Disability Resource Directory

Autism Controversies cont'd

Asperger's Syndrome and autism

Currently, Asperger's syndrome is classified as a separate diagnosis from autism in the DSM-IV, but it is still considered an autism spectrum disorder. The primary distinction between the definitions of autism and Asperger's Syndrome in the DSM-IV is that autism involves a speech delay and Asperger's does not.

Many people believe autism and Asperger's syndrome should not be given separate labels in the DSM-IV because they believe that differences in language acquisition are not significant enough to separate the disorders or that autism and Asperger's have no definitive differences. It is also unclear whether a child with high-functioning autism who learns to speak should have their diagnosis changed to that of Asperger's Syndrome though it should be noted that late speech does occur in a minority of neurotypical children and, in itself, need not be indicative of autism in a child with Asperger's Syndrome who goes on to develop good functional language.

There are some who believe that Asperger's syndrome should not be a diagnosable condition, as they consider the associated symptoms signs of social maladjustment rather than part of a disorder.

Geeks and nerds
It has been suggested that so-called 'geeks' and 'nerds' are persons with undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome. This has been disputed by professionals who indicate that 'geeks' and 'nerds' simply exhibit normal variant behavior, not pathological behavior. Many people diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome believe their behavior is not abnormal and reject the notion that any divergence from a supposed social ideal should be considered pathological. There are many cases where people who once considered themselves 'geeks' or 'nerds' later notice that a diagnosis of Asperger's may apply to them (this often follows having a child diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder).

Since the terms 'geek' and 'nerd' are social stereotypes rather than terms that can be genetically or behaviourally defined, this issue has not been resolved. Some suggest that there is a trend to pathologize almost any variant human behavior (e.g., ADHD) which could be interpreted as a method of phasing out ad hoc terms such as 'geek'.

Autistic' vs. Has autism
Many autistics who express their views on the Internet have stated their preference for the word autistic to be used as both an adjective and a noun; they dislike the politically correct person-first terminology. Autistic author, Donna Williams has written about this group as culturalists , distinguishing them from curists who see autism as a condition requiring cure. Some persons with Asperger's syndrome prefer to be called Aspergerian or aspie. Others with Asperger's Syndrome prefer to refer to themselves collectively as autistics, preferring to see themselves as part on one collective spectrum rather than having a condition different or separable from autism itself. There are, however, moderates who prefer to think of treatment and management of extreme functioning issues in autism rather than seeing everything as either cutlture or cure.

Person-first terminology is preferred by many with medical conditions, such as AIDS or epilepsy, where it may serve to remove some of the stigma of these illnesses. Many in the autistic community, including some persons who are considered to be severely autistic or low-functioning, feel that to use person-first language conveys the impression that autism is another such disease, something that can and should be cured. These autistics feel that autism is an integral part of their identity, that the person and the autism cannot be separated, and that proposing the removal of autism is akin to proposing death for them.

As with other such arguments involving the autism rights movement, many parents of autistic children disagree with the position of the autistic self-advocates. They contend that the autism of those why live with is an illness, that autism is not part of the person, and should be removed or cured. Others in the autistic community who dislike being autistic and wish they could be made non-autistic also continue to prefer the person first terminology, as they do not want to identify autism as an integral part of themselves.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia