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Is ASD a distinct condition

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mrsmith
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23 Jul 2011, 4:17 am

People generally assume that conditions are on a continuum, while in fact many are "discrete" (Bipolar disorders for example).

How is ASD?

In this case I think only CHILDREN should be interesting.



ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo
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23 Jul 2011, 4:33 am

What if Bipolar Disorder is a continuum yet nobody has discovered it?



Verdandi
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23 Jul 2011, 4:46 am

Bipolar is definitely a spectrum - Bipolar 1, Bipolar 2, Cyclothymia, Bipolar NOS, etc.

I wish the OP would take more time to explain his statements, like:

mrsmith wrote:
In this case I think only CHILDREN should be interesting.


As well as the question in the title.



donnie_darko
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23 Jul 2011, 5:52 am

im still not really sure WHAT asperger's is. i think it has to do with a sort of um.

i think aspies are individualists, while we value relationships, they're generally not what defines us - we are more defined by our interests and values. since we're not really wired to be primarily relational beings, we often seem socially awkward.



mrsmith
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23 Jul 2011, 7:01 am

Verdandi wrote:
Bipolar is definitely a spectrum - Bipolar 1, Bipolar 2, Cyclothymia, Bipolar NOS, etc.

My question is about ASD, not Bipolar Disorders. And I am not saying Bipolar is a distinct condition.



kittie
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23 Jul 2011, 8:51 am

donnie_darko wrote:
im still not really sure WHAT asperger's is. i think it has to do with a sort of um.

i think aspies are individualists, while we value relationships, they're generally not what defines us - we are more defined by our interests and values. since we're not really wired to be primarily relational beings, we often seem socially awkward.


Off topic, but, wow - that is so so true. So many times people have said "tell me about yourself" etc, and instead of describing my personality or friendships, it's always been "Well, I like/my interests are..." :P



Verdandi
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23 Jul 2011, 2:33 pm

mrsmith wrote:
Verdandi wrote:
Bipolar is definitely a spectrum - Bipolar 1, Bipolar 2, Cyclothymia, Bipolar NOS, etc.

My question is about ASD, not Bipolar Disorders. And I am not saying Bipolar is a distinct condition.


I was replying to ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo's comment about bipolar being a continuum.

All I said about your posts is that you say vague things and refuse to elaborate upon them. This reply actually falls into that same pattern of not clarifying what you mean with your statements and questions:

What does the title of this thread mean? What does "distinct condition" mean in your usage? Why do you think only CHILDREN should be interesting?

It's pretty ironic you're berating me for answering ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo's comment about bipolar and didn't even acknowledge my request for clarification which was definitely directed at your post.



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23 Jul 2011, 4:29 pm

It would be easier to answer your question or comment if I understood what you were asking for. I don't, so I can't help you. If you elaborate, perhaps we can.



mrsmith
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23 Jul 2011, 4:59 pm

Verdandi wrote:
It's pretty ironic you're berating me for answering ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo's comment about bipolar and didn't even acknowledge my request for clarification which was definitely directed at your post.

I don't know if you are talking to me, but discussing Bipolar makes the thread less interesting for me.


Verdandi wrote:
What does the title of this thread mean? What does "distinct condition" mean in your usage?

Being pregnant is quite a distinct condition for example (I don't think ASD is quite as distinct as that of course)



Verdandi wrote:
Why do you think only CHILDREN should be interesting?

AFAIK children are easier to diagnose, and also most research is done one children, so all interesting research should be on children, and anybody who can contribute should know about it (I THINK)



TPE2
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23 Jul 2011, 6:26 pm

mrsmith wrote:
People generally assume that conditions are on a continuum


My impression is exactly the opposite - that most people see "mental conditions" has being an wall-or-nothing thing, ignoring both the differences in severity and the possibility of sub clinical traits ( "you have one friend? Then you can't have Asperger's", or the opposite "That person has few friends and knows much about some issue? Then he have Asperger's!")


Quote:
How is ASD?
Supposedly, a continuum.



Verdandi
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23 Jul 2011, 6:27 pm

mrsmith wrote:
I don't know if you are talking to me, but discussing Bipolar makes the thread less interesting for me.


Sometimes threads drift. Since bipolar came up as an example, I posted my understanding of bipolar being a spectrum. I certainly wasn't interested in having a discussion about bipolar - I am not bipolar myself and I don't come here to read about bipolar, but since I had information that seemed relevant to someone else's question, I posted my understanding of it.

mrsmith wrote:
Being pregnant is quite a distinct condition for example (I don't think ASD is quite as distinct as that of course)


This analogy makes no sense to me. Could you state it explicitly?

mrsmith wrote:
AFAIK children are easier to diagnose, and also most research is done one children, so all interesting research should be on children, and anybody who can contribute should know about it (I THINK)


Thank you for clarifying this.

Oh, this I disagree with. There is simply not enough research - interesting or otherwise - done with autistic adults, and autistic adults are horrifically underserved when it comes to services and meeting needs. One reason that it's easier to diagnose children is because the diagnostic criteria are written for children and focused on children, and autism is predominantly seen as a condition children have. While I do not think there should be no research on children, there really needs to be more research focused on adults as well.



mrsmith
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24 Jul 2011, 1:40 am

Verdandi wrote:

mrsmith wrote:
Being pregnant is quite a distinct condition for example (I don't think ASD is quite as distinct as that of course)


This analogy makes no sense to me. Could you state it explicitly?

You can't be "A little bit pregnant" - You are or you are not (With a discrete number of children)

Verdandi wrote:
mrsmith wrote:
AFAIK children are easier to diagnose, and also most research is done one children, so all interesting research should be on children, and anybody who can contribute should know about it (I THINK)


Thank you for clarifying this.

Oh, this I disagree with. There is simply not enough research - interesting or otherwise - done with autistic adults, and autistic adults are horrifically underserved when it comes to services and meeting needs. One reason that it's easier to diagnose children is because the diagnostic criteria are written for children and focused on children, and autism is predominantly seen as a condition children have. While I do not think there should be no research on children, there really needs to be more research focused on adults as well.


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I am sorry - it should have been , so all interesting research should have been done on children

I also think children are closer to their basic biology (But this is not the case for everything)



Verdandi
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24 Jul 2011, 1:54 am

mrsmith wrote:
You can't be "A little bit pregnant" - You are or you are not (With a discrete number of children)


In that context, you can be a little bit autistic or a lot autistic, and you can be a little bit in some ways and a lot in others, and under stress or in combination with other problems it can become more severe. Or: It's not a binary state of being either you're autistic or you are not, although to some extent that is also true - you are autistic or you are not, but if you are, how autistic you are can vary a lot from person to person.

And thank you again for clarifying.