Why is autism a disorder?

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they are not impairments if everyone has Aspergoid communication style as Paul Cooijimans put it that the Aspergoid communication style is superior, but is so rare that one is constantly being heavily penalized for it.

If it were not defined as a disorder nobody would 'have' autism.. almost all the traits can extend into the neurotypical population, they are just not significantly impairing.

Obv. that doesn't mean it can't also bring advantages (which it does).

Because it causes unpleasant physical symptoms and many times it causes other communication problems for the person who has it, even in situations where social skills aren't being judged.

I believe that the majority of people who holler about autism not being a disorder or anything negative are people who have very high functioning AS and who don't really have many more symptoms than those directly related to socializing. They may have sensory issues preventing them from bathing or wearing certain clothes or being in noisy or bright places, etc, and their social skills may not be the best,and so they see all of autism as society simply rejecting a difference. That's because they may be rejected because of their social skills or other issues related to autism, but they are minor issues and they feel that it's wrong and unfair to reject them based on that. I believe they actually feel that if people wouldn't judge others on social skills or cleanliness or whatever their issues are, that everybody with autism would have a regular life and all would be wonderful.

That isn't true at all. I'm one of the lucky ones whose autism mainly showed up in my social skills. I do have the clumsiness, some sensory issues and some processing issues when I'm overwhelmed but overall I was able to work around my issues and "pass" as NT. These people are against even that, and while I do understand it and agree that the law should be enforced preventing discrimination of us based on our autism, I also know that no law or even education is going to change people's preferences for the type of person they are attracted to or want to hang out with. We can't make them like us, we can only make them be fair towards us when it comes to work, housing, etc.

There are people on the lower end of the spectrum who have severe, severe difficulties in most aspects of their lives and no amount of acceptance is going to give them the kind of life they would have if they were NT, or even a chance at something similar because they are unable to do certain things or communicate, etc. Saying "It's not a medical disorder, it's not something you have it's who you are, it's simply a personality trait not a medical condition" is a slap in the face to people who struggle with things that those of us whose autistic symptoms actually are similar to just personality traits don't think twice about.

So, it's a disorder because it has unpleasant signs and symptoms. If there were no unpleasant signs and symptoms and it was simply a matter of preferring a video game to a night at the club, or not coming across very well to others or seeming to be painfully shy, then it would simply be a personality trait and within normal limits.

Yeah. I agree; people who say "it's not a disorder" often do have mild, primarily social symptoms, and their distress does come mostly from the way they are treated by others...

But I don't want to assume that these people are short-sighted. They're legit suffering from a whole bunch of prejudice, probably more than those of us who have more neurological/cognitive autistic traits. They often want to socialize, but can't due to anxiety, unlike many of us who will cheerfully embarrass ourselves, or just ignore people altogether and go off to our special interests.

It makes a sort of sense that if they're suffering prejudice, bullying, rejection, etc., because they're perceived as disabled, that they might want to say, "But I'm not disabled." They know that what's happening to them is wrong and shouldn't be happening to them.

But what they don't realize, at first (I didn't realize it at first) is that this kind of treatment is wrong whether you are disabled or not. As time goes on and you meet more people with disabilities, you stop saying, "I should have acceptance because I'm not disabled," and start saying simply, "I have a right to acceptance." And disability itself is irrelevant to that.

It might still be a colloquial term. What is confusing today is that many terms such as Autism, OCD, depression have both a colloquial meaning and a medical meaning.

Just because something comes with weaknesses, that doesn't make it a disability.

Last edited by Skilpadde on 18 Apr 2016, 8:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.: Cross posted content removed

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the name for a group of developmental disorders. ASD includes a wide range, "a spectrum", of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability.

Back in the '60s, homosexuality was considered a disorder, correlated with pedophilia. This 1961 educational film by Sid Davis perfectly captures the common perception of homosexuality at the time :



Back then, some therapists employed aversion therapy to "cure" male homosexuality. This typically involved showing patients pictures of naked men while giving them electric shocks or drugs to make them vomit, and, once they could no longer bear it, showing them pictures of naked women or sending them out on a "date" with a young nurse. Needless to say, these cruel and degrading methods proved entirely ineffective.

