 sj |
||
|
||
BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In...
|
|
|
Subject: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Bobert Date: 02 Dec 12 - 09:08 AM Well, looks as if "Asperger's Syndrome" is no more a considered a psychiatric condition so for those of you who may have it or know someone who does it's time to pop the corks and celebrate 'cause... ...you're cured!!! However, bad news for Republicans and 2 year olds as there is a new mental illness that has taken Asperger's place... Yup, for those folks with temper tantrum issues "DMDD" (disruptive mood dysregulation disorder) is in... But the good news for the Republicans... Seeing as DMDD is in their insurance will pay for treatment but, sadly, those suffering from Aasperger' won't... Oh well??? B~ |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,999 Date: 02 Dec 12 - 09:35 AM Good overview of the changes here. Please be informed that people with Asperger's will NOT lose school funding because of the change because it will be moved to Autism Spectrum Disorder and still be covered for aide time brought about by extra funding for those children. Read the article. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: JohnInKansas Date: 02 Dec 12 - 09:37 AM Bobert - Ya just gotta realize it ain't what you call it, but how the doc fills in the little box on the insurance claim form. There's still a place to put it, but it's under the new name which is a lot less specific and once they learn how to use the new codes it quite likely will bring coverage for a much wider group of patients who maybe "didn't quite" exactly fit the old definition. The only real problem is that the docs will now have to think harder about how they interpret the patient's problem, and maybe will have to be a little more careful about properly describing it, which could mean "all hope is lost for everybody" who might be dysfunctional. They also "declined to include" a definition for "Sadistic Personality Disorder," for which a concise and definitive standard would be an immense help for lots of small town cop shops and "code enforcement" offices that seem to attract the type. (Serious need in my town.) John |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Jeri Date: 02 Dec 12 - 09:56 AM From 999's link: One of the most hotly argued changes was how to define the various ranges of autism. Some advocates opposed the idea of dropping the specific diagnosis for Asperger's disorder. People with that disorder often have high intelligence and vast knowledge on narrow subjects but lack social skills. Some who have the condition embrace their quirkiness and vow to continue to use the label. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Bonzo3legs Date: 02 Dec 12 - 12:45 PM asperger syndrome pocketbook Maybe you should read this! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Janie Date: 02 Dec 12 - 02:31 PM As a clinician, I was very pleased the change was approved. Maybe one of these days they will make a similar change with respect to Bipolar spectrum disorders. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Jack Campin Date: 02 Dec 12 - 05:52 PM They're going to look pretty damn silly if it turns out that Asperger's has a distinct aetiology unrelated to conditions usually diagnosed as (other kinds of) autism. There are some striking differences in heavy metal metabolism, for a start. People with Asperger's and those with other types of autism are both very different in trace metal levels from normal folks, but in different ways. Which suggest that something fundamental distinguishes the two, at a physiological level. The American system of diagnostic categorization is entirely driven by politics and money. Scientifically it's garbage. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,999 Date: 02 Dec 12 - 07:27 PM I don't doubt the same can be said of hyperlexia. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Jeri Date: 02 Dec 12 - 07:54 PM The way I understand it, hyperlexia is more of a symptom, although "symptom" isn't a good word for it, either. It's a thing people on the autism spectrum can have, like hypersensitivity to sounds or smells, or repetitive language. Not a condition in and of itself, but a possible indicator. I don't know that metabolism of heavy metals is any more pertinent than similarity of symptoms, but there is so much that is not known. I think trying to get closer to correct is better than not changing to make use of what we DO know. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,999 Date: 02 Dec 12 - 08:23 PM http://giftedkids.about.com/od/glossary/g/hyperlexia_def.htm |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Jeri Date: 02 Dec 12 - 09:05 PM Thanks, 9s. I'd found information on it before, but I hadn't found any site that treated hyperlexia as a separate syndrome, including other typical signs/symptoms. (...and a little while later, I find that Mudcat is still not taking posts the first time. 2nd try.) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Janie Date: 02 Dec 12 - 09:42 PM To the best of my knowledge, hyperlexia is not a diagnosis in either the DSM or the ICD. I think you said it pretty well in your previous post, Jeri. "Official" medical diagnoses are often normative and descriptive rather than, or at least as much as, etiological, and that is especially true of psychiatric diagnoses. Diagnoses are labels, often necessary labels, but I often tell people to not get hung up on a label. It may more or less describe a configuration of signs, symptoms or experiences as reported by or observed in an individual, but a diagnostic label never, ever describes who a person is. