Awe-tistic rewrite of DSM-IV. Love it!

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. . . My having likes is not considered unimportant but what I like and my talking about my likes are not looked favorably on . . .

But I don't think our particular viewpoint is well represented.

OLD SCHOOL: (A) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
NEW SCHOOL: (A) An acute sensory and empathic sensitivity that i) makes eye contact and social interaction intensely difficult and ii) results in the rejection of ambiguous nonverbal behaviors in favor of direct, detailed, and honest speech.

OLD SCHOOL: (B) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
NEW SCHOOL: (B) Beginning in early childhood, a gift for developing relationships with people of widely different ages and developmental trajectories.

OLD SCHOOL: (C) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people, (e.g.. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
NEW SCHOOL: (C) The understanding, gained uncannily early in life, that i) most people will not appreciate the awe-tist’s interests or achievements, and ii) showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest will be met with judgment and/or hostility that manifest in socially acceptable forms of repression (such as social exclusion) or criminal acts (such as physical assault).

OLD SCHOOL: (D) lack of social or emotional reciprocity
NEW SCHOOL: (D) An acute sensitivity to the feelings of others that causes the awe-tist to refrain from using banal pleasantries or empty words that may hurt or offend.

NEW SCHOOL: (E) An altogether eccentric form of social and emotional reciprocity that insists upon fairness, directness, sensitivity, tolerance, substance, acceptance of difference, and mutually interesting subject matter.
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I really like this! I think this autism advocate did a great job. Now, she actually very bravely strikes through the current text (I simply don't know how to do that formatting). Please check out the whole thing if you are interested.
http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2009/ ... or-autism/

It's a disorder and mental disorders are also in the DSM.

According to wiki, DSM's official title is "The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders"

It's a disorder because, primarily, it's not a part of the "normal order". The root -dis basically means "Not", so dis-order in the psychological community basically translates to "not (of the normal) order".

I guess if schizophrenia belongs in there, then we do to. I just don't think I like that autism is partnered with things like depression. It's kind of insulting.

I guess if schizophrenia belongs in there, then we do to. I just don't think I like that autism is partnered with things like depression. It's kind of insulting.

I have a question?

Autism is not a mental illness, so what is it doing in the DSM at all?

. . . There are too many of us, each from his/her own "particular" portion of the spectrum. Meaning the only viewpoint that can rightly be considered "particular" is one's own. There is no collective "particular viewpoint." . . .

Many things in the DSM are not mental illness (ie dissociative identity disorder is not always a mental illness, neither are many sleep related disorders). The DSM categorizes all variations in brain strategies. Meaning that the DSM is not just for mental disorders, it is for anything that could affect the mind. The DSM also makes special note of co-occuring neurophysical or chemical issues in the brain. Also, NOTHING in the DSM is technically a diagnosable disorder until it impairs a person's functioning.

OLD SCHOOL: (A) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
NEW SCHOOL: (A) An acute sensory and empathic sensitivity that i) makes eye contact and social interaction intensely difficult and ii) results in the rejection of ambiguous nonverbal behaviors in favor of direct, detailed, and honest speech.
PUNK SCHOOL: (A) We decide not to look happy, but to tell it to your face, nananannanayahh!! !! *bass solo and pyro*

OLD SCHOOL: (B) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
NEW SCHOOL: (B) Beginning in early childhood, a gift for developing relationships with people of widely different ages and developmental trajectories.
TECHNO/Def Leppard (Punk Teachers) SCHOOL: (B) We love techno at 60 years old, nyahnaanannyaahhh!! !! ! *Def Leppard one armed drum solo LIVE*

OLD SCHOOL: (C) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people, (e.g.. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
NEW SCHOOL: (C) The understanding, gained uncannily early in life, that i) most people will not appreciate the awe-tist’s interests or achievements, and ii) showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest will be met with judgment and/or hostility that manifest in socially acceptable forms of repression (such as social exclusion) or criminal acts (such as physical assault).
HEAVY METAL (Punk Teachers) SCHOOL: Well, I'm not interesting to you? Why are you even here? Nyahnananaaaayahhanaahh!! !! *Chris Burton solo from ride the lightning*

OLD SCHOOL: (D) lack of social or emotional reciprocity
NEW SCHOOL: (D) An acute sensitivity to the feelings of others that causes the awe-tist to refrain from using banal pleasantries or empty words that may hurt or offend.
GLAM METAL (Aunt Labby is Principle) *She's my cherry pie......* [b]An aspie already got married (aunt labby), nyahannannnnaaaaayh!! ! *Technoed Cherry Pie Remix with jumpstyle and melbourne shuffle dancers*[/b]

NEW SCHOOL: (E) An altogether eccentric form of social and emotional reciprocity that insists upon fairness, directness, sensitivity, tolerance, substance, acceptance of difference, and mutually interesting subject matter.

J-pop mixed with Hank Williams senior ..... successfully......, oooweeeoooooh
.Giant Pyro BAMMMMMM!
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I really like this! I think this autism advocate did a great job. Now, she actually very bravely strikes through the current text (I simply don't know how to do that formatting). Please check out the whole thing if you are interested.
http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2009/ ... or-autism/

This caught my eye.

It isn't well represented, because our "particular" viewpoint doesn't exist. What I mean is that "our viewpoint" doesn't really exist per se.

There are too many of us, each from his/her own "particular" portion of the spectrum. Meaning the only viewpoint that can rightly be considered "particular" is one's own. There is no collective "particular viewpoint."

As such, "it" cannot be represented, because there is no "it."

A viewpoint implies there is a "point" from which experiences and life are viewed. Each one of us sits and views from our own unique "point." No two (or more) of us sits at exactly the same "point." Thus, there is no one view-"point" that can fairly and accurately describe all of us. Choosing any "particular" point would leave most of us unrepresented.

It is precisely because of this, that (be it the DSM or any other alternative description), any fair description MUST allow for some ambiguity.

Groups of NTs with common experiences form groups based on what is shared. Their differences don't take away their similarities so they can have common viewpoints even if they are all different. Why can't people on the Autistic spectrum have a common viewpoint in spite of the fact that we all have differences? If there is anything that is common to all people with Autism then that is part of our common perspective. Differences don't negate similarities.

I have a question?

Autism is not a mental illness, so what is it doing in the DSM at all?