Homosexuality became officially listed as a mental disorder in the DSM with the publication of the DSM-II in 1968. When the American Psychiatric Association (APA) asked all members attending its convention to vote on whether they believed homosexuality to be a mental disorder in 1973, 5,854 psychiatrists voted to remove homosexuality from the DSM, and 3,810 to retain it.

The APA then compromised, removing homosexuality from the DSM but replacing it, in effect, with "sexual orientation disturbance" for people "in conflict with" their sexual orientation. Not until 1987 did homosexuality completely fall out of the DSM. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) only removed homosexuality from its ICD classification with the publication of ICD-10 in 1992.

The evolution of the status of homosexuality in the classifications of mental disorders highlights that concepts of mental disorder can be social constructs that change as society changes. Today, the standard of psychotherapy in the U.S. and Europe is "gay affirmative psychotherapy", which encourages gay people to accept their sexual orientation.

Personally, I don't see any reason why a similar shift in perception isn't possible for Autism.

It depends on how the condition of autism manifests.

If it causes one to destroy other people's things during a meltdown, it's certainly a disorder.

If it merely causes "social awkwardness" uncomplicated by anything else, it's debatable whether it's a disorder.

Exactly my point :

* Autism can result in one or more disabilities (mutism, intellectual disability, social anxiety disorder, ...), but it doesn't per se
* Autism can result in one or more extreme talent (talent for maths, talent for art, great memory, ...), but it doesn't per se

I think it is quite correct, within some people with autism, to say that symptoms of a "disorder" could manifest themselves SOME OF THE TIME.

I know this is true for me.

For others, though, it is a disabling disorder on a constant basis.

In my case, it's even more complicated... because my strengths == my weaknesses.

For example :
*) I have a great eye for detail... but I do sometimes get lost in details
*) I'm extremely extraverted... which results in my often raising my voice to an uncomfortable volume without realizing it
*) I'm honest and straightforward... often too much, even when I pay attention to it
*) My IQ is in the 99th percentile... which makes me a strong mathematical / logical thinker, but which also results in my inability to relate with >95% of people out there
*) I have the capacity to hyperfocus... but I NEED hyperfocus to do some major thinking... and it requires a lot of energy to enter hyperfocus
*) I have different "modi" for different contexts (eg. social modus, housekeeping modus, work modus, ...), which are basically task-specific forms kinds of hyperfocus. Shifting between "modi" is extremely fatiguing, though, as well as doing a task that doesn't correspond with the "modus" I'm in.

Do you see where I'm going? I don't have any "disabilities" per se, but I do have several traits that come with both great positive and great negative consequences.

Last edited by aspiesavant on 18 Apr 2016, 10:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

Yep....no doubt!

"Genius" is a double-edged sword at times.

I believe you'll find many posters here who share that viewpoint.

Stop comparing left-handedness and homosexuality and stuff like that to autism. It's not the same thing. Otherwise we could go on forever; we could start comparing religeon and race to autism, until even other neurological disorders like dyspraxia or ADHD become not disorders, then nothing will be a disorder.

Its not the same thing... but they perfectly illustrate that concepts of disorder can be social constructs that change as society changes.



Well... That's actually not as ridiculous as it seems.

Let me requote this :



... and this :

I'm going to go with this. As is my nature, will add to it.

Make better decisions.
Understand the weaknesses that have led to a very disruptive/destructive/self destructive life.
Find balance that has never been 'allowed' by way of many mechanisms
Replace old mechanisms
Better self awareness

I mean, it's kinda strange, but also makes sense, when it is pointed out that your non-verbal cues do not match your verbal cues. How can a person know this unless it is observed and pointed out? Then, how do you correct that? It has to be taught by way of outside coaching and observation. The level it can be taught do will depend on the individual.

Just because a person can solve differential equations in their head means they have equal skills in other, and in some cases, more important areas of life.