Asperger's Label No Longer Relevant?

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It seems the label will no longer be in the DSM. Does that mean socially it will go down in usage? Also for advocacy reasons I think it will begin to make some advocates previously diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome who do well and advocate against certain other advocacy more neutralized because it is more a spectrum in definition. This to me means it will be easy to say well he or she is very high functioning and independent and have a very mild form of it. Whereas before Asperger's was considered more the geek syndrome in media cultural programming. Autism is taken more seriously then being geeky as the Asperger's label was before.

Nathan Young

I feel like the change to it just being 'Autism Spectrum Disorder' is going to be a good one actually. Aspergers is a name easily made fun of, and 'Aspie' sounds off too. Autism is also considered to be of a higher importance, so it'll give a better name to those with a milder form (aka PDD-NOS or Aspergers) the help they also deserve, without the connotations that might not help. (Sorry if I'm not making sense right now).

If the proposed revision of the DSMV goes through Aspergers will no longer be a diagnosis, but it could still be used as a label for sub-clinical purposes, not unlike the way the label HFA is used now. I think I remember you saying you were categorized as HFA. HFA is not considered a diagnosis under the DSMIV and if the current provisions stay true will not be a diagnosis in the DSMV. The label HFA is not strictly defined and usually indicates a person with Autism that has average or above intelligence; I don't see a reason why the label HFA will be discontinued. That said, it is likely that many of those currently diagnosed with Aspergers will continue to use the Asperger or Aspie label.

I think most people with Aspergers already consider themselves as having a version of Autism; the term Autism is used by many on this website, regardless of if they have a diagnosis of Aspergers. I see little to no impact on Autism Self Advocacy by a new diagnosis. The idea of neurodiversity already includes everyone on the spectrum.

From a macro societal point of view autism is viewed as more serious. My actual diagnoses is autism. The new DSM will make Autism one category with support needs. However it is my projection Asperger's will go down in social usage and not be recognized by people as often. Most people diagnosed have no affiliation with online advocacy that presents these ideas.

Neurodiversity to me is still not ready for mainstream appeal. It is bogged down in abortion issues, positivity only and negativity is resisted when it is the truth and may incite negative funding potentials to the likes of certain mainstream political interest. Although this is the social programming of it in general terms. The term may not be an absolute notion of autism either as a difference and may often denote to much acceptance over that of research importance which goes on into conflict of interest potentials. I believe ethically there is a balance between positivity, truth and the needs and rights of research being conducted.

Neurodiversity as a premise cannot demand positivity whilst evading fundamental human liberties directly or indirectly. Human diversity embraces all neurological, social, cultural and religious inferences in phraseology. Hence humans may comprise many neurological differences yet still are not disabled for this unlike autism but the conceptology of neurodiversity (positive reenforcement) socio-politically entices it not to be taken seriously thus potentially evades the the right to treatment within macro cultural awarenesses. Ethics are two sided and my advanced apologies for this.

I am actually a fan of the proposed changes to the DSM because I have HFA, but my diagnosis is autism, but many people put me in the Asperger's camp, and some even get pissed when I say I have an autism diagnosis. For me, this will stop people treating me unfairly because of my diagnosis. Heck, I had one person threaten to sue me because I said I had HFA, and he was like HFA is not in the DSM-IV, so you're liar and a fraud. That was so annoying.

I originally disliked the new system, but the more I think about it, the more I like it.

First, the name Asperger's Syndrome probably won't go away. It has entered into popular usage. Unfortunately, the popular usage conflicts with the medical usage. I see a lot of people who are self-labeled with AS who really don't meet the diagnostic requirements. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because there really is no good term for describing people who are NTs with strong autistic traits, and I think they can and do get a lot from interacting with people who really have AS. Furthermore, the dividing line between very high functioning Aspies and NTs with strong autistic traits is hazy at best.

Second, merging the various categories of autism is probably a good thing. One of the defining characteristics of AS is that you must not have been delayed in learning speech. This requirement seems to exist only to separate classical autism from AS, and doesn't seem to serve a useful purpose. I think that it is left over from the time when AS and classic autism were considered completely different things.

Yensid said: I see a lot of people who are self-labeled with AS who really don't meet the diagnostic requirements.

Referring to the mockery that people with AS can receive, I have noticed that a lot of it is pointed at it because of the large numbers that self-diagnose. I live over here in the UK, where AS is listed as a mental disability, but I refused to classify myself as anything without a professional diagnosis. That diagnosis subsequently happened because, I actually do have it and quite severely, which has led to a number of mental health problems including a stay in hospital. If people think they have it, then get a diagnosis. Settle it one way or the other. But I get very frustrated with those that won't, as they are just lining the rest of us up as targets for having some kind of 'pretend illness' as some people claim.

People have a negative attitude about neurological and psychological conditions in general. They're happy to determine you're not really dealing with anything serious even with an official diagnosis. It's not self-dxed Aspies who cause these attitudes, it's institutionalized ableism.

