Is Aspergers or HFA too frequently diagnosed?

Post Reply New Topic

A psychologist was telling me recently that he does not give a diagnosis of AS or HFA all that easily, He believes it is becoming the new trendy disorder like RSI used to be in the past He believes although he considered that I was clearly a candidate for it as I have all the symptoms such as poor commination and social skills and excessive fixations and obsessions, emotional and sensory issues going right back to my childhood he has number of patients who, although they insisted they were HFA or AS he prefers to instead label them with some other disorder such as social anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder or OCD largely because they have no childhood history of the disorder. Even if there is some childhood history he considers there are other more common developmental disorders such as the old ADHD they were originally diagnosed with and is now going out of fashion and diagnosed them accordingly even if other psychologists have changed their diagnosed from ADHD/ADD to AS. He believes Aspergers Syndrome is still a very rare condition.

I can't say I fully agree with him but what do you think?

I think ADHD is still overdiagnosed and is often Aspergers, and always was. I stick to experts on autism. They usually arent' psycologists. His opinion that it's "rare" doesn't make it true. All research points to the opposite. Here in the US, ADHD is used as an excuse for everything and so many kids are on stimulants. ADHD is suspiciously like Aspergers. Maybe ADHD was a good start, but maybe THAT is the disorder that really doesn't exist in a vacuum. I'm no expert, but I personally believe that ADHD is on the Spectrum, possibly Aspergers-lite.

Why don't those "doctors" just get their "credentials" pulled, and get barred from practicing medicine? Did the treatments for ADD/ADHD help? More than likely, they DIDN'T! If not, what is the point with keeping them there? Aren't several AS symptoms missing with ADHD/ADD? HECK, some are contraindicated!

BTW the ADD/ADHD symptoms are surprisingly vague and subjective! They indicate an observed action and give a possible cause, as opposed to autism which gives a feeling or reason that causes the person to perform a similar action. The solution is OBVIOUS!! !! !! They probably would never hear of it though! ASK THE KID! He or she is perhaps the only one on the entire planet that may hold the keys as to why!

Ya know! I once had a problem, and my mother found out I would stay awake if I took aspirin. SO, she gave it to me, and took me from doctor to doctor! You know what the last doctor said?

1. He has nephritis!
2. STOP giving him the aspirin, or his kidneys may be damaged and he may die!

HECK, I could have gotton reyes also!

Just because something APPEARS to give you the correct result, doesn't mean you should even TRY it!

Steve

I think ADHD is overdiagnosed and Aspergers underdiagnosed, particularly in girls and women and adults in general. Some doctors do not keep up with the latest information so would not necessarily know much about Aspergers.

RSI was a real disorder and it hasn't gone away - it is now called OOS (Occupational Overuse Syndrome).

I was diagnosed with HFA/Asperger's a couple of months ago, after several months of studies (clinical, psychological and sensorial); neither my doctor, nor the psychologist nor the psychiatrist wanted to give me a diagnosis on the Autism Spectrum until making sure it was not any of my “good-ole friends” ADHD or the Gifted Child Syndrome (which I got diagnosed with when I was a kid).

My experience is that a complete and real evaluation distinguishes between ADHD and Asperger’s quite clearly. Some traits and conditions are shared but the analysis is (or should be) thorough and not given easily. Maybe, just got lucky with the team I worked with…

A combination of ADHD and Gifted may mask the Asperger’s, as it happened to me, especially when you get Hyperlexia to top it off. But, there was always a zone with no explanation that has been cleared now with the addition of HFA/Asperger’s to the list.

Now, during the testing, had plenty of chance to talk with them; and the three agreed that the diagnostic has become a little too common and part of a “trendy fashion”, maybe, to avoid lengthy and, truly, expensive evaluations or at the pressure of some parents that want to get their kids to receive special perks or at the inexperience of the psychologist; has made the diagnosis of Asperger’s almost as easy as a synonym to calling someone “nerd”, “geek” or “social misfit”, with no real sensory evaluation, sensory integration analysis nor psychological testing.

Just my thoughts and my experience.

I agree that it's becoming the new fad, the "new ADHD." All of these TV shows are starting to talk about it and you hear all of these new diagnoses. I was just diagnosed this year, but it's a little different with me- I'm 19, and had Asperger's been known about when I was a child, it would've been extremely obvious that I had it. It's nice that better awareness of the condition is starting to be brought around, but I'm just afraid that every child who is somewhat quirky will now be labeled an Aspie...
-OddDuckNash99-

I really think people should stop blaming doctors for being reluctant to diagnose. They are clinicans, not researchers. Autism is still a very mixed diagnosis and researchers are still very behind in compiling their information for people to use.
I mean there are ignorant statements made, as we see evidence here given, "No you can't have it it's a childhood disorder" eg But that doesn't mean that every misdiagnosis or lack of diagnosis is due to neglience.

I read a month or so ago that there are doctors who want to get rid of the term "schizophrenia", as they deem it an umbrella dx for various disorders. We know that "infantile schizophrenia" was a dx given to autistics. I know an adult who was only recently diagnosed autistic (he's about 40) because he was formerly considered schizophrenic.

I actually think Asperger's and autism are under-diagnosed. Doctors seem to withhold diagnosis from people who do not have a typical/textbook presentation of the condition.

I think it's becoming more widely diagnosed as understanding amongst medical professionals is improving, although sadly not fast enough.

I'm sure there are some people incorrectly diagnosed with autism or Asperger's, but I would say the more common problem is underdiagnosis.

I think the problem stems from the human need to label things or people into categories. The trouble is, categories are man-made and nature is not obliged to conform to them.

I have some of the symptoms of mild Asperger's but not all of them. My view is what you call it is less important than what it is. The fact is, my issues cause me problems with my life and I need help with them. The doctors were willing to immediately diagnose me with depression, which I do have, but my depression causes me fewer problems in life than my aspie-like traits. So I'm in the stupid situation where they're failing to treat my most serious problems because they don't fit nicely into any 'boxes'. If calling it Asperger's will get someone to help me, then let them call it that. But my problems are what they are, whatever you call them. It's a bit like arguing whether someone who is 5'5" is short. It doesn't matter what you call it. They are 5'5", that is the information you need about their height.

i'm not officially DXed though i have talked at length with some AS specialist in my town, who says that based off what i told her of my childhood and my brother's childhood (he had some questionable characteristics... and both him and my dad had to have speech therapy and such when they were young even though i did not)... AS is a definite possibility for me.

but as is, i don't think i will get an official DX just because of this very issue. i don't give a crap about whatever it is that i have--what it's called...

i just know that after having found this website... i've finally found a multitude of people who share the exact same difficulties that I have ALWAYS had... and these people aren't just the AS or just the ADHD or whatever people here... it's a mixture of all DXs...

I think it's sad that so much effort is put into giving nomenclature to everything instead of just treating symptoms... though i recognize it's a necessary evil--to allocate funding/treatment for research/medical care and what not. blah blah blah

I agree, for me the labels are about finding literature to mainstream how I learn about autistic neurology. At 37, I don't want to be officially diagnosed anyways. I have job skills now, I'm done with schooling and have my own coping mechanisms. I'm more concerned for my autistic son, who is considered too "high-functioning" for therapies and yet not appropriate for regular classes.
The truth is, humans live and govern each other with labels. We need a label like autistic to say what we are not (oppositional, unstable, etc).

Well... I do agree that the individual would have to have the characteristics all their life, in childhood as well as adulthood; if a symptom arose in adulthood more likely than not it is something else, not inborn. Although I have a feeling people with AS get "worse" as they get older, especially if they abandon trying to compel themselves to be something, or someone, they are not.