I have stated my opinion of the overdiagnosis controversy numerous times. I found it a little weird seeing the debate we have on wrong planet plying out in the
The Autism Diagnosis
Question: In the school district where I used to teach, I attended many meetings concerning children with special needs. Many of the kids in question were said to be "on the [autism] spectrum." In fifteen years I witnessed the number of supposedly autistic children go from practically zero to enough to fill a special education class at almost every one of our 30-plus schools. A good number of these children were eventually mainstreamed into my class, and I felt then and even more strongly now that they were wrongly diagnosed. I can only think of two kids who in my estimation were classically autistic. Will you please clarify the difference between a legitimate autism diagnosis and one involving the so-called “spectrum”?
John Rosmond wrote:
Answer: By risking an answer your excellent question, I’m likely to make a lot of people upset with me, but I long stopped worrying about that, so here goes:
Having done a good amount of reading on this issue over the past few years, I fail to see the usefulness, much less the validity, of saying that certain children, while not classically autistic, nonetheless qualify as “sort of” autistic – other than its usefulness as an income-generator for mental health professionals and public schools, that is. By the same standard, it could be argued that lots of functional, responsible but slightly odd folks are on the “schizophrenic spectrum.”
Following the usual trend, the diagnostic parameters of autism have expanded over the past thirty years.
I do believe in classical autism of the sort portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the movie “Rain Man.” In my estimation, however, the classical version is not a mental disorder. It does not belong in the DSM. For one thing, the symptoms – including unresponsiveness to parental affection and a host of developmental, communication, and socialization problems – are present far too early in an autistic child’s life to be considered a “mental” phenomenon.
I think that we are eventually – soon, hopefully – going to discover that classical autism involves brain-based issues yet to-be discovered. When (and, of course, if) those issues are discovered, the idea of an autism “spectrum” will be superfluous. A child will either be autistic or he will simply be peculiar in certain ways (which describes lots of children and even a good number of otherwise functional adults).
But given those circumstances, I predict that the mental health industry will simply rename “autism spectrum disorder” and continue to peddle the spurious notion that being even slightly odd requires professional and perhaps even pharmaceutical “treatment.” Speaking as a former peculiar child, I’d like to thank all those teachers who believed in the idea of children eventually “growing out of” their eccentricities
Rosemond has written nine best-selling parenting books and is one of America's busiest and most popular speakers. In the past few years, John has appeared on numerous national television programs including 20/20, Good Morning America, The View, Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect, Public Eye, The Today Show, CNN, and CBS Later Today.
Another psychologist replied:
Sounding off: Autism struggle is real LETTER TO THE EDITORJohn Carrosso wrote:
John Rosemond claims children diagnosed on the autism spectrum are often not legitimately autistic but only a “tad peculiar.” As a psychologist with 30 years' experience working directly with children on the autism spectrum, I find his claims to be misguided and likely to only increase parents' confusion and strife.
Practitioners work diligently to accurately diagnose, and, if anything, mild autism is underdiagnosed. A child with mild autism may appear only “a little quirky” without the casual observer knowing what's happening behind the scenes in the child's life. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders requires that “symptoms cause clinically significant impairment … .”
Parents seeking help do so for a reason. Even if symptoms appear only “mild” to others, their child is struggling. It's vital to ascertain the extent to which autism symptomology is contributing to these struggles and provide necessary treatment. Casting doubt on this process only hurts children.
Rosemond naively claims to have “done a good amount of reading on this issue.” Instead, he needs to spend a week with me and meet these children and their families.
The writer is clinical director of the Autism Center of Pittsburgh.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
It is Autism Acceptance Month
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
24 Dec 2017, 1:14 am