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,999 Date: 03 Dec 12 - 03:22 AM In schools, labels are the only way for kids to get funding in order to receive the help they need. No, they don't define the person, but fact is, they do. Take a wander through this site (or Youtube, or, or) and look at the use of labels like 'retard'. They are often used by uninformed people to describe who/what a person is. Hyperlexia is a condition that shows itself in 5-10% of children who are on the autism spectrum. Whether it fits ths paradigms of either the DSM (which refers to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) or the ICD (which refers to the International Classification of Diseases) does not make the condition disappear. I agree people shouldn't get hung up on labels, but without them kids in need remain in need. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,999 Date: 03 Dec 12 - 03:40 AM Sorry. All that to say that while you are correct, Janie, in that hyperlexia is not a diagnosis by itself, it is a condition that is in a broader diagnosis in the ASD area and unless a label is applied the child will receive little or no help at the school level. Been there, done that. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,Stim Date: 03 Dec 12 - 11:38 AM The new definitions of ASDs focus on deficits, though Asperger's/Autism are often as notable for the extra abilities and sensitivities that present. Listen to Temple Grandin, for instance, and you'll come away thinking that Asperger's/Autism is one of the best things ever. The old sense of Autism was the "Rocking Horse Winner"; mentally impaired, sensory isolated, emotionally overwhelmed, and trapped in a cycle of meaningless repetitive physical movements. Asperger's, PDD, AHDD, Hyperlexia, and such diagnoses reflect an understanding that there are a wide range of ways that cognitive and perceptual differences play out, and that each requires different habilitation, therapy, and support. Putting it all on the same spectrum may seem to simplify things, but it really eliminates all the progress that's been made. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,Eliza Date: 03 Dec 12 - 11:49 AM My niece is Apergers (she calls herself an Aspie) and has just graduated from Durham Uni and got a job with Lloyds Bank (the ethical branch run by the Co-op, as I understand it) She's a very unusual lassie, and comes across as a bit odd and at times inappropriate, but she is also almost at genius level, has achieved grade 8 in piano and plays with various orchestras in Edinburgh. She taught herself Japanese and writes songs and music. She needs a bit of supervision and finds relationships tricky to handle, but she's quite a girl. She probably doesn't care what label is stuck on her! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Joe_F Date: 03 Dec 12 - 06:30 PM Yeah, they won't let me call myself a neurotic any more either. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST Date: 03 Dec 12 - 07:26 PM LOLOLOL |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,999 Date: 03 Dec 12 - 07:27 PM That last post was me. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Janie Date: 03 Dec 12 - 08:47 PM 999 - I don't have any problem with diagnosing or putting a diagnostic label on a condition - just was commenting because I see people who have difficulty understanding that who they are is not the same thing as what diagnoses or conditions they may have. That is true of a lot of diagnoses, not just psychiatric diagnoses. I think I disagree, Stim, though will wait until the DSM-V comes out, when I can read and study the diagnostic criteria and specifiers. Autistic/pervasive developmental issues do present along and across a broad spectrum of severity, deficits, and unusual abilities. No decent treatment team or clinician applies a "one size fits all" approach in providing treatment or in developing a treatment plan. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,999 Date: 03 Dec 12 - 08:55 PM Thanks, Janie. I understood that. My reference was to education funding, not specifically psychiatric conditions/disorders. I appreciated your distinction between medical and psychological conditions. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Janie Date: 03 Dec 12 - 09:38 PM Know what you mean, Bruce. It seems that schools, sadly but understandably, tend to have both a "one size fits all" approach with any child with learning disabilities, tremendous variation in talent, education and commitment among staff, and very strict criteria, given the financial constraints, on who gets services and who doesn't. Even once a child meets the criteria, the quality and appropriateness of services varies tremendously. Kids who "fall between the cracks" diagnostically are often left out in the cold, especially when their parents don't know what the child's rights and the school's legal responsibilities are, and don't know how to effectively advocate for their child. That observation is based on my own experience with both public and private schools in dealing with my own child's learning disabilities (not in the autistic spectrum), as well as from listening to parents in therapy as they attempt to navigate the educational system on behalf of their kids with learning disabilities, including autistic spectrum disorders. One hope I have for the change in diagnostic criteria, though can't know until the DSM-V comes out, is that it will be inclusive and flexible enough for clinicians to be able to go ahead and make a diagnosis that will get a kid on the margins of the autism spectrum the educational services they need and deserve. Time will tell, I suppose. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Janie Date: 03 Dec 12 - 09:57 PM And another thing....