How do you feel about APA eliminating Aspergers Syndrome as a condition?

[gallopingllama]

So the Washington Times says the APA is eliminating "Aspergers Syndrome"

http://communities.washingtontimes..../revised-dsm-criteria-autism-raise-questions/


How do you feel about this? I hear that although this will just immediately affect Americans first but that other countries are in the process of following suit.

 

[petrossa]

Since it isn't a 'condition' i guess i feel it's about time. The only problem is they don't. Aspergers get's qualified as Autism in DSM 5 and ceases to exist as such.

In a draft released February 10, 2010, the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition) has proposed to eliminate the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome and instead group it together with Autism.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2695965/dsmv_aspergers_syndrome_to_be_eliminated.html

From hence on we are in the general Autistic spectrum.

And that i feel strongly about. Strongly against.

Aspergers only slightly resembles autism. But so do about half of the disorders in the DSM.

It shouldn't be in DSM at all in any shape or form, it's a personality trait, not a disorder.

 

[Droopy]

There has also been speculation that some individuals could lose their autism diagnoses under the new guidelines, and that fewer people will be initially diagnosed. This would cause serious repercussions for children and adults in need of services who would no longer qualify without a diagnosis. Furthermore, girls and women are often overlooked because autism can manifest differently in them. The revised definitions do not address this.

The autism spectrum is already such a vast umbrella, I wonder if there are repercussions to eliminating the stripes that break up the current definition. While sharing much common ground, in many ways, my son is as different from individuals on the very severe end of the spectrum as he is from individuals not on the spectrum at all.

I think this changing in definitions will greatly affect individuals who suffer from disorders under the spectrum and I think its unfair for the APA after so long to decide to group a bunch of disorders together as one disorder by severity level. This will cause untold amounts of complications for individuals who will need to be re-diagnosed to access vital services and will also cause confusion for professionals trying to identify a disorder.

There are so many conditions that have similar symptoms and yet we they are not grouped into one disorder or illness and diagnosed based on severity level.... why don't we just call all cancers "Cancer" and not distinguish them with separate types and just call them say "Cancer Severity Level 5"

Why is autism, a neuro-developmental disorder, still considered a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association?

Some interesting points made above ^

 

[BruceCM]

There'll still be some way to distinguish between AS, Kanner's, etc. No reason for Aspies to stop using that term. Very much doubt it'll make any difference to me. Have to see what the 'new' diagnostic criteria are, to find that out.

 

[Spinning Compass]

It's a money thing. If you eliminate a diagnosis, you eliminate the need for services surrounding that diagnosis. And in the United States, the social services system is in trouble financially, a situation that will only get worse. I'm not optimistic for the future, and I would not want to be in a position where I had to depend on government assistance to live. Frankly, I think poverty rates are going to skyrocket among certain groups like the disabled, the elderly and the unskilled/uneducated but you won't hear about them. What you will hear will be vastly under-reported. Take the unemployment rate. Many people think that is the number of people out of work. Oh, no. That is only the number of people out looking for jobs. The true rate is much higher. But if you're not looking, you don't exist statistically. If Aspergers doesn't exist, well, you get the picture. It is all about money.

 

[petrossa]

It's a money thing. If you eliminate a diagnosis, you eliminate the need for services surrounding that diagnosis. <.....> It is all about money.

Aspergers still exists as a diagnosis, it's just now called just HFAutism. So that can hardly be the reason. The 'disorder' didn't disappear, it just got reclassified.

 

[142857]

I had significant delays in developing speech, so I am HFA anyway. It doesn't make any difference to me personally. I have a lot more in common with aspies though than I have with classic autism. But I can see how aspies don't want to lose their status as a separate disorder... so I'll just sit on the fence with this one.

 

[gonzerd]

"So you hear it folks, no more of that aspie nonsense. Henceforth all things assburger are obsolete so ... uh, time to pack up and leave. Come on people, haven't got all day. What? No? Thought so."

