A Look at the Spectrum

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I just wanted to throw this out there-Do you think the perception of what constitutes an ASD (particularly Asperger's) will broaden or become more narrow? Why do you think so? I know there is still a great deal of debate about diagnostic criteria, but the reason I ask is because the whole concept of PDD-NOS seems kind of like a "red headed stepchild" of a diagnosis. It's seems like sort of a throw away diagnosis when someone with that diagnosis could struggle just as much as someone with Asperger's. Is the diagnosis of all of these too compartmentalized?

I expect it will broaden, witht he recognition that everyone is on the spectrum somewhere.

yes, and that brings up again the whole question of what constitutes impairment. I happen to agree with you with the proviso that some people function markedly better than others and that will definitely impact your life. I was having a conversation with a family member who is a counselor and commented that if the larger NT population would just open their minds to different ways of being there wouldn't be so much of a disorder mindset. She was telling me about a man she knew who is brilliant and holds advanced degrees in his field but works a a dishwasher because he can't function socially. It seems stupid to me to let talent like that go to waste.

Ah, the old democracy vs. liberty issue.

I can't help thinking that society creates the problems associated with aspergers.

If I was a colour on the spectrum, I would probably be rebellious red. I like both red and green, but the Routemaster wins, here.

I have to go offline but I'll be interested in seeing the views. I think this thread could easily go off topic though. I say that knowing I am one of the usual suspects. It's that whole associative thinking thing.

I kind of think the spectrum is as broad as it's going to get. I don't think we can add in NLD because it is often caused by brain injury and not just genetics, although we might be able to eventually add in ADD. That is actually very likely. As a special ed teacher in the past, my two most impaired students were an autistic one and an ADD one. They were on about the same level of functioning.

If the public were just more educated about autism, more might find themselves on the already existing spectrum. I think that is what needs to happen more, as opposed to just expanding it. If it's expanded too much, it will become meaningless in my opinion. Who would want a person who has been a stereotypical NT all their lives to claim to be autistic?

I should clarify- when I think about it- what I'm asking is when or if will PDD-NOS be incorporated into the Asperger's description? I was unclear ( even to myself ) sorry

Perhaps Autism will just be a list of criteria, and where you are on the spectrum depends on how many of them you fit?

Perhaps, my son is diagnosed with Asperger's even though he had a significant speech delay ( didn't even babble) and his performance scores far outweigh his verbal (still). The reasoning behind this they claim is because he wants to connect with people and even when he wasn't talking he clearly had receptive skills. I really kind of wonder whether the difference between Kanner's Autism and Asperger's is all that important, except for the level of functioning. When you start talking seems kind of arbitrary to me unless you never start talking.

have to leave...must...go...off..line...(gasp)

I think that the tendency is the opposite: that the name "Asperger's Sydrome" will be abandoned and it will be considered a kind of "Atypical Autism" (more or less the same thing that today is called PDD-NOS)

You pretty much described my son. I understand that under the current criteria that he had to be diagnosed with PDD-NOS, but it just seems to be such an ambiguous label. He had a huge speech explosion around the age of 4 in a half. He's always been verbal, but not always in a functional way that allows for reciprocal communication. It used to be very one way, and idiosyncratic. My youngest is 5 dxed with autism, and has no speech, or to be honest much of any reciprocity at all with people.

My son was just evaluated last week by a psychologist as per request of the county to make sure he still qualifies for state services. We're still awaiting the results. It would not surprise me if she gives him an AS dx, because his language is so much better than before. It depends on the clinician. Sometimes, they will overlook an early, and slight speech delay if the individual presents very clearly AS symptoms at the current time of the evaluation. As an adult there's not a doubt in my mind that my son will function as an aspie. I've met some other kids diagnosed with PDD-NOS, and they were very different than my son. They were much, much more severely affected, with often times very little language. I am hoping that when the new DSM is published that they will make some revisions about what kind of speech delay will preclude one from having AS. I think there's many here that if they were assessed as children may not have gotten an AS label, but rather PDD-NOS. The only difference is that they are now fully verbal as adults.

Of course, I usually will refer to anything on the spectrum as ASD, because I feel that no matter where someone will fall on the spectrum we're all more alike than not. No need for all of the categories.

My son had receptive skills but did not point to objects etc.

But that is a disorder - that's the very definition of a disorder. It would not serve such a person well at all if the community at large said "you're not disabled, you're just a little different", because they would still treat him as a social pariah, but he'd be ineligible for any kind of assistance - and I can't believe a counselor wouldn't encourage that man to seek disability assistance.

Personally, I spent most of my life being treated as though I were essentially the same as everyone else when in fact I was not. That's why it was okay to bully me, to cheat and abuse me, to tell me I was a loser and a bum - because I supposedly had all the same abilities and advantages every NT had. But I didn't. I wasn't like them - and on an unspoken level, we all knew it.

Yes, it's stupid for society to let a brilliant mind go to waste like that. But I believe it's no smarter to think that teaching NT society that the spectrum is so wide 'we're all on it somewhere' is dangerously counterproductive and essentially untrue. It is very specifically a handicap. Hooray for those with AS who become brilliant success stories, but there are plenty more of us educated dishwashers out here who will never be accepted socially, thus always struggling economically, no matter what the prevailing attitude in the media that week.

Yeah, that whole 'we're all on the spectrum somewhere' phrase really irritates me, too. The same with people that like to go around armchair dxing others with ASD, when the people they're going on about are just different, and not everyone who has a few differences is on the spectrum. I do see ASD as just a different way of being, but you do have to have significant issues with everyday life in at least one area of life to qualify for a dx. Using terms like 'differently abled' or acting as if those on the spectrum are just simply different than the norm does not help the people that really need support to live, and eat. I know this is coming off as harsh, but many of us do need support, and accommodations, and we can't get that unless we get a label, and you can't get that label unless you're impaired somewhere.