*grin* All the public interest and advocacy, and most of the behavioral health care interest and dollars are targeted at kids. For good reason-early intervention is vital. But kids with autistic tendencies grow up and become adults. They still need services, intervention, support, and they and their families and loved ones need education and support. All of that it is much harder to come by for adults. There is little public health or public mental health dollars available for adults with autism spectrum disorders who are also not deemed to be mentally retarded. In addition, many current adults with milder autistic spectrum issues were never diagnosed as children - Asperger's Syndrome was not included in the DSM or the ICD until the 1990's. Even within that diagnosis there is wide variability in symptoms and impairment, but many people with relatively minimal impairment may still find it hard to keep a job or maintain relationships, without either the individual or the people who care about them having a clue as to why that might be. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Songwronger Date: 03 Dec 12 - 10:21 PM The larger story here is that psychiatry's bible, the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is being revised for the first time since 1994. The updated version will be out in May, 2013. The American Psychiatric Association will use this updating to screw people out of insurance benefits, prescribe bogus drugs, and incarcerate political prisoners. The road from the old Soviet "mental health" system will now lead to American gulags. The APA is a joke. A couple of years ago they were debating whether to de-crazify narcissism, in a nod to our preening Glorious Leader Obama. Come May it'll be interesting to see what new crap they serve up as caviar. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,Stim Date: 03 Dec 12 - 11:07 PM Very, very good points on the adults with ASDs. The undiagnosed, often with the "relatively minor impairments" are also the most difficult to treat. They function on a much higher level, so their impairments interfere with much more complex skills. For instance, how does one teach a person to discern that they've offended someone? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 04 Dec 12 - 06:16 AM "Putting it all on the same spectrum may seem to simplify things, but it really eliminates all the progress that's been made." I agree. And, it is a total nonsense. Asperger's is now starting to be recognized and understood by many people. So what do those in authority do, wipe it out!! You cannot now say "Oh, this child has autism" because that does not truly define Aspergers at all, even though it is classed as high functioning autism. Aspergers is a very specific set of criteria and to now pretend it no longer exists is ridiculous! You watch them start to redefine Autism next...and little by little, child by child, the funding WILL start to disappear. It is my guess this has been done purely because the numbers of people being diagnosed with Aspergers is rising all the time. It is said that around 1 in 80 people are now diagnosed with Autism and a great many of those people/children will need a great deal of help. The money is running out in many countries and it seems to me that those with Autism/Aspergers are going to be at the top of the list to 'cut back on' in whatever way they can legally do it. IF 1 in 80 people were being diagnosed with mumps, whooping cough, plague, scarlet fever, etc etc..there would be a National OUTRAGE of Massive Concern and Worry...but 1 in 80 people ARE being diagnosed with Autism/Aspergers and the world stays SILENT. WHY? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,Black Belt Caterpillar Wrestler Date: 04 Dec 12 - 07:34 AM I always wondered why, whilst being a folkie, I liked heavy metal so much:) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 04 Dec 12 - 08:26 AM I recommend a book I recently got at the public library. Called "The Autism Revolution," it was written by a woman whose name I forget, but she runs a clinic at Harvard. Her basic theme is "forget the autism label. First get the kid healthy." Apparently people are so baffled by the mental symptoms of autism that they overlook that the victim has poor diet, chronic colds and other infections, frequent diarrhea, poor sleep... The chemicals in a body under siege affect the operation of the brain, and the result - person cannot think or learn normally. Makes sense to me. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 04 Dec 12 - 09:30 AM No, it doesn't makek sensse to me, leeneia. Whilst I hear what you say and agree that of course total care should be taken of any child with Aspergers, or any child on the entire circle of Autism, it is vital that people understand what Aspergers means, in order those children can be understood and helped, to the best of everyone's ability. The DMDD title, which I cannot even recall now, as it is so ridiculous and not a name *anyone* will remember anyway, is a load of crap. More and more they will try to spend less and less on children with Autism, whilst at the same time refusing to put money into research to find out why Autism is on the increase. The people 'in charge' in many countries now, don't give a shite about anyone else. If they can sweep 'Aspergers' under the carpet, they will. Everyone should be fighting this with everything they have. It is absurd. They have also, I believe, in this country, tried to say that Dyslexia does not exist...More Lunacy from The Lunatics!! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Jeri Date: 04 Dec 12 - 10:55 AM "Aspberger's", on its own, is a lot easier to sweep under the rug than "Autistic Spectrum Disorder". The labels are for broad diagnoses, because even when you get a little more specific, each child under the smaller umbrella is still different from every other child. The way I see it, the label serves to make all evaluations of folks with ASD start on level ground, and THEN they have to be looked at as individuals. There's no more "Oh, he has Aspberger's, so is probably high functioning and we don't have to pay too much attention to him." Labels are for people who NEED labels. For institutions, for benefits, for statistics. If any individual human being is trying to figure out another individual human being based on a their label, they should have their own label. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,Stim Date: 04 Dec 12 - 11:52 AM Parents of kids with ASD/Asperger's are not "so baffled by the mental symptoms..." that they overlook regular health issues. If anything, Parents of ASD kids are more aware of regular health issues, because they have to pay constant attention to what's going on with the kid. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 04 Dec 12 - 12:53 PM Don't generalize. I have a friend who teaches autistic children in a public school. "Her" parents run the gamut from totally involved to totally passive. I recommend the book to anybody looking for logic and hope for their family. What would it hurt to spend 2-3 hours reading it? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 04 Dec 12 - 01:46 PM So, if someone has Cancer, are we then not allowed to say they have Caner? Aspergers is hugely on the increase...if they now take away the very name which is just starting to break through into the Non-Asperger minds at long last, it will cause chaos.... FAR more money should be being POURED into TMS research and here you can watch and listen to John Elder Robison talking about his experience with this research. John is an Aspie, as he calls himself, and used to desigen the special effects for KISS. Here he talks about experiencing the emotions of the person he was talking to for the first time in his life.... John on TMS Research - Youtube |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,Stim Date: 04 Dec 12 - 01:51 PM I should have, perhaps, said, "tend to..", but I know many parents with autistic children, and my statement reflects what I have seen. My best wishes to your friend, she's chosen a challenging path. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Greg F. Date: 04 Dec 12 - 03:01 PM So, Liz - please tell us what subject(s) - if any - about which you are NOT the world's absolute top authority. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Bonzo3legs Date: 04 Dec 12 - 04:06 PM Whoever decided that "Asperger's Syndrome" is no more considered to be a psychiatric condition is a complete fuckwit. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Janie Date: 04 Dec 12 - 06:58 PM Hi Bonzo. It is not that people with the signs and symptoms that are currently given a diagnosis called Aserger's will no longer be considered to have a psychiatric condition. The name of the diagnosis will change. There will be several other pervasive development diagnoses that will also go away and will also be included under the diagnosis "Autism Spectrum Disorder." My understanding is there will be a number of qualitative and/or quantitative specifiers than will be used to connote variation and severity. It is similar to what happened with what are now the Bipolar diagnoses. The original diagnosis was manic-depression, a diagnosis that no longer exists, but a term that is still commonly used, which more or less corresponds to what is now called Bipolar I Disorder. At present there is Bipolar I (with several specifiers, Bipolar II, Bipolar Disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified) and Cyclothymia. The current range of diagnoses reflect to some extent the wide variation in the number of symptoms and severity of symptoms along the spectrum. I'd much prefer "Bipolar Spectrum Disorder" because I have often had patients who clearly have bipolar spectrum symptoms sufficient to lead to difficulties in functioning in one or more domains, or that cause substantial subjective distress, but who really don't meet the diagnostic criteria for any one of the 4 currently available Bipolar spectrum diagnoses. (I'll manage to wedge them in somehow or another, as will any clinician who recognizes the medical necessity for treatment for that individual) There will be many changes in diagnostic nomenclature and categories in the DSM-V. The process of revising diagnostic manuals is a long one. Changes are always controversial, and there are always many battles among those who sit on the committees and panels that ultimately take the votes and make the decisions. There are many, many different factors that are considered. No one is ever entirely happy, but guess what, no one is ever entirely happy. There are a lot of different stake holders with differing perspectives, wants, needs and expectations. Believe it or not, all voices get heard. Research, politics, social/societal implications, and personal agendas and egos all come into play, as they do in any human endeaver. Regardless, the DSM-V, when out, will be the official code from which I must practice, and I will do so. Also understand that even as the "V" comes out, work will be starting on the VI, initially based on what turned up or stirred up in the process of arriving at the final V. About the DSM While I think there is legitimacy to the criticisms noted in the wiki article, I have also observed bonafide efforts to address those criticisms