why arent sensory probs etc not on the DSM criteria????

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the DSM criteria for as concentrates on the 'psychological' side of a.s- social interaction, language skills, ability to read non verbal communication etc.

yet there are a mass of other problems concomitant with a.s, esp sensory, many of which- eg noise, touch, need for solitude, are far more crippling, and would provoke far more notable reactions and patterns of behaviour. touch makes me cry- not understanding other people doesnt bother me.
these things create far more noticable 'problem behaviour' - reliance on sun glasses/ ear plugs, not making eye contact etc- so why are they entirely off the dsm menu???

doesnt this seem to explain the large level of under-diagnosis- the dsm things are less aparent and problematic, and though one may get seen by therapists for 'weirdness' (like- distressed by noise) if they dont fully understand the non-dsm side of a.s, they are just going to see you as being mental.
so why havnt the autism experts had it changed?
why do these things remain off the criteria? who swrites it??

Sensory problems cannot be seen or experienced first hand by the observer so thay cannot be used to form an opinion. Symptoms have to be visible. So for instance if you are burned and don't flinch then that will be observed and noted on the evaluation.

but that cant be the case, as most of the criteria are ancecdotal anyway.

they cant SEE 'Severe and sustained impairment in social interaction' or 'The development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, and activities' (both taken from the dsm).

and they could see- loud noise/ shreiking woman = crying in subject.

its illogical (captain).

I was lucky enough to attend a lecture quite a while ago by a psychologist called Olga Bogdashina. She also gave a presentation at the 08 National Autistic Society conference, and she theorises that the sensory and perceptual processing differences are paramount, and the other "psychological" symptoms arise from issues in processing the sensorium.

She also has a son with autism, and dislikes the low/high functiioning labels- she phrased as presenting more/less socially adapted

My son's assessment began last week, and I was asked many questions about sensory issues, so in Scotland at least, such things are taken account of.

thank you Ligea_Seroua. Olga Bogdashina has such an excellent name! and i love the sound 'sensorium' makes too; it sounds like a sci-fi character. anyway, she has written seveal books; im interested to see what she has to say.

it seems to make some sense- i really find the just MASSIVE problems i have negotiating life, and all the sensory crap far worse than tryng to get other people- its just such a non issue most of the time.
she lectures in the uk, so wonder if any are podcast?

but i still dont get why the traditional 'psychological' side remains not just paramount, but the ONLY diagnostic criteria.

Also, not everyone with AS has sensory problems. I have read that from multiple sources; in fact the book I am reading right now (The Asperger's Answer Book) also mentions that.

Because the current DSM criteria for AS are horrible. Hopefully, the DSM-V will list sensory issues and will get rid of some symptoms that describe autism better than AS (like hand-wringing and being preoccupied by parts of an object).
-OddDuckNash99-

I know- this is really stuoid. My T said it was like a circle. Those things are not in DSM but they are taken into considerations. They do address it.

Mine are terrible, espcially sound. Earplugs are in all the time. NEVER leave without them. If I lose one, I go to store to buy more before anything else.

Light is a bit. Smell is hideous. And chemicals are bad. FOod problems ( texture) no tags, - in short life is hell if I am not very careful.

hi- thanks. i know not everyone has sensory problems, but there are all the other non 'psychological' things which are also unmentioned- need for solitude, avoiding eye contact, stimming etc.
none of that stuff comes up either.

surely its impostant to add this to the dsm, since many people have these aspects as more evident and problematic than having a massive collection of train timetbales or whatever, whcih DOES come up on the dsm.

if psychologists dont know this is all possibly aspergers, they may not0- adn frequently fail to- recognise someone has a.s at all, because the rset can be pretty hidden; its not like im dragging my collection about with me, and banging on about not being able to understand people.
instead, i saw psychologists, and said smells freaked me out, light hurts me, i have a poor short term memory- got told this was psychosis.

The psychiatrist who diagnosed me was VERY cynical about sensory issues and essentially told me I was too 'mild' to have them. I don't claim mine are as dehibilitating as some other peoples are, but I would never get on public transport without my headphones, (I used to sit on the bus crying with my head clamped in my hands ) and hate being touched by people I'm not familiar with.

I think sensory issues are generally seen as a low functioning autism thing but anecdotally I don't think thats the case.

hi Sorenna- i know autism therapists know about stimming, sensory stuff etc, but so many other psychologists dont, that i dont understand why it hasnt be redressed with a re-writing of the criteria.
it would help, as it'd mean more people would get assessed and corectly diagnosed.
its clealry part of a.s, but noone other than specialsts acknolede it, and to get there you have to find out about a.s yourself, it seems.

and i also LOVE ear plugs - i hvae them in so much that i now have swolen ear drums which is VERY painful, but noise is still worse!
i have them in every bag and pocket in case of emergency. i also carry one of these aromatherapy rollers from neal's yard about, so i can roll it just under my nose to block out bad smells. the smell lasts a few minutes, and isnt over powering like perfume.

I'm going through an evaluation right now (2 sessions in to a 3-4 session process) & the psychologist is definitely asking about sensory issues. He did his doctoral dissertation on adult AS, so I don't think he feels bound by the DSM.

So many different populations of people have sensory integrations problems, that this is not a very specific ASD characteristic. Neurotypical kids with learning disabilities, mental retardation, giftedness, ADHD, Tourette's, OCD, etc., all commonly have problems with sensory integration. Not to mention that there are neurotypical kids without any other kind of syndrome who have sensory integration dysfunction. It is just not specific enough, so it wouldn't have the same diagnostic usefulness as the current criteria. It's just doesn't discriminate ASD from other conditions as well as say, "qualitative impairment in social interaction."

It's in the expanded description of Autistic Disorder, but not Asperger's Disorder (just as motor difficulties are in the expanded description of AS). Lorna Wing stated that it's usually not evident in Asperger's Disorder [to a clinical amount] compared to Autistic Disorder. The DSM-IV-TR is hers and Tantam's baby.

I have never seen anything about sensory issues in the autistic criteria.