• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

The ch4 Program about Autism last night

I was diagnosed with the DSM-4 in the USA. The way that I understand it is related to the DSM. This is just my understanding of these different terms and programs. If they are wrong, please let me know.

1: The difference between Asperger's Syndrome and Kanner's Autism. With AS, a person can have all or some of the symptoms of Kanner's except for delays in cognitive and linguistic function. It is not uncommon for a person with AS to excel in these areas. This is according to the DSM-4.

2:The difference between Asperger's Syndrome and High Functioning Autism. A person with HFA can have very slight delays in cognitive and linguistic function and still be high functioning. A person with AS does not have these delays. According to the DSM-4, a person with AS must have at least average intelligence (no delays).

3: The DSM-5. In the spring of 2013 the DSM-4 was replaced by the DSM-5 in the USA. It is my understanding that the ICD in Europe will change as well. In the DSM-5, the term "Asperger's Syndrome" is no longer used. Now we are all called "Autistic Spectrum Disorder". So I have gone from having a "syndrome" to a "disorder". Oh well, they are all just labels.

However, I do have a problem with the DSM-5. It is considerably harder to get a diagnosis with the DSM-5 than it was with the DSM-4. I believe that this was intentionally done for political and economic reasons, not for what is best for the individual seeking diagnosis.
 
clg114 said:
I was diagnosed with the DSM-4 in the USA. The way that I understand it is related to the DSM. This is just my understanding of these different terms and programs. If they are wrong, please let me know.

1: The difference between Asperger's Syndrome and Kanner's Autism. With AS, a person can have all or some of the symptoms of Kanner's except for delays in cognitive and linguistic function. It is not uncommon for a person with AS to excel in these areas. This is according to the DSM-4.

2:The difference between Asperger's Syndrome and High Functioning Autism. A person with HFA can have very slight delays in cognitive and linguistic function and still be high functioning. A person with AS does not have these delays. According to the DSM-4, a person with AS must have at least average intelligence (no delays).

3: The DSM-5. In the spring of 2013 the DSM-4 was replaced by the DSM-5 in the USA. It is my understanding that the ICD in Europe will change as well. In the DSM-5, the term "Asperger's Syndrome" is no longer used. Now we are all called "Autistic Spectrum Disorder". So I have gone from having a "syndrome" to a "disorder". Oh well, they are all just labels.

However, I do have a problem with the DSM-5. It is considerably harder to get a diagnosis with the DSM-5 than it was with the DSM-4. I believe that this was intentionally done for political and economic reasons, not for what is best for the individual seeking diagnosis.
Click to expand...

yes possibly if they continue to recognise a much milder end of the spectrum with so many people now getting diagnosed at a later age the govt maybe worried that more people can claim benefits etc, maybe that's why they've combined it and made it harder to get a diagnosis? Maybe in future only the most obviously severe cases (that govt can't deny they have it) will be entitled to benefits and milder cases be told you're just shy, or not disabled enough to claim? .. so for people like the man and woman on the TV who had partners and kids they would not be seen as disabled enough with it to get a diagnosis, so wouldn't have one as proof they couldn't work to get funding for help or state benefits?
 
KImi said:
yes possibly if they continue to recognise a much milder end of the spectrum with so many people now getting diagnosed at a later age the govt maybe worried that more people can claim benefits etc, maybe that's why they've combined it and made it harder to get a diagnosis?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Both insurers and politicians want to contain the cost of healthcare.

Insurers because it comes directly from their deep pockets, and legislators who politically support government subsidies relative to insurance premiums through the "Affordable" Care Act. Which as of 2019 will no longer carry a mandate or tax penalty to incentivize the law of large numbers needed to sustain such a program that frankly seems to be presently failing regardless.

So if you have cancer, you get indemnified for treatment. But if you're on the spectrum of autism, it's just your imagination. Go away. :rolleyes:

Take the political credit for initiating such legislation, but make sure to limit it so it can function nominally or less. Politics as usual. A painful reminder that political solutions are often no solution at all.
 
Last edited:
Which tests did they do
I hardly had any tests except for trying to a stupid 50 questions thing and describe the picture also try to explain a story
 
Because there's been an international cooperation to research the possible genetic factors in autism I wondered if the change in DSM5 was paving the way for a number of varied new diagnoses relating to different genetic or other causes, although also I read that so far they have about 70 different genes and these account for about half of the total causes leaving about half as yet not genetic or unaccounted for genetically. So this could take some time... if indeed it's ever possible. I have read Neurotribes it's quite a racy read and does make one realise the many social and human factors involved in the so called science of the work of Kanner, Asperger and others, we are all prisoners of our time to a degree I guess. For example that Asperger emphasised his high functioning cases due to the Nazis tending to murder people regarded as mentally infirm.
 