A lot of adults have a difficult time getting a diagnosis, and weren't caught in childhood on account of AS not even being known, let alone in the DSM. Many still find it difficult to get a diagnosis - not because they don't have it, but because getting an adult diagnosis isn't easy.

Oh, and: I have two avenues to get a diagnosis right now. If one fails, I'll take the other. I do want that official diagnosis, but things are moving more slowly than I'd like.

Yes Vervandi, I agree with a lot of what you say. The slowness I can relate to, as my Doctor has shown me that even in 1988 I was displaying a lot of symptoms that should have been picked up on, but weren't. And your comment about negative attitudes reminds me of how many times I have read/heard people telling others to stop being a wimp and just 'snap out of it' when dealing with cases of clinical depression.

On a lighter note, I sat here for several minutes trying to figure out what the word 'ableism' meant before it finally dawned on me

We will just have to agree to disagree. I am actively pursing a diagnosis, but it is quite challenging. The number of people who are qualified to diagnose it in adults is quite small. Numerous people have posted here about their difficulties in finding someone qualified to make a diagnosis. My own psychiatrist is unwilling or unable to diagnose me and doesn't think that it is a serious issue. Pursuing it with a specialist, which I may do at some point if my current approach does not work out, is quite expensive, and, frankly, will cost money that I can ill afford to spend, for very little tangible gain.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWX_pjyIq-g&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Ronald Kennedy

"In a special message to Congress on February 5, 1963, I recommended
a far-reaching program designed to end our national neglect of the
mentally ret*d. The full benefits of our society belong to those who suffer from
such disabilities, and the mentally ret*d should be encouraged to participate in
the productive life of their communities. This will require strengthened educational
and rehabilitation programs and, ultimately, meaningful employment." John F. Kennedy.

A perplexing topic bringing up the idea of autism as a mental illness. Many people with developmental disabilities would be institutionalized if it were not for community inclusion programs. I have autism and the autism specialist tells me I have no mental illness. I think if being born a certain way it is not professionally ethical to assume that persons with developmental disabilities are mentally ill but hardwired differently per say. If there are innate difficulties such as self-care and functioning within societal normalcy a person can be more prone to mental illness being developed as a result of a developmental disability and a lack of care.

While autism spectrum itself is not a mental illness those with this disability need better arranged social service programs to assure competency of support staff to properly integrate by choice individuals of these relevant inborn diversities with additional appropriated research investments. Without competency tax-payers are throwing money at the wind. Services that exist need better public relations with the world around participants including businesses to even provide practice in settings of normalcy. Thus enabling improved quality of life and independence potentials. By doing so it fosters that the cultures within societies they together prevent illness better when applicable and appreciates the innate foundations of a person as they were born as members of their respective cultures.

Autism is not however a mental illness but a developmental difference, respectfully.

Nathan Young

Last edited by ci on 06 Feb 2011, 5:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

Heh, oops!

It's even in the Oxford English Dictionary but isn't commonly know. I keep forgetting.

http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictio ... ry/ableism

Hmm.. I am not sure.

lol that song you linked, made reading your post this epic experience.

Asperger's = high functioning autism anyway. As it stands, the only official difference is a speech delay, and having two separate conditions for one minor, unimportant difference makes no sense, so it was only a matter of time until this happened. Merging it all into autism is more logical and makes it easier for doctors to diagnose people now that there won't be any confusion over whether they have AS or HFA.

Bring it on, I say. It should have been like this from the beginning.

those who need the diagnosis often cannot get it due to deficits caused by the autism. diagnostic services for adults are not easy to find, and even if you can find them, they are not cheap to get. someone who has difficulty getting and keeping employment is unlikely to have the money or insurance to pay for the diagnosis.

it took me several months to find someone to do the diagnosis for my SO. i did find a university autism center that does diagnosis, but we dont have the $3000 to pay for it. they have a financial assistance program where we can get it reduced down to $300, but even that is a lot on our budget, and the waiting list for the assistance program is long. luckily where we live now, he is able to get medicaid coverage for being an adult caretaker of children, but where we lived previously that wasnt an option. still, finding a diagnostician who can take his medicaid (the university wont) wasnt easy. this coming week is the last of his 3 appts with a neuropsych i found 2 hrs away who is doing his eval.

if it wasnt for me, i doubt he would ever have gone through the diagnostic process. not because i made him do it, but because the process of getting to the diagnosis is something that is beyond his abilities (calling 20+ doctors, talking to the insurance company multiple times, getting an out of network insurance referral approved). even getting him to drive to the doctors office and walk inside requires that i be there, or, even if he made the drive, he wouldnt get out of the car and go into the doctors office where he had to speak to receptionists and to the doctor for hours. my SO is also not AS, he has classic autism and has never been diagnosed.

lack of an official diagnosis doesnt make you any less autistic, tho. self-diagnosis, if accurate, can at least bring self awareness and understanding for your trials, even if you never get formally diagnosed. knowing who you are and what makes you that way can be of more importance than the words on a paper followed by phd.