Do Away with Autism and Aspergers

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Whoever came up with these names, clearly doesn't understand the naming scheme of things. I understand the reason why the disorders were named the way they were. Because of the two famous guys who discovered them. But they do nothing to help people.

I much prefer Neural Developmental Behavioral Disorders, yeah it sure as hell long name. But it does explain exactly what the condition is. You tell someone I have a Neural Developmental Behavioral Disorder, it's far more understandable than Autism or Aspergers.

Neural Developmental Social Disorder, Aspergers

Neural Developmental Behavioral Disorder, Autism.

New names, that actually explain, the weirdness of our minds.

I understand your concerns, however there are a few flaws with your hypothesis... Firstly not everyone on the spectrum suffers social anxiety or behavioral issues. They are more comorbid... Also many would argue that Aspergers is not a disorder at all, but a difference in brain functioning, as are males biologically different from females, as are Aspies different from both.. so would being male or female be a disorder!?... With the term aspergers, the term isnt associated with one specific issue.. I prefer aspie or aspergers as opposed to thinking i have a disorder! As i feel the comorbid disorders associated with aspergers aare just that, associated but not part of. As on the base that people have the ideology of the female mind and the male mind, rather than understanding or accepting there are other biological minds out there and this in essence is down to how we are taught and how society places views on youngsters at an early age! This in part is part of the reason we need to educate people the realities of those on the spectrum and not for them to fall for what the media ""interprets"". Also to educate psychologists and physicians to listen to those on the spectrum rather than robotically taking as gospel what they read in a magazine or the DSM V that is ironically written by neurotypicals based on a commercial base and gain! Just my thoughts

I agree about the problem with the term disorder.
Actually, I don't even like the word 'condition'--because everyone is in a certain condition, so why should
one be marked. And what if it were discovered that certain non AS traits usually thought of as NT were
also arranged on a spectrum.

I dislike the word 'disorder ' because it obviously implies that something is wrong with me - which I believed all my life till I was diagnosed and found out that my mind is merely wired differently from most peoples. So there is nothing 'wrong', just different. I don't object to the word condition because I don't understand it to be a judgemental word...my mind is in the condition described by Hans Asperger, just as my wifes mind is in the condition that is described as 'NT'. I hope this makes sense, I sometimes fear that I don't explain myself very clearly.

I think the term Asperger Syndrome should be done away with (yes, DSM-V already does this, but the term is still used colloquially and in places that don't use that diagnostic criteria). Anything that 'ranks' autism doesn't really belong in such a varied spectrum.

Beyond that, idk.

Disorder: a disruption of normal physical or mental functions.

Disorder doesn't imply something is wrong with people, and in the definition, there is a disruption in Autism. A disruption of behavior. A disruption in the way we tick.

And beyond that, and boy I am going to get a lot of flack for this, there is something wrong. Not in a bad way, but there is something wrong.

I most definitely believe I have a disorder, regardless of how others want to view it.

The social issues could be explained by a "difference" rather than a disorder, I suppose. Those with high-functioning ASD do usually communicate, but differently.

However, the sensory issues, poor executive functioning, and obsessions are not just differences. They are real problems and make life very difficult.

Being overly sensitive is not good; it makes things very stressful for me. Being unable to successfully manage and plan one's life is very detrimental. Being unable to stop participating in activities related to obsessions and then moving on to important things is also a real problem.

In the United States, at least, a diagnosis can only yield governmental benefits and supports if the diagnosis includes the word "disorder" in its diagnostic name. Stupid, but required. At the 2015 IMFAR International Meeting for Autism Research conference, anthropologist Roy Richard Grinker, Ph.D., and Simon Baron-Cohen, Ph.D., debated quite enthusiastically over the terms used in autistic diagnoses. Grinker argued that the term "condition" was as hurtful as "disorder," to which Baron-Cohen argued that "maybe we should return to the original diagnostic term 'autism.' Grinker and the audience of about 2,000 researchers applauded in support of the idea.

The OP incorrectly seperates Aspergers and Autism. The OP does not take into account sensory issues for the naming scheme. Social and Behavoiral Disorders are too broad. The name would have to be something like Sensory Processing, Social Communication, Repetitive Behavoirs Syndrome

Autism was not named after a person. Autism was coined by psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1908 or 1912 to describe a symptom of schizophrenia whereby a child was severly withdrawn. He took it from the Greek word autos which means self. So he quite knew how to name things.

^A lot good that does when no one even understands what the word means in the context of the modern world. Sometimes things need to be adapted and changed. For clarification.

Both Autism and Asperger syndrome are pervasive developmental disorders.

A mango is a mango. A bell pepper is a bell pepper.

I don't see any connection between the two foods.