PLEASE READ: Are they getting rid of AS?

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I heard in passing that certain medical professionals are advocating removing Asperger Syndrome as a medical diagnosis. I don't think AS is a disease, but without a medical diagnosis i can't get the services from my school that i need.
Does anyone know anything about this, or am i wrong (i hope)?

APA who publishes the DSM is considering merging AS and Kanner type Autism (and possibly PDD NOS) into a single category with individual “severity/functioning” assessment across particular domains.

There are a number of threads about this issue (including one that is called “misconceptions re: re-classifying Aspergers in the DSM V”) here already which give more detailed information about this potential change.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/healt ... ger&st=cse

oh, you scared me. i read the article. interesting. if they choose to lump it all into one, i wouldn't be surprised. i'm really fuzzy on the differences between aspergers and high functioning, anyway. hmmm...

I was informed that PDD-NOS, AS, HFA, and a few other DXs are the same thing since they share a good percentage of their criteria with one another (there's only 2-5 differences that send a DX one way or another).

This, from the same latest report, sums it up well:

Essentially, if they lump it into one category, it becomes an easier tickbox for the government, census-takers, insurance etc..

Under Australian conditions;

People with a current aspergers diagnosis would be entitled to more money.
People with a current autism diagnosis would probably get less (because it would be shared more equally with the aspies).


In the case of High Functioning Autism, I think this is fine.

In the case of critical autism, I feel that the kids affected may end up with significantly reduced services.

Is that for schooling?

I know the Federal government doesn't differentiate between AS or AD in regards to disability support pensions and other services as of now (all that matters is if you're impaired or not, in addition to the label).

I can't pay attention to articles, because my eyes just gloss over the legal-gook. Are we talking about SSI or SSDI? And they better not treat us as having a disease. We aren't diseased. Our brains are just wired way different from everyone else.

Yeah, that's for schooling.

My kids are

K = ADHD + Aspergers
T = HFA

K = ADHD + Aspergers
ADHD has high ongoing costs because of Ritalin and having to see a paediatrician every six months for prescription renewal.
But you get nothing for it. No money, no school assistance - nothing.

Aspergers by itself might not be such a big problem but with ADHD as well, it's painful. Luckily, Aspergers at least gets some school funding. Even so, he's struggling and tends to get quite low grades.

T = HFA
My other son has HFA. He doesn't have repeating appointments (no medications) and he's got no ADHD, concentrates well and remembers things. He has lots of social issues but is improving verbally (the main reason for HFA instead of Aspergers) at least. He gets more support funding than my other son but the school isn't doing much with it because he's academically fine. He gets A's