Uta Frith: why I no longer think autism is a spectrum

[velociraptor]

there should be 4 categories

Asperger's was the fourth category. Let's meet in the middle on this. Give it a new name that doesn't have any Nazi issues and let those of us who were Aspies be Somethingelseies and we're Even Steven.

 

[Hypnalis]

Asperger's was the fourth category. Let's meet in the middle on this. Give it a new name that doesn't have any Nazi issues and let those of us who were Aspies be Somethingelseies and we're Even Steven.

Asperger has no Nazi issues.

The "issues" were fabricated by ignorant airheads, and found their way here via people who got way too enthusiastic about catastrophizing. Among NTs catastrophizing is still in use, but it's become mostly self-harm - I think it's time for us to ignore it in general, and completely avoid it in use.

I agree with cyber though - I think a 4th category would be a good thing.

Asperger's doesn't work well as a 4th category though. The distinction was essentially "someone with Autism, but without a significant communication deficit".
Modern ASD is much broader than Autism was in his day - Almost everyone here would be over that bar.

 

[Cyber]

Aspies are basically Level 1 - require some level of accommodation and/or support > normies. But < category 2 & 3. Support for level 1's doesn't have to be financial, could be in terms of divulging diagnosis to normies in order they be inclusive or getting extra support from parents or guardians.

Category 4 are invisible Autists...travelling through life passing as normies, perhaps hiding little quirks (and hiding them well enough)

 

[NB79]

In my country pshychiatrists don't even diagnose adults,
They know about autism, but they don't bother,
unless you are with really difficult things about autism,
but if you can walk and talk and keep calm etc, forget about about diagnoses and support.
Most groups are still in the 'parents with children with autism' they don't consider adults.

 

[Hypnalis]

Aspies are basically Level 1 - require some level of accommodation and/or support > normies. But < category 2 & 3. Support for level 1's doesn't have to be financial, could be in terms of divulging diagnosis to normies in order they be inclusive or getting extra support from parents or guardians.

Category 4 are invisible Autists...travelling through life passing as normies, perhaps hiding little quirks (and hiding them well enough)

I agree with this in principle.

I always have to tell people I'm ASD, because I can function indefinitely within NT norms. But when I tell them, they find it's a simple, clear explanation for many of things they've thought were relatively "close to the edge" of NT norms.

I've met a lot of people like this (not all ASD as such, but close) due to working almost my entire career in IT, which is a very ASD1-friendly profession, and very accepting of us (not all ASDs, but ASDs who are smart, focused, and "hyper-analytical" do well in IT, and the downsides (e.g. in social skills) have hardly any negative effect in technical IT).

Bottom line - I'm very confident there's room for a 4th category, and also that it's identifiable. And most of that confidence is based on direct observations at a statistical frequency that is way too high to be random.
:
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IMO our biggest problem with this right now is that there are way too many people who claim to be ASD to score additional victim points.
They're messing up the numbers, and they're diverting resources to the wrong places.

 

[Jonn]

I was never diagnosed have no interest in ever being diagnosed, explained who I am all I need.

Diagnosis does help a lot of ppl.
I have heard this many times over the years.
It helped me understand myself better.

 

[NB79]

I think diagnosing may help if there is support,
if there isn't i think a person can learn for themselves if they are autistic,
because after reading experiences of others and about autism, it just falls naturally i think
when you realize 'Yes that is me'

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I personally think there should be 4 categories. Research suggests most women and some men with ASD are able to successfully mask to the point they go through life thinking they are normies.

I was one of those people. Personally, hindsight being 20/20, I didn't "know" I was different in the sense that my masking was unconscious, my intelligence allowed me to adapt and function well... on the other hand... likely because of the autism component, I didn't know that my "sensory issues", persistent tinnitis, visual snow syndrome, etc. was anything out of the ordinary. My cognitive empathy issues never triggered me to question whether other people were experiencing their world like I did... I just assumed I was the same as everyone else. I never spoke to people about myself, so these questions never came up... ever. Testing revealed something quite different... a real eye opener.

Now, to the best of my knowledge, the ASD-1, 2, and 3 categories are stratified based upon the need of support... 1 being "minimal" or none at all. Which... personally... I think is appropriate for myself. I don't need any support... but other ASD-1s might need some type of psychological/psychiatric therapy and medications... but otherwise, they are able to function in society just fine.

If there is any potential need for an ASD-4, it would be for those profoundly effected by the condition to the point where they are currently struggling to receive sufficient support in order to live without significant sacrifices. I see too many families wiped out financially, forced to give up their ability to make an income, and the stress ultimately tears the family apart, divorce, mental and physical abuse, substance abuse... it's a tragedy. I've seen young, trim, fit, good looking parents... bright eyed and full of life... age 20 years before my eyes... exhausted, their physical health failing, anxiety, nearing psychosis. It is so sad. As parents you do what you have to do for your children... even give up your own life in many ways. There needs to be significantly more support for these families.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

I never needed support just a break, which I made for myself over the years. worked out OK. I made a difference that's all that matters to me.

 

[JayLapointe]

I was one of those people. Personally, hindsight being 20/20, I didn't "know" I was different in the sense that my masking was unconscious, my intelligence allowed me to adapt and function well... on the other hand... likely because of the autism component, I didn't know that my "sensory issues", persistent tinnitis, visual snow syndrome, etc. was anything out of the ordinary. My cognitive empathy issues never triggered me to question whether other people were experiencing their world like I did... I just assumed I was the same as everyone else. I never spoke to people about myself, so these questions never came up... ever. Testing revealed something quite different... a real eye opener.

My experience was similar to yours in that I didn't realize my masking was unconscious. I always had a hard time fitting in but I always thought that i was just a very smart neurotypical and that my problems were mostly to do with dealing with too many dumb folks. All the sensory issues I had I didn't realize, I just knew certain environments I inherently didn't like, like busy shopping malls, but couldn't figure out the real why, again I just attributed it to, too many dumb people. For me it wasn't until my 40's that I learned I was autistic, and then looking back on everything through that lens, everything made sense, and people weren't dumb after all. Well not all of them anyways.

I will admit too that a large part of why I thought the way I did was complete ignorance on the spectrum that is autism and neurodivergence in general. I'd just figured since I was able to mostly cope with the world, at least I thought I was coping (truthfully I wasn't and was struggling with alocholism) that there was no chance that I was anything but neurotypical. Rainman, and other extreme fictional examples of folks with what would be considered Lvl 3 was what I thought of when I thought Autistic.

With a limiting of the definitions of what should be considered Autistic as UTA suggests, there would be no place for me. No frame of understanding for how I currently go through the world. I am autistic, I just have minimal support needs.