Are many people misdiagnosed with Asperger's?
Katie_WPG
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Joined: 7 Sep 2008
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 492
Location: Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Shoot... that's me. What's HFA?
High-Functioning classical autism
My MT says the problem with AS and HFA and PDD etc is they are all closely related and she doesn't feel they know enough. They haven changed my dx to AS yet however. My case manager wishes she could diagnose me cause she swears I am a AS kid.
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Lyssa
15
DXed with PDD/AS,ADD,OCD, and more
in childhood.
I believe many are misdiagnosed because both of these are prerequisites to having AS according to the DSM-IV. Many who claim to have AS, however, claim to be unable to drive, unable to cook, or even have trouble dressing themselves. Many also claim to have a language delay, which goes against the AS diagnostic criteria.
Yeah I have noticed that and it seems like lot of doctors don't follow the criteria. My psychiatrist did but diagnosed me with it anyway saying it was the closest match he could get to for me for a diagnoses. He couldn't diagnose me with PDD-NOS or did he just drop that part from the criteria for me because of my hearing loss?
It's amazing how so many people believe a psychologist who doesn't even follow the DSM-IV is more qualified than a person who spends time objectively reading about the diagnostic criteria.
It was a psychiatrist who diagnosed me and he specialized in it and diagnosed other patients in my area. He even diagnosed Roger Meyers, a local aspie here who's written a book on AS and runs a AS support group I go to.
Well if an aspie is unable to drive because he or she has epilepsy or dyslexia, it shouldn't disqualify them from the AS criteria. Also if they don't drive because they don't own a car, it doesn't mean they can't drive. They just can't afford to own a car.
If an aspie had hearing loss so it made them speech delayed or developmental delayed, shall it disqualify them from the AS criteria?
What if an aspie doesn't like to cook so he or she doesn't cook stuff but only makes simple things they can make, shall it disqualify them from the AS criteria?
What if they have troubles understanding the cooking directions so how can they cook then?
Also poor gross motor skills is common in ASD so aspies might have that problem too so it can effect what they can do such as tying their own shoes so shall that disqualify them from meeting the AS criteria?
I think DSM criterias are bull.
But if the DSM criteria is ignored, how do we make an accurate diagnosis?
I have intense hyperfocus but I can do all of these things easily.
Under the new criteria, I don't have AS then.
These are not the new criteria, this is the 'explanation' (diagnostic guidelines) on how to understand the criteria of the DSM-IV-TR you quoted in your first post.
The criteria of the DSM-IV-TR are never to be read alone, but only with the elaborated text also found in the DSM-IV-TR.
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Autism + ADHD
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The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. Terry Pratchett
Under the new criteria, I don't have AS then.
These are not the new criteria, this is the 'explanation' (diagnostic guidelines) on how to understand the criteria of the DSM-IV-TR you quoted in your first post.
The criteria of the DSM-IV-TR are never to be read alone, but only with the elaborated text also found in the DSM-IV-TR.
But don't these effectively contradict each other?
in childhood.
It looks like it, absolutely, so I'm going to quote from the DSM-IV-TR because it's kind of hard to understand without. They left something important out of that criterion.
This one
in childhood.
is elaborated on in the expanded text too:
So what the criterion doesn't say is that it applies to early childhood. That's the time during which those with AS supposedly showing no traits of their AS. Before age 3, they're also still too young to have these huge and intellectual special interests that can interfere with acquiring basic skills massively.
_________________
Autism + ADHD
______
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. Terry Pratchett
Under the new criteria, I don't have AS then.
This quote appears in a paragraph explaining the difference between social impairment in Asperger's and (i) Schizoid Personality Disorder, and (ii) normal social awkardness and normal age-appropriate interests and hobbies.
The DSM does not explain what is meant by "acquisition of basic skills," but I assume this encompasses basic social skills as well as other skills needed to function in everyday life. It does not state that the person cannot learn these skills (ie, this is not Mental Retardation), just that the social deficits and preoccupations "interfere" with the acquisition.
For example, a lack of Theory of Mind continually "interferes" with the acquisition of social skills and even life skills that are typically learned socially. Regarding preoccupations, NOTHING new (e.g., fact, rule, skill) registers with me until I devote focused, cognitive energy to understanding the new information and why I should follow it. New information has to beat out one of my current obsessions before that will happen. After I understand this new information/learned skill, it takes another level of focus to put it into practice; I need some cognitive compulsion to change my behavior.
in childhood.
I believe many are misdiagnosed because both of these are prerequisites to having AS according to the DSM-IV. Many who claim to have AS, however, claim to be unable to drive, unable to cook, or even have trouble dressing themselves. Many also claim to have a language delay, which goes against the AS diagnostic criteria.
Yeah I have noticed that and it seems like lot of doctors don't follow the criteria. My psychiatrist did but diagnosed me with it anyway saying it was the closest match he could get to for me for a diagnoses. He couldn't diagnose me with PDD-NOS or did he just drop that part from the criteria for me because of my hearing loss?
It's amazing how so many people believe a psychologist who doesn't even follow the DSM-IV is more qualified than a person who spends time objectively reading about the diagnostic criteria.
It was a psychiatrist who diagnosed me and he specialized in it and diagnosed other patients in my area. He even diagnosed Roger Meyers, a local aspie here who's written a book on AS and runs a AS support group I go to.
Well if an aspie is unable to drive because he or she has epilepsy or dyslexia, it shouldn't disqualify them from the AS criteria. Also if they don't drive because they don't own a car, it doesn't mean they can't drive. They just can't afford to own a car.
If an aspie had hearing loss so it made them speech delayed or developmental delayed, shall it disqualify them from the AS criteria?
What if an aspie doesn't like to cook so he or she doesn't cook stuff but only makes simple things they can make, shall it disqualify them from the AS criteria?
What if they have troubles understanding the cooking directions so how can they cook then?
Also poor gross motor skills is common in ASD so aspies might have that problem too so it can effect what they can do such as tying their own shoes so shall that disqualify them from meeting the AS criteria?
I think DSM criterias are bull.
But if the DSM criteria is ignored, how do we make an accurate diagnosis?
They're just labels. In fact I have been told lot of aspies don't meet the AS criteria simply for those reasons I listed and there are other reasons too. Criterias are complicated because each doctor interprets it differently.
I think that this goes both ways. Many people are being misdiagnosed as having another disorder when they really are AS.
I have a cousin who meets all the criteria for AS but was misdiagnosed as having OCD. I don't see how a professional could over look his extremely obsessive narrow hobbies and his social functioning. Not everyone who washes their hands a lot have OCD. To be honest a lot of AS people like myself wash their hands a lot? Is it because of obsessive thoughts? NO. Actually I wash my hands a lot because I hate the texture and feel of anything on my hands.
MONKEY
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Joined: 3 Jan 2009
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Posts: 9,896
Location: Stoke, England (sometimes :P)
Some people might be misdiagnosed, it's usually people with AS being dxed with ADHD instead, or borderline personality disorder etc. I don't think mine is a mis-dx, because it fits me well and it can't be a coincidence that I get on really well with the aspies at school.
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Coincidence on 34th street.
Thing is a lot of people with AS have ADHD. I am one of them. I guess in a way for many people they might get one problem DXed and not the other. Some people are just misdiagnosed all together.
Under the new criteria, I don't have AS then.
This quote appears in a paragraph explaining the difference between social impairment in Asperger's and (i) Schizoid Personality Disorder, and (ii) normal social awkardness and normal age-appropriate interests and hobbies.
The DSM does not explain what is meant by "acquisition of basic skills," but I assume this encompasses basic social skills as well as other skills needed to function in everyday life. It does not state that the person cannot learn these skills (ie, this is not Mental Retardation), just that the social deficits and preoccupations "interfere" with the acquisition.
For example, a lack of Theory of Mind continually "interferes" with the acquisition of social skills and even life skills that are typically learned socially. Regarding preoccupations, NOTHING new (e.g., fact, rule, skill) registers with me until I devote focused, cognitive energy to understanding the new information and why I should follow it. New information has to beat out one of my current obsessions before that will happen. After I understand this new information/learned skill, it takes another level of focus to put it into practice; I need some cognitive compulsion to change my behavior.
Yes. We can still learn but need to use different learning techniques in order to master these skills. As for having basic skills (self-help ect.), social skills are excluded according to this criteria....
in childhood.
sartresue
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Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Age: 69
Gender: Female
Posts: 6,313
Location: The Castle of Shock and Awe-tism
Skills set topic
I have dyspraxia as well as AS which accounts for my problems learning to drive. Hyper-focusing on one thing (in order to understand what I am doing) also hinders the ability to operate a motor vehicle. (I always pass the written exam.)
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Radiant Aspergian
Awe-Tistic Whirlwind
Phuture Phounder of the Philosophy Phactory
NOT a believer of Mystic Woo-Woo
I have dyspraxia as well as AS which accounts for my problems learning to drive. Hyper-focusing on one thing (in order to understand what I am doing) also hinders the ability to operate a motor vehicle. (I always pass the written exam.)
I had the same problem exactly, but I don't know if I have dyspraxia. Did you know that Daniel Radcliffe from Harry Potter has it?
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