NPR: Asperger's Officially Placed Inside Autism Spectrum

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That is asinine. Why not protest diagnosis of broken bones? Everyone's bones are different. Why should medical professionals label some bones broken just to get fifteen minutes of fame?

Aspergers Syndrome is not a way of thinking. I do not think the same way everyone with Aspergers does. Aspergers Syndrome entails impairment in species typical functioning and is not diagnosible in the absence of clinically significant impairment or distress.

I do have to agree, while it is marvelous to have such an expanded mind and I am too confounded by average behavior to want to imitate it, being an aspie is frought with difficulties. I would love to be able to hold a job, live fully independent, drive, not be subject to bouts of anguish and despair simply because I am "thinking too much" but this is my reality of aspergers.

I think so too, ilivinamushroom. And why Autism Awareness (including us Aspies!) does matter.

Like the video states, many raindrops make up an ocean :: our spectrum is vast and varied.

The criteria will always change, so I don't give a s***.

I think that's very good news. I'm proud to be on the spectrum. I don't care what anybody says. I'm a proud autistic, and that's the bottom line.

I got no problem calling myself autistic. Heck I know my view is probably unrealistic and never going to happen... but I think that if they call it an Autistic spectrum disorder rather than 'Kanners', 'mid-functioning' or 'Aspergers' etc. than they can concentrate on the INDIVIDUAL. I have met people with 'Kanners' autism who are more like Aspies/mid-functionig, I have met mid functioning people who are cleverer at things than me and I have met people with AS who behave really low functioning. I don't think saying you are on a certain part of the spectrum helps when it comes to the help you require. It must be done on a person by person basis. Me, I couldn't possibly say what part of the spectrum I am on as I am far too mixed in ability levels.

Inside, and out.

Most of Aspergers will still fall outside of the DSM, Aspergers's type cases were not considered disabled, and it has been used as a cutoff for services. Even with three impairments, a full Aspergers Dx, people were denied services.

By moving that to fall within Autism, Autism is covered for services.

What Asperger was pointing out was intelligent autistics. In an era where Austic got you locked up as a hopeless case.

Aspergers second point, highly intelligent people do exhibit autistic traits.

His type cases defined a border, "Little Professors" in narrow fields, normal in other school work, and lacking in social skills, or not caring.

Below this line, Autistic and Mentally ret*d.

Above this line, a Doctorate and slightly better social skills.

Asperger was pointing out that the Professional class, and leading Artists, Musicians, Engineers, his own Medical Profession, were all on the other end of the Autisum Spectrum.

They too showed the narrow interests, took their own views as all, and only could socalize within a small group.

Most of his writing is about the connection between great talents, born not made, and focused intelligence, that joined the professional ranks, showing the same Autistic Traits.

Asperger was an MD, the Psychology of the time involved chain smoking cigars and lots of Cocaine.

Asperger saw only one group, from the Lowest Functioning Autistic, long documented in medical records, to the top of the intellectual world, all showing the same traits.

"A little autism is needed in the Arts and Sciences."

He has been proven correct over time, and we now find that with better means of communication and testing, there is intelligence in the more autistic.

Asperger's Syndrome, "A differance in thought and perception," is found in all of the more gifted Arts, Sciences, and a recent experiment, Universal Higher Education, shows that the non autistic can get advanced degrees, but will show no talent for advancing the work.

An example, M.I.T. took the brighest students, and set them to inventing new products, They had the best of money, brains, teachers, and scored zero. Meanwhile new patents continued to be filed from kitchen tables and garages by self taught and funded people with few social skills.

Sony Music can build and promote all the Boy Bands they want, the new music still comes from garage bands.

As Asperger defined the border, some should be covered in the DSM, others can meet all the criteria, yet not be disabled by it, and outward, Geeks, Nerds, Broader Autism Phenotype, includes all of the best of Arts, Sciences, and are still Autistic.

Looking at the historical view, Asperger said, All of the talents so highly prized by those who would create a Master Race, are in fact based on an well known mental disorder.

Those who rose in the system of his time, Werner von Braun, Aspie, Albert Speer, Aspie, Hinkel, Aspie.

I doubt he was very popular in his time, his work was not continued. When rediscovered by Wing, it was to include just a few more types under Autism, and the rising of Psychology, The blinders were back on, they could only look down on the disabled.

They could never see how it ran through the best and most talented.

In the words of Werner von Braun, "If the Universe has an insane asylem, this is it."

Waves of Autism topic

What a great visual. Thanks, Arinka Linders, and LabPet, for bringing this to WP.