Well, I got my diagnosis a few weeks ago and the doctor explained that they wouldn't be using Aspergers Syndrome as a specific DX anymore due to the changes in the DSM-V. So it became an autism spectrum disorder instead (with some comorbids). And that's fine by me. I always considered AS as a subset of the spectrum anyway, so I can see the logic.

There'll still be some way to distinguish between AS, Kanner's, etc. No reason for Aspies to stop using that term. Very much doubt it'll make any difference to me. Have to see what the 'new' diagnostic criteria are, to find that out.

The current proposition for the diagnostic criteria can be found here.
http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=94#

Now those are more or less the same as the ones given to me when I got my dx. Further discrimination seems to be done by using the results from the IQ test, and even though HFAutism was mentioned, just as Aspergers was mentioned, the official diagnosis stands as ASD.

It may not be used as an official diagnostic term anymore, but Aspergers isn't going anywhere in my opinion. There's quite some literature on the subject, communities and not the least, quite some pride.

I think the important thing is that people who need some form of official help or recognition can still get that. It might be interesting to know that the only real difference between these new diagnostic criteria for ASD and the 'old' ones for AS is that for AS there shouldn't be a significant delay in speech or cognitive development. Note that the new criteria for ASD don't specify a requirement for those. So people will still get diagnosed. If it matters if it's under the name of Autism or under the name of Aspergers seems more like a questions of politics.

Come to think of it, it just makes it easier to state an initial diagnosis. There WAS quite some fragmentation in that area. Most diagnoses don't exist in a vacuum, they lead to further steps which are usually set out on a far more individual basis anyway. This might just speed that whole process up a little.

Anyway, my current condition can be described in less psychological terms as 'a wee bit wasted', so I don't know. Can't we all be friends and get along or something.

 

[abby normal]

So the Washington Times says the APA is eliminating "Aspergers Syndrome"

http://communities.washingtontimes..../revised-dsm-criteria-autism-raise-questions/


How do you feel about this? I hear that although this will just immediately affect Americans first but that other countries are in the process of following suit.

i don't know how i will refer to myself. i like the term "aspie" and would prefer to keep using it in regard to myself. HFA doesn't cut it with me because i am not "HF" - maybe "MFA" [medium-functioning autistic] might catch on, and i would eventually get used to using it. just my 2-cents' worth, adjusted for inflation.:twitcy:

 

[petrossa]

Well, I got my diagnosis a few weeks ago and the doctor explained that they wouldn't be using Aspergers Syndrome as a specific DX anymore due to the changes in the DSM-V. So it became an autism spectrum disorder instead (with some comorbids). And that's fine by me. I always considered AS as a subset of the spectrum anyway, so I can see the logic.

You did? I always thought quite the opposite. The criteria which 'make' TDFNAA (The Disorder Formerly Known As Aspergers) part of the autism spectrum are the about the same as those of schizoid personality, Avoidance personality disorder etc etc. The list is long. Just being not social about qualifies already.

To my mind it has absolutely nothing to do with autism, but everything to do with a genetically defined Corpus Callosum anomaly. Were as Agenesis is quite obvious to see, other forms of CC anomalies are more subtle. Nevertheless Agenesis of the CC has been linked with autistic symptoms.

An MRI Study of the Corpus Callosum in Autism for example.

But if you do a quick search you'll find many correlations between the CC and Autism.
Which signifies that Autism is a symptom not a disorder, as Aspergers is another symptom.

 

[gallopingllama]

I'm unsure what criteria other professionals use to diagnose AS but in my case I had to take a battery of testing that lasted five days long and was from the morning to evening. The testing was very intense.... so much that on the second day I nearly told the doc I was done with the nonsense.

The testing included activities to test motor skills, reasoning, IQ, and so many other things its not funny plus there was a survey of 20 pages that I had to complete and also surveys family and friends had to complete and a full review of my medical records.

The person I saw was a Neuropsychologist and is supposedly one of the best in the U.S.

 

[gonzerd]

I'm unsure what criteria other professionals use to diagnose AS but in my case I had to take a battery of testing that lasted five days long and was from the morning to evening. The testing was very intense.... so much that on the second day I nearly told the doc I was done with the nonsense.

