aspergers rare?

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Is. Aspergers a very rare condition? Like 99 percent of the population don't have it?

I`d say atleast 3-4 percent. And that`s not including the non HFA`s.

Depends what you mean by rare.. If you consider 1 in 100 rare, then probably. Some people would consider 1 in 10000 to be rare. But, anyway, 99% of the population doesn't have it, if you go by the surveys they've done and all. They say that about 1 in 88 kids is diagnosed somewhere on the autistic spectrum. PDD-NOS is supposedly the the most common, so that would make Asperger's less than 1 in 100.

I don't know what is the prevalence of AS specifically, but ASD is not considered a rare disorder. 1 in 100 or so is pretty common for a disorder.

That are probably the official numbers. But I could also bet that 3-4 % is maybe more realistic.
Not all people on the spectrum know about it.

And then there is ADHD which is somewhat similar.

At least I think there are by far too many people out there that are special, such that I'd sense it.

To get diagnosed you'd need some quite extreme problem that you would go and search for an answer.
So all people that manage without having too bad trouble will never get diaxed
They'd be anyway at least a little different and probably more reflected like aspies are.

You're not really supposed to get diagnosed with anything unless it causes some significant problems with functioning, though. I think you may be including "Broader Autism Phenotype" people who aren't autistic but have some autistic characteristics.

The 1 in 88 or 1.14% statistic compiled by the CDC study, reports 44% of individuals diagnosed with Autism Disorder, 47% of individuals diagnosed with PDD NOS, and 9 percent diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome of that total prevalence statistic. The statistics were gathered mostly from programs in the school system for those with developmental disabilities, specific to 8 year old children. The prevalence for Asperger's Syndrome, per demographics and statistical methodology used at this point, by the most recent CDC study, is approximately 1 in 1000, Autism Disorder at about 1 in 200 and PDD NOS at about 1 in 185. No significant numbers were provided for Retts or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, that are understood as extremely rare conditions.

To give it some perspective, in South Korea the prevalence statistics reported, before a community wide scan of school children was conducted for all ASD's, from a similar more limited demographic for programs for those with developmental disabilities, used in the US, was measured at .85%.

1.89% additional children from the mainstream schools were scanned in a community wide scan in South Korea, for a total prevalence statistic of 1 in 38. The additional two thirds of children measured were previously undiagnosed.

But, perhaps what is most interesting is that in Amish country where there has been little cultural change for centuries, prevalence scans in a community wide scan of children ages 3 to 21, provided a statistic of 1 in 271. Before that scan was done diagnosed cases were estimated at 1 in 15,000.

Community wide scans for all demographics in the US, is currently being conducted in a three year study. It is more than likely that those numbers will also result in a statistic somewhere close to that found in South Korea.

The Broader Autism Phenotype, is estimated at 10 to 15 percent of the population, and a studies reported in the US and Sweden both show about 30 percent of the population meets at least one criteria characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorders. The personality traits of introversion that parallel some of the clinical features associated with the spectrum is estimated at anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of the population.

From the statistics in Amish country it appears that culture makes a difference in what makes an autism spectrum disorder as opposed to the broader autism phenotype. If the symptoms don't work together to impair one in an important area of life functioning, one is not diagnosed with a disorder. It appears that more children in Amish Country are adapting to their social environment, with fewer individuals with ASD associated characteristics working together impairing them in an important area of life functioning. Whereas South Korea, on the cutting edge of technology, appears at present, to present higher level of challenges for children to adapt to the social environment.

Lack of exposure to environmental toxins[no cars, no electronics, no dodgy vaccines....] and healthier lifestyles[early to bed, no foetal alcohol syndrome.... heartfelt love of god] must keep the incidence of fully blown autism to a minimum

The way we live must contribute to the manifestation of more[or less] autistic symptoms.....

I'm guessing if some borderline autictic members here were raised Amish, a reduction in autistic expression would occur amongst our fold.... due to clean living and hard work

Not only that, but when your marriage prospects are rather limited to those within your small religious sect, it tends to increase your chance of finding a mate. I don't think people would be as picky and would learn to live with someone who has some personality quirks if they had few other options. Unfortunately, in the "English" world, prospects are not limited, so those who are socially awkward rarely get noticed.

it also increases the risk of genetically carried risk factors over time.

