Doctors revising the DSM propose to discontinue the use of the term Asperger's Syndrome as an official diagnosis. Great!
As today's Science Times reports, "If these experts have their way, Asperger's syndrome and another mild form of autism, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (P.D.D.-N.O.S. for short), will be folded into a single broad diagnosis, autism spectrum disorder – a category that encompasses autism's entire range, or spectrum, from high-functioning to profoundly disabling."
This sounds wise. For one, because it's in line with a less rigid, and probably more helpful view of psychological problems-"The proposed changes to the autism category are part of a bigger overhaul that will largely replace the old 'you have it or you don't' model of mental illness with a more modern view-that psychiatric disorders should be seen as a continuum, with many degrees of severity." And two, more obviously, because Asperger's is about the worst name anyone could ever have come up with for a group of people defined primarily by a wide spectrum of social awkwardness.
Also, everyone should read Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-time, a terrific 2003 novel narrated by 15-year-old Christopher Boone, who has Asperger's syndrome. Here's what he says:
This will not be a funny book. I do not tell jokes because I do not understand them. Here is a joke, as an example. It is one of my father's: 'His face was drawn but the curtains were real.' I know why this is meant to be funny. I asked. It is because drawn has three meanings and they are 1) drawn with a pencil, 2) exhausted, and 3) pulled across a window, and meaning 1 refers to both the face and the curtains, meaning 2 refers only to the face, and meaning 3 refers only to the curtains. If I try to say the joke to myself, making the word mean the three different things at the same time, it is like hearing three different pieces of music at the same time which is uncomfortable and confusing and not nice like white noise. It is like three people trying to talk to you at the same time about different things. And that is why there are no jokes in this book.
GAY.
Beautifully executed.
I am all for the de-stigmatizing of mental illnesses, and that Haddon book was indeed 55 kinds of awesome. But in my book, there was always something kind of geek-nerd cool about Asperger's, like the ability to draw incredibly complicated electronic schematics and engine blocks and shit.
Agree with book "review" and your take on those with Asperger's. One tendancy they had that I envied was to say what they were thinking without over analyzing it (or analyzing it at all.) In my company, one of my favorite students told another teacher who I didn't care for, in a very matter of fact way, that she was his worst nightmare. I had all I could do not to burst out laughing.
I was an intern at the same time as another young woman who had Asperger's and it was anything but funny. A good portion of the intership revolved around meeting different people in the company in social settings. She said to the head of recruiting during a cocktail hour (in front of a big group): "Oh, you have a kid? I see you don't have a ring on. How can you have a kid if you're not married?"
When we were first introduced, she asked me where I went to college and followed up with questions on why I didn't go to an Ivy league college, was it because I didn't get accepted, etc.
The internship coordinator didn't do a very good job with placement. Everyone has their limitations.
I would quickly have become very good friends with this woman.
The reality of Asperger's, however, is far less than cool. My Uncle, who has the disorder, can name every railroad route and schedule in the entire country; he's also 66 years old, never lived away from home until my grandmother died, since which he's been semi-homeless. He's is also a really frightening cross-dresser.
Agree that there are far more negatives. Also depends on the severity.
But really, that joke is stupid.
srsly, but I love the book. Re: the wider issue, this is just prelude to having every single person taking drugs for autism since we're all going to be diagnosed as having it at some level or another.
I've had the book recommended to me before - it does sound like something I'd enjoy.
Oh, here's one: The exam was easy, but my dick was hard.
Napoleon Dynamite is my hero.
There's a point beyond which Asperger's can be not so charming, it's true. I'm quite fond of my friends who have got what must be mild cases, though--particularly their utter inability to produce meaningless bullshit of the "social" variety.
Also keep in mind that they always have loads of extra Ritalin lying about.
The explosion in autism has got to be a result of increasing probability that two parents with a genetic type that disposes them to both middle-class status and autism--by equipping them to succeed at knowledge/tech jobs--will reproduce. This must be in part the result of increased economic pressures that require both parents to be employed full-time. It would also be fed by the fact that women now attain college and graduate training on par with men, which in turn increases the likelihood that parents with superior cognitive abilities will meet and reproduce. This latter phenomenon is economic oppression masquerading as a triumph of feminism. Add autism to the list of pathologies that follows from late capitalism. The only solution is to go gay or to reproduce with the stupid.
"This latter phenomenon is economic oppression masquerading as a triumph of feminism."
Whose economic oppression? I had been my impression that only reason single-income households were able to proliferate in the U.S. for as long as they did was because the world wars had reduced many of our would-be competitors to rubble.
or both?
Or it's, uh, more likely to be diagnosed.
FWIW, my mom's specialty is autism-- she got her Master's degree in the early 90's-- and she says that there's no way that increased diagnosis can fully explain the numbers we're seeing.
VACCINES! just kidding. My understanding (from Dr. brother who works on these issues) is that mating nerds + more diagnosis + older mothers are all contributors.
"This latter phenomenon is economic oppression masquerading as a triumph of feminism."
what? The dual-income family is, indeed, in many cases a response to economic pressures, but I would say if there is anything feminists can be pleased with, it is the (still limited!) opening of very advanced technical jobs to women. If they are engaged with technical info to the extent that warrants an Asperger's diagnosis, chances are they are doing it for more than economic reasons.
I say great. This frees kids with that diagnosis from being referred to by their classmates as "Assburger".
Well, probably not for a long time, unless most bullies review the most current revisions of the DSM before said bullying.
Maybe before long they'll add bullying to the DSM as 'compensation rage disorder' or some such. And then the pharma companies will make some meds for that, too.
Rhetorical figures don’t have to be jokes too. In fact, some would say antanaclasis is no laughing matter.
This book is like one boring person trying to talk at me at once.
Haaated it!
(also I am kidding)
finally I can do this:
ASSpergers.
I loved "Curious Incident", too.
I would also recommend these non-fiction books: John Elder Robison's book, "Look Me in the Eye" is a very insightful autobiography of his life with Asperger's. (Robison also happens to be the brother of "Running With Scissors" author Augusten Burroughs). And, I found Dr. Temple Grandin's "Emergence: Labeled Autistic" and "Animals in Translation" to be fascinating reading as well.
Temple Grandin is truly an amazing person, diagnosis or not.
I will just add to the list NYT music critic Tim Paige, who has a new book out called "Parallel Play" about his experience with Asperger's (identified only recently when his teenage son was diagnosed). I haven't read it, but I heard him on Fresh Air and his description of what Philip Glass sounds like to him almost brought me to tears.
oops, Tim Page.