Question about outdated use of diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder, such as Pervasive Developmental Disorders, for example.

[Shamar]

Yes, but the ugliness of it all IMO is that all too often it reflects the same thing.

That the professional medical community does not fully understand autism. Leaving us at times in a kind of "no-man's land".

Not only do they not understand it, but in my experience, most mental health professionals cannot recognize it even when it is thrown in their face.

 

[vergil96]

In regards to the the newer 'ASD' umbrella term versus the the older 'Asperger's Syndrome' term, I think for certain people, at least as far as accessing services go - the newer system is an improvement.

Even if Asperger's Syndrome might seem better to identify as, in terms of social credit, some people with Asperger's Syndrome might need help with daily living, not due to a lack of intelligence, but due to executive function or other cognitive issues or co-morbid issues such as mood disorders.

Under the old system, people with Asperger's Syndrome were medically defined as being 'more capable' which isn't always necessarily the case.

A mute person with no social skills might be better at cooking or keeping themselves clean, than someone who has a high IQ, who has adequate social skills/language ability and who has multiple degrees, for example.

Fair point, I can relate.

 

[RemyZee]

Along the same line I find the whole neurodiversity concept to be misleading and not rflective of what autism is. but as a word it is sometimes used in place of the word autistic.

I hear quite a few people who identify as neurodiverse, but it's a generalization. The other day a woman at work said when asked to introduction, that she was neurodiverse--but as people mention, the problem with the argument of neurodiversity is that really every one is neurodiverse, so what is someone saying when they introduce introduce themselves in that manner.
Neurodiversity has become like a fad, meaning a person is
exceptional or creative. The woman went on to describe how she had written 10 children's books: they were all stories about autistic children. I don't know why that ruffles my feathers. I wanted to say, "well isn't that special." No offense to anyone who identifies as neurodiverse

No offense to anyone who identifies as neurodiverse.

 

[Crossbreed]

Along the same line I find the whole neurodiversity concept to be misleading and not rflective of what autism is. but as a word it is sometimes used in place of the word autistic.

In the strictest sense, neuro-diverse means having an unconventional neurology while still being functionally competent. Left-handedness, giftedness & ASD1 are commonly-cited forms. Many would include ADHD & dyslexia on that list.

Pathological conditions, including severe co-morbids are not expressions of neuro-diversity. They need to be prevented or treated, if possible.

 

[Shamar]

Along the same line I find the whole neurodiversity concept to be misleading and not rflective of what autism is. but as a word it is sometimes used in place of the word autistic.

I hear quite a few people who identify as neurodiverse, but it's a generalization. The other day a woman at work said when asked to introduction, that she was neurodiverse--but as people mention, the problem with the argument of neurodiversity is that really every one is neurodiverse, so what is someone saying when they introduce introduce themselves in that manner.
Neurodiversity has become like a fad, meaning a person is
exceptional or creative. The woman went on to describe how she had written 10 children's books: they were all stories about autistic children. I don't know why that ruffles my feathers. I wanted to say, "well isn't that special." No offense to anyone who identifies as neurodiverse

No offense to anyone who identifies as neurodiverse.

I have twice been diagnosed by specialist doctors as having AD(no H)D. Shortly after my first diagnosis, it became a fad, and the answer to all questions. EVERYBODY said they had ADHD. Why is little Johnny bouncing around? ADHD. Why is George always misbehaving? ADHD. Why is Tom stealing? ADHD. Why did Arthur fart? ADHD. Why are the continents moving around? ADHD must have something to do with it. For a while, the whole concept became meaningless. Still is, to a certain extent, because it became in the public eye so common it was thought as nothing special. Except to those of us who actually had it, and suffered because of it, and couldn't really get help because the clinics were packed with people who didn't have it demanding treatment just to be fashionable.

I see the same thing happening with autism and neurodiversity (the list at the start of this thread is a good example). And the DSM reducing it to one of three levels certainly does not help, especially with defining it on an individual basis.

 

[Crossbreed]

My ASD1 daughter, my ASD2 son & I [ASD1] were all misdiagnosed with ADHD first. That is because some psychologists are loath to (and discouraged from) "handing out" ASD diagnoses.

 

[Oz67]

When I was little, mental professionals also thought that I have MR-U, but as I grew older, I just have ASD.

 

[Crossbreed]

What is MR-U?

 

[Oz67]

What is MR-U?

Mental Retardation Unspecified.

It used to be a clinical term until some people started using it as an insult.