Can we drop the D?

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My Autistic Spectrum Condition was diagnosed in person by two qualified clinical psychologists. My heart failure was diagnosed by a qualified hospital consultant, after I'd had a massive heart attack. He described it as a lifelong condition for which there is no cure, he did not describe it as a disability or a disorder. The Department Of Work And Pensions view my autism and heart failure as conditions too, because they certainly don't give me any disability payments.

Simon Baron-Cohen discusses ASD vs. ASC, watch the vid here (skip to 2:45 for relevance).

I have DDD: degenerative disc disease

disease sounds even worse than disorder, disability or condition.

No.

So you guys want to be accommodated (some need to be since some of the members here are lower functioning) but don't think you are disabled?

Simon Baron-Cohen uses very rational and well argued reasoning. He gets my vote for president of the world.

Maybe you don't have autism then if this is how you feel. Autism is a disorder and it impairs your life. Read "The Difficult Child" and "Back to Normal", maybe you just have a difficult personality and maybe you were given the diagnoses because of the way society is and what has changed so now it makes you disabled. A diagnoses is given for how much help you need. Some people on the spectrum might not truly be autistic but have the diagnoses for this reason. They are just different is all, not disabled. Yes their life may be harder but they are not impaired. Sometimes society is not built for someone so they need a diagnoses because of the way their brains are and their personality and how they function so hence the diagnoses. Those people are not going to feel disabled nor see this as a disorder.

And maybe I have an Autistic Spectrum CONDITION, because that's what two qualified diagnosticians called it. And please don't patronise people who you know nothing about by trying to downplay their diagnoses, you have no idea whether my autism is severe or not.

I agree. He makes some excellent points - despite the fact that, as a profession, psychologists exist to diagnose and treat what their own official manuals describe as 'disorders'. Which shows that he thinks differently too.

Has society created more disabilities?

My writing right here.

https://mynoneabdlthoughts.wordpress.co ... abilities/

I am in the UK and they don't hand diagnoses out over here like confetti. I was required to attend numerous assessment appointments over a period of thirteen months before I was diagnosed.

That worries me somewhat. I'm also in the UK and attended an assessment at the Tower Hamlets Autism service in October. I'm hoping it doesn't go for too long for various reasons which I cannot mention here.

Although the entire UK is under the auspices of the NHS different local authorities have their own Autistic Diagnosis Services and procedures. Your diagnosis may take far less time than mine, a lot depends on how many clinicians there are avalable to diagnose in a particular area and how much demand there is upon their services.

This is the best thing I've read today. Thank you. Seriously, thank you.

To add to what Jute says above, psychologists are slightly wary about diagnosing older adults, because any traits/symptoms they have don't always present as clearly as they do in children. This is because they have adapted over the years, and learnt what are sometimes called coping strategies. Added to that, an older person's educational reports might not be available, or, if they are, they may not tell the psychologist very much.

But each case is different, so much depends on your individual circumstances and your local NHS autism team. I hope it goes okay and you don't have to wait too long.

I was skeptical of the OP, but maybe he has a point. It is a "condition" (like dandruff is a condition)(the heartbreak of psoriasis, and all of that.I guess you have to be over a certain age to remember that commercial). Its not something that causes mental "chaos". So maybe it isnt exactly a "disorder".

At times, a person with ASD could exhibit a "disorder." At other times, it's a "condition/difference."