The testing included activities to test motor skills, reasoning, IQ, and so many other things its not funny plus there was a survey of 20 pages that I had to complete and also surveys family and friends had to complete and a full review of my medical records.

The person I saw was a Neuropsychologist and is supposedly one of the best in the U.S.

Pretty much the same over here, in Belgium. In my case testing took an extra two days, but I think 5 days is the average. Apart from the actual tests there were also several talks with different psychiatrists, so they each had their own insight in the matter. This is because the final decision has to be made by a whole team of doctors/counselors. The whole thing was also spread over a period of several months. All in all quite rigorous I'd say. Everything was done at was is supposedly the leading research center in this field in Belgium. How this ranks on a global scale, that I do not know. But in comparison to previous doctors, psychologists i've seen, I'd say they are pretty ****ing good.
And intense is a good word to describe the feeling during and after the tests. I was totally knackered every time. But I waited four years to get tested so I wasn't going to stop so far in the process.

 

[IContainMultitudes]

I can't help but be a little confused by this since the psychiatrist who gave me a (fairly) official AS diagnosis (I had been seeing a speech therapist knowledgeable about autism spectrum conditions who couldn't officially diagnose me but pointed me in this direction) cautioned me that AS is currently a "trendy" diagnosis and told me that I was free to take the diagnosis with a grain of salt if I chose to do so. If Asperger's is eliminated from the DSM-V as something separate from the rest of the autism spectrum, will it continue to be a "trendy" diagnosis under the name HFA or something else or will this put an end to the "trendiness" of this diagnosis?

My feelings on this are a little mixed. I feel like I just recently found a name to put to the thing that's always made me a little different from other people, and the idea of having that suddenly yanked out from under me bothers me a little. Even if this is mainly going to just be a matter of the terminology changing a little bit, I worry a little bit about no longer having a good, commonly-accepted name to put to the thing that makes me a little different from others, and I have a hard time seeing this as something that's going to help me explain this thing to others (I've already seen one or two weirdly gleeful reactions to how "assburgers" is no longer going to be "a thing" when the DSM-V comes out).

 

[BruceCM]

Think I qualify under enough of the 'new' criteria, then. So, it still means there isn't actually any support for AS where I live, hence making no difference. Which is to say there's a 'support group' but I got the same sorts of problems there that I wanted help with, so that's no use. And the leader insists we can't discuss the basics of positive, without which we can't discuss anything else, so they've ruled out any point in going to the group.

 

[gonzerd]

(I've already seen one or two weirdly gleeful reactions to how "assburgers" is no longer going to be "a thing" when the DSM-V comes out).

Don't think "assburgers" will be leaving us soon, it's too comically potent.

 

[gonzerd]

To my mind it has absolutely nothing to do with autism, but everything to do with a genetically defined Corpus Callosum anomaly. Were as Agenesis is quite obvious to see, other forms of CC anomalies are more subtle. Nevertheless Agenesis of the CC has been linked with autistic symptoms.

An MRI Study of the Corpus Callosum in Autism for example.

But if you do a quick search you'll find many correlations between the CC and Autism.
Which signifies that Autism is a symptom not a disorder, as Aspergers is another symptom.

I can see your point in that autism and aspergers can be seen as symptoms of an underlying neurological condition, but I would think there might be a lot more in the DSM that can fall under the same line of reasoning. Maybe if they just changed the name from disorder to condition. I wouldn't be calling it a mere personality trait though. And as research gets a better grasp of the underlying causes, well, maybe one day it will be known as an anomaly of the corpus callosum, and further discrimination can be made on that basis, but we might not be there yet.
I really do think that it's a mere pragmatic decision to make things less confusing and help people get a more solid diagnosis, less disputable. With all the fragmentation in place there's more room for discussion, and while discussion can be interesting, sometimes it's counterproductive. What's the use in having a bunch of doctors wasting time deciding between AS, ASD, Kanner, ... when either decision will lead to pretty much the same treatment, which can be adjusted as needed anyway.
There's this severely autistic boy I have the privilege to know, and while my life is more like that of an aspie - heck, in comparison to him it almost looks like that of a NT - but there's sort of an understanding, things I recognize which lead me to believe that our 'wiring' bares a lot more resemblance to each other then it would to that of a NT.

