Thanks to a Twitter by Craig Newmark of Craigslist.org (yes, that Craig!) I heard that Asperger’s was to officially be placed on the Autism Spectrum, which means it could lose it’s status as a separate diagnosis from Autism itself.
According to this report from NPR News,a panel of researchers created by the American Psychiatric Association had decided to officially place Asperger’s inside the category of Autism Spectrum Disorders in 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), the official diagnostic guide of mental disorders.
I believe that this change will be difficult for some people with Asperger’s, as they will be lumped in with people who have severe autism. Michael John Carley, executive director of the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership in New York and author of Asperger’s From the Inside Out: A Supportive and Practical Guide for Anyone with Asperger’s Syndrome,
agrees, according to NPR News.
It also concerns me that Asperger’s and Autism are considered “mental disorders,” rather than the more accurate, neurological disorders. Mental disorders are often associated with people who are considered insane, and that is not what Asperger’s or Autism is.
I also wonder why people who have Asperger’s appear to progress from infancy, perhaps with some odd behaviors, but generally talk and walk by appropriate milestone ages, whereas people with severe autism often progress to toddler or pre-school age then suddenly re-gress. I believe these aspects of Asperger’s and Autism have not been studied or discerned enough.
On the other hand, officially putting the diagnosis of Asperger’s on the high end of the Autism Spectrum may make it easier for those with Asperger’s to get benefits via state and federal governments and school districts. Imagine now being able to officially say, “My child has autism,” to an IEP panel and not be hassled about a child’s diagnosis being Asperger’s, which has often been considered a lesser-than-need than autism. Or in my daughter’s case, being poohed-poohed about needing special help because some of her academics abilities were advanced.
And how will this change affect our name ASAP: Asperger’s Support for Adolescents Plus? For right now, it won’t. We’re still a social support group for teens and young adults on the high end of the Autism Spectrum and that means those with Asperger’s and High Functioning Autism Diagnosis who can and are willing to communicate.
BTW, if you’re on Twitter, I would highly recommend following Craig. He’s very involved in consumer and health issues, and his tweets are often where I first hear of interesting news about those topics. And of course, we hope you’ll follow us, @ASAPAspergers
