DSM V and aspergers

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I read today that the new DSM V will have a stricter criteria for diagnosing autism, and that aspergers will lose clinical meaning. What do you think? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I don't like that my difference is treated as a disability, but I also worry that this might make it harder for people, including myself, to get the help we need. A lot of people identify as aspies who aren't full on autistic, and this could wedge those persons out of the aspie community.

You just highlighted the #1 issue facing aspies. It's all over the news - the death of Asperger's and the disappearance of many of its 'hosts.' Next year, if I choose to be rediagnosed, maybe I'll be a Level 1 Autistic. Why stay on the spectrum? It gives me identity. Being classified as a nerd or geek or dork gives me identity and I don't mind. Hell, life is hard enough as it is, and if some social services or assistance comes my way because of the diagnosis then it's fine with me. I can use a break.

I think I'm autistic, but my diagnosis is Asperger's; so I'm nervous about this. I will have to get a medical review soon and I don't know what to expect.

From what I read they ''widened'' the ''autism'' category so that people with Asperger can be diagnosed as ''autistic'' whereas before they were NOT diagnosible with ''classic autism'' which was the whole point of Asperger (most notably, they no longer require speach delays to be autistic whereas DSM 4 does).

This might in fact imply the ''opposite'' scenario: an aspie will now have the same diagnosis as the rest of autistics, including low functioning ones, True, they now have specification of the level of severity but still psychologically they would use the same word.

That would be good. I guess this is an ever-evolving field.

I don't understand why they feel apsergers would need to simply be renamed some grade of autism. And the article I read quoted the head of the group proposing that specific change as saying 'a lot of people who identify as aspergers don't have the condition'. To me, that implies an attitude that doesn't take the challenges AS presents seriously.

It could be a good thing insofar as it makes aspergers more of a pycho-educational/ social issue in the rather than a "mental disorder" in the psychiatric realm. It really comes down to what services one needs or desires. Not being according to hoyle autistic could reduce some of the problems folks have had getting health and disability insurance.

We have for years let others define us to their standards - To date to be Asperger's officially you had to be diagnosed by a professional that had the proper licenses and certifications. I know that this has had no effect on my mind or my mental outlook. I have known for 50 years that I was quite different from most of the people around me. I even found the term used for my type of person 10 years ago - and you know - last year when a psychiatrist finally told me I was an Asperger's it made no difference to how my mind works or my view of the world around me!

I think it is time that we Aspies, Aspers, Asperger's take control of the naming process of ourselves. We are in many ways driven by our internal selves so why do we sit around and let the rest of society decide if we are in this group or that. If we are to self actuate and start our own communities or societies or schools - we need to start at the point of just who we are and what sets us apart. We are now presented with an opportunity to start this process as the medical people are abandoning the use of the terms Asperger's Syndrome or Asperger's disability. We now have the ability to define Asperger's to our needs and build on it to help us better our lives.

As for qualifying for medical treatments don't worry - the medical community will find ways to diagnose you with something they can treat and bill for - they are already doing just that (they don't want to get kicked off the gravy train of insurance payments).

Quite frankly I would still fit the diagnostic criteria for autism after the update, so it doesn't really affect me. I do agree that it makes it hard for people to get help--but what help are they going to get exactly? Accomodations at work? You tell an employer you have any thing to do with autism and four times out of five they'll want nothing more to do with you.

I just came from a conference (IMFAR) on the topic and in a talk by the head of the committee for the autism category, Dr. Swedo emphasised that:

*Asperger's will NOT BE ELIMINATED, indeed it will be included as a specifier, and they do not want to alienate or de-identify the important community of people who self-identify as 'Aspie'

*You will NOT lose your diagnosis- these changes only apply to people being newly diagnosed.

I can't post links, but search for Geri Dawson's update "Geri's DSM-5 Update from IMFAR" for a good overview, as well as "IMFAR 2012: An Update on the ASD DSM-5 Recommendations" by the Thinking Person's Guide to Autism

Yes basically...from my understanding the point is not to make the criteria stricter and exclude people with an aspergers diagnoses from being diagnosed. They will just medically be considered to have autism at whatever severity level it happens to be.

I was speaking to a person yesterday with very mild Aspergers (like myself) and we agreed that people in our position (on the cusp of the spectrum) need to perhaps deal with a few issues prior to DSMV.

Primarily do we have specific traits that do not allow us to function normally in society? Speaking for myself the answer is no. However I could quite easily take some social phobias I have (I hate certain noises and prefer to be a loner) and magnify them into serious issues and demand that I retain my AS diagnosis post 2013.

For the high functioning people who will lose their AS diagnosis after 2013 I suggest you learn to accept that you are going to be NT and learn to better use coping mechanisms or treatments for the specific issues you have without depending on a label to give meaning to your lives.The bottom line here is for "some" who will lose their diagnosis may have found it convenient to hide behind the label as an excuse why they haven't achieved a specific objective in life (i.e. get married, get into a university course or find a job). Of course this in only a minority.

I'm not very worried about the reworking of the diagnosis criteria. I do believe that they are primarily going to be bringing the criteria in line with what diagnosticians have actually been doing. They are trying to do away with the fairly meaningless distinctions between Autism, PDD NOS, and Asperger Syndrome that just confused the issue and call what are all essentially shades of Autism "Autism."

If you have a problem and need help, that doesn't change just because the label they put on it might be a bit different. The goal of changing the diagnostic criteria should be to more functionally circumscribe what sets of problems are best categorized as part of autism and assist them accordingly. If you have communication issues and social issues, etc. that rise to the level of needing help, there should hopefully be an avenue to getting that help even if they have to invent a new category.

Do people believe that the changing of the criteria is really aimed at excluding people from services and benefits? Would that really work?

Whatever happens, I will still say I have Asperger's since I am used to saying so. However, I don't really tell anyone my diagnosis anymore unless I am comfortable telling them. Even then, I might not say anything.