Accepting Autism is Like a Traffic Jam

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Just to point out the obvious.

"LFA" doesn't exist as a diagnostic term, nor does "HFA". It's Asperger's, autistic disorder, PDD-NOS (atypical autism usually), Rett's and CDD.

What's CDD.

And so it is, TAS. I'm sorry, but it's medical fact. You are keen on differing Aspergers from LFA and for that I don't blame you. But the root issues with all aspects of the Spectrum are the same - routine and autonomy. The root problem is no different between Aspie and LFA. The difference between the two is the gravity of the problem and the IQ. Aspies for the most part have ways to cope, and can sometimes find it by themselves (sometimes they can't because others - usually NT's - get in the way. That's my personal experience talking there). LFA's don't have those capabilities.

The trouble is - and Best is a classic example of this - panic stricken parents roar on about LFA having absolutely no redeeming features whatsoever. Sorry, but that's a crock of crap. If you fit in with the routine and autonomous nature of the Spectrum, you'll get improvements - withOUT biomed! Of course that's not a hard and fast rule, but the exceptions usually arise because of additional problems that cause sensory overload. LFA's are far more vulnerable to that than any other person on the Spectrum.

I've heavily criticised Droopy in the past. She's an example of an LFA trying to function as an HFA when she can't. That creates the very sort of confusion you refer to, TAS. She does it because she has fallen for this "LFA is utterly negative" BS and wants to get away from it. That's why Best was keen to befriend her in case you didn't know. On top of her low self esteem which inevitably leads to paranoia.

The other problem is that if Aspergers was taken off the Spectrum, the health systems of the world would abandon Aspies, and treat us like NT's and expect us to adjust ourselves without assistance. I say no - and if that means mentioning the Autistic Spectrum, then that is what is needed. You might not like that, TAS, but if we don't - adult Aspies who are having issues affecting their everyday lives (as I do) will fall through the cracks of the system and won't get the help they need. The same would happen to children with Aspergers.

I assume you won't be a part of that?

Eventually, we may get the seperation you want. But not yet. Aspergers is still not recognised enough and until then we need the connection to Autism. And as a medical premise, it is absolutely correct.

Childhood disintegrative disorder: normal development for a few years, and then a sudden onset of autistic disorder. It sounds like environmentally acquired autism to me, infection, chemical and/or whatnot, but I'm speculating here.

People with profound mental retardation are going to have troubles functioning in society whether they have autism or not; the mythical "HFA", autism without mental retardation is what Kanner first described, and those of us with such, have trouble functioning in society just the same. It's kinda unfair to those of us with autism without mental retardation to say we are "high-functioning", does having the ability to bath oneself denote "high-functioning" (which isn't always based one one's IQ)?

I wouldn't take forum posts as the objective majority of those with AS; AS for the most part, is far from "high-functioning". Most with it don't work, most live at home and most have few, if any friends (all three of these together): it truly is autistic disorder without verbal communicative difficulties.

I don't think that's true. I don't know, but I don't think so.

Most who are diagnosed anyway.

Except that CDD is completely genetic and there's more to it than autism-like symptoms.

You can die from CDD.

Still not true.

/edited/

Last edited by ixochiyo_yohuallan on 02 Jan 2008, 9:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

It doesn't seem so either from the studies conducted by many Russian psychiatrists (including Gannushkin and Lichko) throughout the last century. These psychiatrists made no distinction whatsoever between AS and schizoid personality disorder and treated both conditions as synonymous; actually, if one were to apply the DSM to their cases, rather than the criteria that were used at the time, a good half or more would be considered AS. Lichko, for instance, speaks openly about how Hans Asperger's "autistic psychopathy" amounts to what he treats as "schizoid personality disorder". Apparently, in both groups of patients - those who would now be diagnosed with AS, and those who would be diagnosed with SPD, - the impairment in overall adjustment and capacity for employment and/or independent living was not really different, and not *that* great either, when one comes to think of it (while communication and social skills were equally impaired in both).

Actually, many of these psychiatrists (like Lichko) stress that one of the main differences between mild chronic schizophrenia which mimics personality disorders or neuroses (only with formal thought disorder and minor perceptual distortions) and "schizoid personality disorder" (i.e., SPD plus AS) is that with SPD, there is an intact capacity to earn one's own living, be relatively successful in a narrow, specialized field which matches one's interests, and find one's niche in society, albeit a modest one. Intense interests are always described as productive and bearing meaningful results, provided that the adolescent's parents are able to to help him/her develop them in the right direction. On the other hand, the ability to work successfully in patients with mild schizophrenia is greatly diminished, and most hold no job and live at home; and, if some of them do have intense interests, these usually bear no productive results, due to the fact that one's logical reasoning and concentration are affected.

Got any cites?

I recall that the figure is in the range of...7% of those in the UK with Asperger's/HFA work (around 7%), the rest don't.

There's a few more studies that state those with HFA/LFA combined achieve a non-retarded level of "living" in 14% of cases; it's 4% for LFA only.

Look up CDD in the DSM; it's late-onset autism for the most part.

Let's please try to refrain from talking about current or former members. Thanks.

Sorry. I didn't even know he was a member (either didn't know at all or may have forgotten ).

Exactly what I thought too. And I have no idea of a possible solution either, it's unfair.

I think there will be no available solution until it has become clear what autism exactly is, concerning this I agree to what was already said. If we knew what autism actually is, then we could have a personal approach that would help everyone on the spectrum and also people outside the spectrum a lot more than the current way of measuring needs of people who need this help.

But then of course, it'd be heaven to think the medical world would accept even a reasonable revolution, because it could go against a lot of ideas that are currently in charge. It would make everyone a bit 'different' and everyone a bit 'normal', which isn't something that currently goes well with medicine and neurology.



That's my issue exactly too.


Nobody would have labelled me anything but high functioning due to the IQ as a kid. They'd have disregarded that I failed at dressing myself, washing, brushing my teeth and basic things like this. I wondered whether one could base it on self-help skills nonetheless, but then there's an issue too, because a person with mild mental retardation may be more advanced and capable to use these self-help skills than an autistic person who has an average IQ, but cannot do the same. Who's the low-functioning person in that case and if these labels were applied, wouldn't there be a problem with financials and allowing those who need therapy to receive it? Both can't be LFA, because it would potentially unfair in regard to services. It's also just as unfair as this AS contra LFA thing that parents get so worked up about.



Do you mean it's not true that people with AS require help and aren't able to lead an independent life? If so, I'm convinced it is true, because I don't think the children who're put into special ed, therapy sessions, have no job and still live with their parents by the time they're adults do that on purpose.

Did you take this message board into consideration? I don't think that this message board represents those people with an AS diagnosis just as it doesn't represent the whole spectrum. People here come online because they can and because they have the ability to help themselves. Individuals in therapy are usually in therapy because they can't do that and need help from the outside.


Though, as long as there's no correct definition of autism it's going to be a problematic debate no matter in what respect.

...I don't get it. I've got an irreparable thing in my head, so I'm supposed to not accept it and be over just moving on and doing the best I can?

What I meant is that it's not true that most with AS don't work.

MANY people with AS work. It's not just a small minority.