KImi said:
yes possibly if they continue to recognise a much milder end of the spectrum with so many people now getting diagnosed at a later age the govt maybe worried that more people can claim benefits etc, maybe that's why they've combined it and made it harder to get a diagnosis? Maybe in future only the most obviously severe cases (that govt can't deny they have it) will be entitled to benefits and milder cases be told you're just shy, or not disabled enough to claim? .. so for people like the man and woman on the TV who had partners and kids they would not be seen as disabled enough with it to get a diagnosis, so wouldn't have one as proof they couldn't work to get funding for help or state benefits?
Click to expand...
The DSM V also has a diagnosis of 'social communication disorder', which is basically the social communication difficulties of autism without the repetitive behaviour or sensory issues. Perhaps they were wanting to only diagnose the more severe, more obvious cases with ASD, and then milder cases, including some of those who would have been diagnosed with Asperger's under the DSM IV, with social communication disorder. This means that a lot of people who would have otherwise been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum might get this new diagnosis instead, and not get the help they need, because I think that this new social communication disorder diagnosis won't be taken as seriously as ASD by insurance companies, benefits agencies, etc.
 
AO1501 said:
Asperger encountered the phenomenon before Kanner, but his papers were published in German, and not translated until much later. Consequently, Kanner developed his theories in isolation from Asperger's prior research. However, Kanner's theories were somewhat discredited over time, and Asperger's were discovered more appropriate to the syndrome.
Click to expand...

On top of that, there was time period and location. These events were taking place during WW2, with Hans Asperger in Austria at the time (which was under Nazi rule) while Leo Kanner was in America. As a result, anything coming out of the majority of Europe at the time would likely be classified as 'enemy propaganda'.
 
AGXStarseed said:
On top of that, there was time period and location. These events were taking place during WW2, with Hans Asperger in Austria at the time (which was under Nazi rule) while Leo Kanner was in America. As a result, anything coming out of the majority of Europe at the time would likely be classified as 'enemy propaganda'.
Click to expand...
This is absolutely true. If I recall, there were some, possibly Kanner himself, who were aware of Asperger and dismissed his work for this reason, though Asperger protected his 'little professors' from the regime and its policies.
 
tducey said:
I'm high functioning but my diagnosis has always been called Asperger's Syndrome.
Click to expand...

That is because people with Asperger's Syndrome are high functioning. However, people with very slight delays in cognitive and linguistic function can be high functioning, but they do not have Asperger's Syndrome. This is according to the DSM-4, which is not used in the US anymore.
 
clg114 said:
That is because people with Asperger's Syndrome are high functioning. However, people with very slight delays in cognitive and linguistic function can be high functioning, but they do not have Asperger's Syndrome. This is according to the DSM-4, which is not used in the US anymore.
Click to expand...
I think it's called mild high functioning autism ,the psychologist never said that! but I said is it Aspergers syndrome ?they said no it's not ,no because people get the idea that if you have A.S you must be a savant and your life is really easy, we want to scotch that rumour .
 
Streetwise said:
because people get the idea that if you have A.S you must be a savant and your life is really easy, we want to scotch that rumour .
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. People always assume that Asperger's equals having no problems at all and it's simply not true (for most).
 
Thinx said:
Because there's been an international cooperation to research the possible genetic factors in autism I wondered if the change in DSM5 was paving the way for a number of varied new diagnoses relating to different genetic or other causes, although also I read that so far they have about 70 different genes and these account for about half of the total causes leaving about half as yet not genetic or unaccounted for genetically. So this could take some time... if indeed it's ever possible. I have read Neurotribes it's quite a racy read and does make one realise the many social and human factors involved in the so called science of the work of Kanner, Asperger and others, we are all prisoners of our time to a degree I guess. For example that Asperger emphasised his high functioning cases due to the Nazis tending to murder people regarded as mentally infirm.
Click to expand...

That's interesting, didn't think of that aspect of it! I might have to get this book called Neurotribes. Is the print easy to read? (very tiny or a clear larger print?)
 
1st day : watched a bit of it.
My wife say youre not autistic.

2nd day :
She says 'I'm more like that than you.

The experiment of making sandwiches :

My take is usually - everyone knows its a test, therefore it's invalid.

But, she finally saw it in me..

She kind of knows I would have swept everytning of the table,
Upturned the table,screamed
NO MORE SANDWICHES
and left never to be found again...

Working from home, it was kind of how I got whenever an equivalent of the sandwich situation came up.

Been working on my 'sandwich situations' for some years... and the reaction is mostly internal.

But we were able to have a discussion about it.
She has taken umbrage at so many things,
I was empathising,she thought I was criticising..
Hopefully she widens the realisation from here!

And if she says 'does my hair look nice?
I DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID HAIR.

Is not the right answer :)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom