Aspies to be demoted to Autistics.

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Agreed.

Another agreement here.

I'm officially diagnosed as Autistic.
I'll be honest by saying that I thought I had Asperger Syndrome and was a little lost to find out that in fact I'm Autistic, but really there's no difference, the only thing that seemed to differentiate between the two diagnosis for me was that I was non-verbal until I was 7 years old, which is considered to be a delay in development...although I'd argue that there was no delay and I just didn't talk. It's crazy that some would consider me as less than those with Asperger Syndrome, less intelligent or more severely effected, and I've even had people refer to me as having Asperger Syndrome as they were scared to insult me by calling me Autistic. I also find it slightly amusing given that most of those I know who have been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome are less NT-like than myself.

In a lot of ways Autism v Asperger is no different to "low-functioning" v "high-functioning" in the eyes of some people...it's a spectrum so it's no good trying to polarise, there's no clear line and as with the argument over "functioning" it limits people.

i didn't talk until i was 4, at which point my frustrated parents took me to a kid shrink [a shrink for kids] who tried his best to get me to talk, until he grew frustrated also and got down in my face and shouted at me, "TALK!! !" and then i shouted back at him, "NOOO!! !!"

I have people referring to me as having Asperger's rather than being autistic for similar reasons, although I always describe myself as autistic. It's kind of amazing how much gets made out of perceived differences that are far from universal.

I am actually frustated with the AS label because of assumptions that seem to accompany it. Although at this point it seems people who know me don't rely on those assumptions so much anymore, and all that's really left is online interactions with Aspies who believe that there's a qualitative separation between AS and autism that can be easily identified at all times.



This anecdote always makes me laugh, but I can't imagine at the time you enjoyed it at all.

i don't remember it myself, that is what my parents told me went down in his office. in any case, i'm glad it made you happy.

I just realized that the title of this thread could have even worse than it is.

It could have been "Aspergians to be demoted to Autistics".

Aspergers IS Autism. The only difference is the "high functioning" end of the spectrum doesn't have a special name (Aspergers) anymore. Gotta treat everyone equally after all.

i wouldn't give a hoot in hades if they called us "aspieburgers" so long as the diagnostic criteria were not tightened all in the service of saving somebody else some $$$$$$.

Are they really tightened, though? You need to meet more symptoms to be diagnosed than you did with AS, but it's also easier to meet enough criteria.

if you need to meet more symptoms to be dx'ed than you did with AS, that sure sounds like a tightening to me. i'm positive there was some politicking going on behind the scenes.

Yes, but what I am saying is that the actual symptoms in the DSM-5 are more broadly defined, making it easier to meet them. They also specify if you currently experience these symptoms or experienced them in the past, which provides even more leeway.

For example:



I easily meet all three of these. I think others here have indicated similar.

^^^
oh. but i'd suppose that my having received an honorable discharge from the army would preclude me from most consideration of disability bennies relating to AS in whatever form.

Other than the addition of sensory processing issues, additional criterion requirement in the RRB section, and mandatory 3 out 3 criteria requirements in the social communication area the descriptions are more broadly described descriptions of the same criteria in the RRB and social interaction categories of Asperger's and Autistic Disorder.

Technically, the new Autism Spectrum Disorder is much more similar to the DSM IV-TR description of Asperger's Syndrome than Autistic Disorder in a number of ways per the elimination of an entire section of communication impairments and entire section of delays of development that were previously included in Autistic Disorder.

What remains per actual criteria, in the new Autism Spectrum Disorder, except for the addition of sensory processing issues, was derived from the same criterion elements of RRB's and Social Interaction that were shared in both disorders in the DSMIV-TR.

While symptoms identified from early childhood are a new requirement, there is also the mandatory requirement that symptoms must not be accounted for by global developmental delays which was already a complete exclusion from the Asperger's diagnosis, and not identified in Autistic Disorder.

