AS and the rest ?

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hey,

I'm sorry if this question has been up before but I was wondering why Asperger's is mentioned separately from the rest of the autistic spectrum.
are they really that different ?
I must say that I don't really know the differences between the different diagnoses in the spectrum.
it's just something I noticed and not only here.

I see AS being called autism or autistic now so I think it is part of the autism spectrum which it is.


Aspies are supposed to be milder and closer to normal and they have a few autistic characteristics. They don't have any developmental delays such as in speech and cognitive development and self help skills. That's what the criteria says about it but there are aspies out there who do lack self help skills, even regular people can lack them too for different reasons like they can't even manage their money or can't stop spending so they can't pay their bills or rent. If my own child did that, I sure hell won't be giving him or her money so he or she can pay their rent and bills because I would want him or her to learn that skill. I figure if they suffer, it would make them frugal about their money and afraid to spend it on stuff they don't really need and try and be cheap. That's why I am so obsessed with my money and don't travel much. Money money money I worry about but hey it keeps me in line so I am able to pay my bills. Back on the topic

Some aspies even have a speech delay too and developmental but then they outgrow being delayed so their doctor might change it from autism to AS. Some kids even go from severely autistic to AS but not all of them. People call it recovery which sort of bugs me. I think they are still on the spectrum but they are probably AS now.

I do think doctors should get rid of the AS label since doctors don't follow the criteria and make it all autism. Also get rid of PDD-NOS. But then if they did that, it be like getting rid of all the cat specie names since they are all cats. It be like getting rid of all the cat breed names too for domestic cats.

I do agree it is confusing about AS and autism because doctors just don't follow the darn criterias. I heard lot of aspies don't meet the AS criteria. My guess is because they have troubles in some self help skills area or they were speech delayed or developmental delayed in the past and then they caught up. I don't care anymore about what autism label someone has rather they meet the criteria or not, same as me. My mother says I do meet it but just how do I meet it? I had a speech delay and I was developmentally delayed also even though my self help skills seemed to be pretty good from what I've seen in the home videos. I just did a few things late like brushing my teeth and hair and washing my hair too. I think those were it. I think learning to tie my shoes at age six is averag for learning it. My ex was just full of it. I have never known any toddlers who could tie their shoes. Even my brothers didn't know how at that age until elementary school, maybe first grade or kindergarden.

I have to disagree with you. I strongly disagree with one "autism", as it is what causes alot of the diagnostic problems if it was unified under one category. Back when I was diagnosed with SPD and NLD, AS was not in the DSM. Autism was one thing, one category, Infintile Autism, and it really only applied to the most severe form of autism. Doctors had no clue what to diagnose me, and it was only a neurologist who diagnosed me with NLD and SPD based on LD issues, even though I meet all the DSM-IV characteristics for AS. The DSM-III which only had one autism, was heavily restrictive. I think many of the people who put forth the "one autism" generally don't know the diagnostic problems this creates because they have never faced the diagnostic limbo that was present with the DSM-III. Thats why when people mention "one autism" I often say, they tried it, it didn't work, and it caused alot of problems, especially in the education system.

Part of making it a spectrum is to define the various parts and the fact is they are finding similarities, even when manifestations are identified and present themselves in different ways. This has been especially the case in atypical manifestations where neurological issues are how it is diagnosed instead of behavioral issues. When you unify a diagnosis, it creates problems, the DSM-III was horrid, and unifying the diagnosis would create a similiar crap result. One needs to categorize in order to effectively identify what exactly is going on and more acurately reflect reality.

Also AS can manifest itself very differently than severe autism, AS basically would never be diagnosed if it was just "autism", this is why the concept of the spectrum is important, it more accurately defines realities related to developmental issues. The categorization is to accurately define reality as close as possible, unifying it as a single diagnosis would create clinical problems similar to the DSM-III. I am sorry, having one diagnosis, just does not work.

thank you for your replies

I am diagnosed PDD-NOS doesn't belong in any category.

I don't think there should be one diagnoses but people do have to let go of expecting something because you have that diagnoses. we are all people so, we are all different from one other.