know they do, some like me don't know. I knew I was different, but had no idea others knew until in my 20s. And they tried to give me social skills development class before the diagnosis existed! But I was able to ignore stuff like that, hold my head high, and try to pretend I was normal because, like many here, I did not know anything else.

To paraphrase Skibum's signature, that's good and that's bad.

If you're really worried where you fit in, you might be helped by a good professional assessment if you can get it. You just have to be careful, not everyone is good.

Zylon, the other very important thing you have to consider is that you live in Philly. That means you are in the US. The problem that I have encountered here, as has many others, is that if you receive an Autism diagnosis after the age of 18, there really are not any significant helpful resources available to you. Pretty much all of the helpful resources are geared towards helping children. There are some private organizations that can do a few little things and there is Special Olympics which has done a world of good for me but other than that there is not much out there to help us. So before you spend the money and energy on trying to get an ASD diagnosis, make sure that it will be worth it to you. There are some therapists and private organizations that can help you learn some skills without an official diagnosis. If that will work for you you might want to consider doing it that way instead. Sometimes you don't need to know exactly what you have for some of these small clubs and groups or therapy professionals to help you.

If I do have Aspergers, it is not the primary reason for my difficulty. I knew I was EXTREMELY different and incompatible with everyone since early childhood, and in a very deep way. I strongly knew I "had" something; there is no NT in me. But I cannot find the real reasons in the DSM or any psychology book. The symptoms of Asperger did not at all explain my difficulty, although some of the results are similar. Any problem in me caused by the criteria of aspergers is so trivial compared to the problems caused by my real problem that the Asperger in me, if any, is overshadowed. Some of the associated features of Asperger are the complete opposite of me, such as having difficulty with abstract thinking, or being a warm, close friend. But sometimes opposites are related (e.g. a tumor in the pituitary can cause both gigantism and dwarfism. But it would seem silly for someone who is 2 feet tall to be classified as a giant; but that would be better than no classification at all).


However, my real condition may be a very close relative of Asperger, by cause. My brother also is close to Asperger, but in a different way than me. The causality may be very close, but the criteria for Asperger may just be too specific.

I do know exactly what I have, but it is not anything the world of psychology knows yet, therefore it is not listed in the DSM or ICD.
I do go to a therapy place, and I do currently have a formal diagnosis of Asperger, but I am now trying to get them to understand me so that perhaps they can really help me. But to do that, they must know that some of their Asperger assumptions about me are wrong , and that treating me for those problems would not help me. But if I negate too many aspie traits, they may unclassify me. They would know that I cannot be switched from Asperger to NT, but what I would have to be switched to does not exist in the DSM or ICD. I hope that they can accept "Asperger by default", if not I could be in trouble. My condition is more pervasive than Asperger, my life is severely ruined, I need help bad. To help me they would have to "wing it". Thinking of me as Asperger could orient them in the right direction as to help me, but they must not assume too much from that.

I can be very warm and very abstract. As well as very literal. Someone once told me I am so concrete I am abstract. Just focus on communicating what you need help with to them. They can adjust the label as needed but keep the focus on what's right for you.

This is such a difficult situation and I can see how it hurts you. It was similar in some ways with those of us who grew up with Asperger's and Misophonia before anyone knew what those things were or how to identify them in us. We had to grow up with no help at all and the frustration of having to do that is really tough. So I can definitely see what a nightmare this is for you. I guess the best thing you can do is to find a really good therapist that you can trust who will work with you and help you not as a specifically diagnosed patient but as a complete individual and who can tailor help to your specific needs with cognitive or behavioral or skills therapy no matter what the diagnosis is or is not. That is what I would hope for you. A skilled therapist should be able to assess you and help you as you are with whatever you need even if he or she does not have a complete diagnosis.

I know how you feel. I was labelled with autism because it was the most convenient label. It got the most funding and my parents were lower middle-class and desperate for more money. I hate when people make assumptions about me because of the label.

A lot of people think that my inability to do well in school was due to having trouble with change. That's not the case at all. I actually love change and I often feel way more motivated when I'm starting something new. I tried to explain that to people, but they just wouldn't listen. They only took me seriously when I still had the same problems months later.

I don't really feel like my condition is that pervasive. I feel pretty normal inside. My condition is like a lens that distorts how other people see me and I see the world. I sometimes feel like this lens is gone and I feel very happy and peaceful when that happens. I feel like I can suddenly act like my true self and see the world like it is.

I spend most of the time and energy trying to make sure that people see me like I truly am instead of seeing how distorted I am by my condition. I also spend a lot of time trying to see things like everyone else. I just wish this stupid lens would go away. It's ruining my life.

Yes, I very much do need help, there is definitely no other place in the DSM where I belong, but assuming I have Asperger will not lead to the help I need.
I am thinking now that the best thing to do is to not jeopardize my AS diagnosis with the directing psychiatrist, and just try to get the therapist to understand each of my real problems separately.
It is likely, however, that the anomaly in my brain is related to Asperger.

Your post is very good. Like you, my profile should also say that my location is in my own little world. I may be physically located in Philly, but I am almost completely isolated from Philly. I am getting a new therapist in a week or so; I hope she is the type you mention. But I am afraid of the diagnosing psychiatrist. I still carry the Asperger label, but I rather not have to lie to keep it.
The first time I was introduced to the Asperger term, it fit me perfectly. But since then, the details came in, and more and more they eliminated me, until the core itself eliminated me. But I think there is a deeper core which includes me again; a core not so focused on social blindness.

We aren't necessarily socially blind. Maybe it's more that we are blind to certain types of social lies and miss certain cues.

Since it isn't up to you what the treating professionals diagnose you with, you aren't lying. If you talk about it, they may waste time trying to persuade you.

Having AS does not mean you can't do something, but certain things may be much harder. Don't let it be a death sentence, it should not be that at all.

It's a description of some aspects. Ignore this label if that's better for you.

Last edited by Waterfalls on 14 Jul 2014, 7:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I really do hope that the new therapist will be a perfect match for you. Please let us know how it all works out.

Agreed,


But to be honest I'm curouss, if don't mind sharing and explaining, (and if you do feel for not to) you keep saying you have a severe PDD but I haven't seen you give much of an explination of it


Would you mind sharing what your symptoms and impairments are and why you don't fit the autism criteria?


Again if you don't feel comfortable doing so please feel free not to resond. I am not doubting you I'm more just wondering.