 

[Droopy]

Aspergers still exists as a diagnosis, it's just now called just HFAutism. So that can hardly be the reason. The 'disorder' didn't disappear, it just got reclassified.

This whole thing is bit confusing. Are they merging AS with HFA or are they merging AS and HFA into (Classic) Autism?

But I can see how aspies don't want to lose their status as a separate disorder...

I've always seen AS as being a form of Autism. So being diagnosed with AS means that you are high functioning within the Autism Spectrum and thus there's little point in re-diagnosing as Autism Level Whatever. At the very start, I used the term Autism instead of AS. Whenever I told someone I had Autism they either didn't believe me or said "it must be very mild". My aunt even said "I have seen kids on TV with Autism and you are not like that" (or something along those lines). A merger will just cause more confusion I think.

My feelings on this are a little mixed. I feel like I just recently found a name to put to the thing that's always made me a little different from other people, and the idea of having that suddenly yanked out from under me bothers me a little. Even if this is mainly going to just be a matter of the terminology changing a little bit, I worry a little bit about no longer having a good, commonly-accepted name to put to the thing that makes me a little different from others, and I have a hard time seeing this as something that's going to help me explain this thing to others

This is one thing that bothers me about the merger too.

On another note, how will this change effect things like claims & benefits, support and employment?

 

[IContainMultitudes]

Whenever I told someone I had Autism they either didn't believe me or said "it must be very mild". My aunt even said "I have seen kids on TV with Autism and you are not like that" (or something along those lines). A merger will just cause more confusion I think.

Yeah, it's hard enough as it is to explain to people that just because I have a form of high-functioning autism doesn't mean that I'm "Rain Man" autistic (one of the reasons why I generally don't tell people about it at all).

 

[gallopingllama]

Pretty much the same over here, in Belgium. In my case testing took an extra two days, but I think 5 days is the average. Apart from the actual tests there were also several talks with different psychiatrists, so they each had their own insight in the matter. This is because the final decision has to be made by a whole team of doctors/counselors. The whole thing was also spread over a period of several months. All in all quite rigorous I'd say. Everything was done at was is supposedly the leading research center in this field in Belgium. How this ranks on a global scale, that I do not know. But in comparison to previous doctors, psychologists i've seen, I'd say they are pretty ****ing good.
And intense is a good word to describe the feeling during and after the tests. I was totally knackered every time. But I waited four years to get tested so I wasn't going to stop so far in the process.

One thing they made me do was they put a little face mask so I was blind and then had this upright puzzle thing where I had to fit odd shaped pieces into where they belong while unable to see with one hand only..... and then they would make me do it with the other hand....

 

[gallopingllama]

This whole thing is bit confusing. Are they merging AS with HFA or are they merging AS and HFA into (Classic) Autism?



I've always seen AS as being a form of Autism. So being diagnosed with AS means that you are high functioning within the Autism Spectrum and thus there's little point in re-diagnosing as Autism Level Whatever. At the very start, I used the term Autism instead of AS. Whenever I told someone I had Autism they either didn't believe me or said "it must be very mild". My aunt even said "I have seen kids on TV with Autism and you are not like that" (or something along those lines). A merger will just cause more confusion I think.



This is one thing that bothers me about the merger too.

On another note, how will this change effect things like claims & benefits, support and employment?

If I understand things correctly they are removing AS and HFA and Autism and making it one disorder called "ASD" Autism Spectrum Disorder and then based on your symptoms they classify you by a level system. So your diagnosis could be ASD Level 1

As for claims, benefits, support its very early still but I imagine this will impact anyone who receive any government benefit or support as a result of being diagnosed with AS or HFA since they will become obsolete. I think the best idea for people who rely on such benefits is to reach out to a neuropsychologist and make sure you meet the criteria of the new DSM-5 for ASD that way your safety net is not pulled from under your feet.