While there is no longer a PDD NOS or Aspergers label in the DSM5 there is also no longer an autistic disorder label. What remains is an Autistic Spectrum disorder label that technically more closely resembles Asperger's Syndrome than Autistic Disorder or PDD NOS.

Asperger's overall criteria from the DSMIV fit Hans Asperger's original description of what he described as "autistic psychopathy", except there were only 3 basic criterion elements required. The decision to call it Asperger's syndrome was in differentiation of another description previously identified by Kanner, "autistic disturbances of affective contact", eventually defined and described as autistic disorder

Otherwise, technically, per Asperger's description it would have more likely been identified how he identified it as "autistic psychopathy" or probably "autistic" to reduce any potential confusion with modern day psychopathy.

This new Autistic Spectrum Disorder more closely reflects what Asperger's described than what Kanner described per Kanner's "autistic disturbance of affective contact" vs. Asperger's "Autistic psychopathy". The main factor that differentiated the actual bodies of work in case studies was the absence of the severity of deficit in the development of language per Kanner's case studies, which has now been removed from the new Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

Part of what has been lost is the official diagnostic identification with Hans Asperger's name, but the criteria is basically the same, with a mandatory requirement to meet more of it, along with a new element of sensory processing issues. It bears keeping in mind the main reason Asperger's syndrome was not called autistic disorder or autistic psychopathy was someone already claimed the label autistic.

Autistic Disorder could have just as easily have been called Kanner's syndrome, which some do still refer to it as Kanner's autism. Per that analogy, technically per basic criteria, this revision is more of Han's Asperger's autistic spectrum disorder than Leo Kanner's autistic spectrum disorder.

There are some people whose children are more severely impacted by what Kanner described that have complained that autistic disorder is what has gone away and Asperger's syndrome is, in effect, what is staying per the criteria that actually remains. They have a good point, it's interesting that not many people have picked up on it, because the focus has been on the labels for some instead of the actual changes in criteria of the current Autistic Disorder vs.Asperger's Disorder.

I've enjoyed arguing factual issues at times with the Op of this topic; his suggestion is described in a blunt manner, but he's far from alone in that sentiment that has been expressed strongly and publicly on NPR by a very prominent director of a self-advocacy organization that I won't name here. And arguably more offensively. Hint: it's not Ari Ne'eman.

But, these emotional concerns seem to be caught up with identification with a person's name instead of the effective diagnostic reality. Clinically significant delays in language development, the loss of spoken words, and the lack of ability to speak, have now become co-morbid symptoms per basic criteria requirements, but still generally identified in severity level 3. For those that wish to continue to identify with the term Asperger's or Aspie it is no less or no more subclinically relevant than for those that have identified or been described with the term HFA for decades. Perhaps some would feel more comfortable by describing it as Asperger's autism, but taking out the emotional sentiments and considering the reality of the diagnostic changes that seems redundant to me.

Technically if DSM5 guidelines are going to be followed it's not just the folks currently diagnosed with PDD NOS or Asperger's that will be eventually re-assessed and placed in the new autistic disorder spectrum disorder; per new diagnostic requirements it is every bit as applicable to those currently diagnosed with autistic disorder.

Considering the overall requirements for a diagnosis of all three disorders has changed, it might take a decade to get everyone re-assessed and administratively documented in the correct diagnostic categories. Until then it certainly won't be any less accurate to describe one self as autistic as it has been to this point, and clearly justified per the diagnostic history, and technically speaking no reason that one should feel bad about it per Asperger's as Hans Asperger's identified it as an autistic syndrome as well.

i look at it as a promotion not a demotion.i cant wait to get rid of aspergers label forever.aspergers trivializes people who feel they struggle more

There's also the two needed for repetitive, ritualistic behaviors, but that's out of a list of four and sensory issues are on the list.

Why would an honorable discharge preclude that?

Yes I think there will continue to be considerable opposition to the subsuming of Aspergers into the ASD spectrum. There is of course some academic evidence based arguments from the Yale Autism research unit which continue to devote time to the notion Aspergers can be demonstrated to be a seperate diagnosis.