Why that? Well as long as you talk about significant in the sense of good to know, I think that is correct attitude.
But if you'd put the barriers really high in order to prevent people from getting support I think that is not acceptable.

I feel it would be good if you can also get a diagnosis if there are just very minor problems. These kind of things are good to know apart from that.
And whether you'll need support or not is a totally different story. But everybody that has problems should get help and not left alone.
Everybody that has a flue can go to a doctor. Now that is a waste of money compared to assisting even broader autism phenotype people with problems

My sister for example has some kind of small issues. She would never get any diagnosis. But still there is still something that fits to spectral problems.
Another thing is of course whether you should bother or not. What if she would run into trouble?

If you want to however access the overall numbers about how common spectrum related problems are, then you'll need to include all people that'll be of broader autism phenotype and feel weird about themselves.
Then you'd get a more useful answer and that would be much higher than 1%.
Is there any researcher that have identified genes and then screened after them big random samples of the population? I guess that'll come. And possibly make things worse.
This could really bring it to the edge of moral. Because people will begin to fear that they'll carry autistic genes.
We're moving towards all the same societies


I think it would really help if people would accept the spectrum disorders more on a level that people are different instead of judging us
and that it is essential to treat them in the right way.

It goes almost in the direction of foreigners hate. About tolerance and discrimination.
There is probably no other class of disorders that is affected as hard as people on the spectrum.
Just because we have that kind of moral demand to be accepted as we are and refuse to understand that we should not be allowed to get a share in the society the way we are.
NTs with disorders have it much easier to accept it that they fell out. And they'll get easier support.
But because we are playing against the rules we won't.

That they are going to need us because of our deep understanding and outraging creativity and that we can have a positive impact is totally ignored

Here I am of other opinion. It is probably merely the acceptance of autistic people that is much better with the amish. This might be a matter of faith.
I don't think that any toxins at low level would ever have such a big effect that they would lower the impact of problems arising from the social situations of aspies.

Food is maybe a little different. You'll have to eat. And if you don't eat you are more affected. But again I'm not so sure about such big effects otherwise.

When I was young I nearly didn't have any problems. I was just sort of "unaware" of others. And they neither teased or harassed me much.
I was treated right and I was merely happy though isolated quite a bit.
Wondered every now and then about others...

I am pretty sure that "yesterdays world" was more tolerant with autism. Not so much stress. More reasonable decisions. Time to think.
Hard work was appreciated and new theories were respected more as well.

btw sorry for overgoing some of the posts here. I was simply writing while you posted

aghogday you have provided some nice interesting insights. That's what I thought.



This means that there is quite many that are not "bloody type NT" (the stupid ones that would only do as everybody does and that would find you crazy)
I'd wish they would be also as aggressively defending moral and reality related aspects, complain about lies...
The power however seems to be with the perfect NT people and not with the introverted ones.

Introverted == disorder ?

That really cements my view on NTs that just try to defend their claim to power by any means...
and that try to maintain their face even if they know that they are wrong
(OWPD, obsession with power disorder)

I remember from an organizational behavior class I took last year that South Korea is a very "high context" culture (along with China and Japan). What that means, in practical terms, is that socialization is extremely complex. NT individuals sometimes have quite a bit of difficulty with it, so for someone with AS, I can imagine that it would be a living nightmare.

At any rate, though, AS is not particularly rare. When I was diagnosed in 2001, I think that the stats were estimated to be around 1 in every 1000 people. We know now that it's much more common than that. More than 1 out of every 100 people has some form of ASD, and there's a decent chance that, if you go to a crowded public place today, you'll see at least one person with AS (other than yourself, obviously, if you have AS), and probably more than that.

I think for the Amish its easier for apsies because theres a path that is already laid out for everyone. the day is predictable you are around the same people always so you get used to them. it seems like a much easier environment to adapt to.

I'm rubbish at remembering numbers, but there's a woman at my college who works with AS students and she says there are ~19 of them out of 1500~ students overall (not counting me who she said she thinks would be a very, very mild case if I was diagnosed, and I think one of the 19 may have autism proper but I'll say 19) which means 1 in 80 students have AS.

Probably that, too. The simpler and more delineated social expectations could be helpful. It might also help that they're both working toward a standard of behavior that requires a lot of effort (the Amish lifestyle wouldn't be tremendously easy to maintain).