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My opinion is that the Asperger's diagnosis is so relatively new that it's difficult to say with any certainty which proportion are married or not. Who can really say how many undiagnosed adults might be out there? AS is most widely known among professionals who work with children, and of course we can't really predict adult outcomes from them. I'm not completely discounting existing studies about adults, but I do think they're highly flawed at this time and that further research needs to be done. I also think there may be a degree of self-fulfilling prophecy at work. If professionals believe that people on the spectrum don't get married, then that affects diagnosis. I actually had this conversation with a psychiatrist. Please note that I've already been diagnosed with AS by a professional.
Her: It says here "failure to develop peer relationships..." I don't think that's true. You have a boyfriend.
Me: Yes, and he has Asperger's too.
Her: But you have a close, long-term relationship.
Me: Yes, but I don't have other friends.
And so on. I'd say there's some serious education that needs to go on among mental health professionals.
Addendum:
My first paragraph intended to say that no one with autistic disorder was married, nor did they have friends outside of a mechanical situation concerning those in the study (my punctuation implies such, but ";" aren't used much).
srriv345,
If we assume the symptoms are the same as those diagnosed; those undiagnosed should follow a similar symptomology, albeit with external circumstances that change the outcome, i.e., understanding people who approach the individual with AD; understanding people who "overlook" the nuances of AS; family businesses that employ their own, indifference to the disorder (not caring about anything but their narrow interest as they live at home, and they have parents who don't mind), etcetera. Professor Attwood touches on this point, that the overall severity of AS doesn't determine its outcome; external factors have a bigger say.
Your anecdote is obviously pointing out a lack of understanding of the disorders by some professionals (this will always exist).
There are many combinations of reasons why someone might not be diagnosed, I think: external circumstances like you mentioned, possibly level of severity, socio-economic status, gender, professional competence, previous diagnosis, sheer random chance, degree of acceptance among family members and close associates. It's all quite complicated, so I don't think we can make many certain generalizations about adult outcomes at the current time. How many successful adults out there would have qualified for the diagnosis as kids, but have been able to adapt? I have a relative who probably fits this description, and I'm sure he's probably never heard of AS because his life as an adult has been successful. I respect Attwood, but I think it's pretty erroneous to take two groups differentiated by an important factor (diagnosis status) and assume that they must be similar in most other respects. That's an assumption, and I don't necessarily think that's true. That kind of thinking completely ignores the factors which might lead someone to being diagnosed in the first place. It's possible to find employment which is congruent with a special interest, for instance, and those people may be diagnosed at a lower rate. Completely thorough social science can be hard to do, to be sure, so I do understand why current adult AS research is the way it is. Personally I'd be interested in hearing about the post-1994 generation of AS kids does. (I was only 7 in that year myself, but wasn't diagnosed for another ten years.)
Smelena
Cure Neurotypicals Now!
Joined: 1 Apr 2007
Age: 64
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,950
Location: Australia
Temple Grandin refers to Silicon Valley as a 'sheltered workshop for the socially challenged'. It would be easier to get through life as an Aspie in a 'computer geek' city.
I'll let you know when my sons grow up - they're 9 and 7.
Helen
Temple Grandin refers to Silicon Valley as a 'sheltered workshop for the socially challenged'. It would be easier to get through life as an Aspie in a 'computer geek' city.
Very true--and that's exactly where my undiagnosed likely-aspie relative spent the bulk of his adult life.
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