with each new revision. I trained in graduate school on the DSM III. When the IV came out, the changes were not so great that I couldn't read up on them and feel comfortable with it. For the DSM-V, I've already sent in the money to attend a continuing education seminar for training purposes. Will it be perfect? Far from it. But Guys and Gals, only 30-35 years ago the most generally accepted professional understanding of schizophrenia was it was caused by bad mothering. With the advent of the DSM, common nomenclature and standardized diagnosis were first seriously and widely introduced to psychiatry and psychology in the USA. That marked the real beginnings of a basis from which to begin research and to design research studies that have rapidly and radically advanced and changed our understanding of mental illness and normal psychology. Classification serves to advance science, research methodology and understanding of mental health and mental illness. In the USA, (the ICD is more commonly used in Europe - and closely but not entirely corresponds,) the effects of the first DSM (and the army manual with which it started) of fostering improved research and research design represented a significant attempt toward a Linnaean taxonomy for mental "disorders." We've got a long way to go. Much more road stretches ahead than behind. But we have come a long way since Freud first set us on a path, and look at all the branches taking off from that path. For those of us who work in mental health, even folks toward the end of their careers like me who sometimes have difficulty integrating and making meaning from the flood of new data, it is very exciting and very hopeful. We are a long way from understanding autism, but we know something about it now, whereas only a decade or two ago, we really had nothing other than the observations of the experiences of people with autism. Diagnosis, at least to this point in our knowledge and science, will rarely be completely standardized and is still as much "art" as it is science in many instances. Personal and professional experience, intuition, personality, culture and class of the clinician compared to the patient or client, training and personal and professional paradigms (meta-considerations) will all influence diagnosis, as well as how important the clinician perceives making an accurate diagnosis to be. That is true in the medical field also for many, many diagnoses. While changes in classifications will always have pros and cons, winners and losers, these are not static endeavers or decisions, and the road, over time, generally leads forward. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Janie Date: 04 Dec 12 - 07:18 PM Hope my long post doesn't kill this thread. (My posts often seem to do so.) I also hope it will not be viewed as major thread drift. I think it great when lay people take interest in and think about mental health issues. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: LadyJean Date: 04 Dec 12 - 08:10 PM I haveSa learning disability. I once had to explain to a social worker that I knew how to read. I had one of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin books in my lap. I sometimes wonder what she thought I was doing with it. People do not always look beyond the label. I spent part of today with a woman who is a non stop talker. She doesn't seem to understand that the minutiae of her life are not a subject of general interest. So I had a discourse on her fountain pen collection, a long description of her weekend. Her views on various inks that she uses in her fountain pen collection, and no opportunity to gat a word in edgewise. As far as I know she's never been labeled anything (excpet a pain.) She went through college, held down a job before she married. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,Stim Date: 04 Dec 12 - 10:26 PM The problem for a lot of people, Janie, is that the term "Autism" acquired an unfortunate connotation, because it was always associated with what is now considered "low-functioning autism" which included profound language impairment and mental retardation. "Asperger's" explicitly excluded both of those issues. Now, people who were given the "Asperger's" designation will be asked to accept the "autism" label, because, they are told, it won't have the commonly accepted meaning any more. When diagnostic criteria were broadened, or narrowed, or otherwise changed in the past, labels like "lunatic", "Moron", "imbecile", "idiot", and "spastic"(and manic-depressive), that had developed unfortunate connotations, were replaced with more precise, value neutral words. This is not what is happening here, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if their were lawsuits. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: ollaimh Date: 05 Dec 12 - 01:37 PM i was under the impression that republicans had DMDD all their lives! not necessarily asbergers because asbergers people often have special skills, other than obscructive disruption of everything |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Janie Date: 06 Dec 12 - 05:32 AM Well Stim, the articles and discussions I've read (including on this thread!) make clear this was a controversial decision. I've read comments from people with Asperger's and from parents of kids with Asperger's that come down on either side of this particular controversy. I have never heard anyone use the term "autism" in a derogatory way - I've never heard it used as a put down or in the same way that many of those other words you described (moron, idiot, etc) are commonly used. That may just mean I don't get around much. Clinically, the change has little significance other than to reflect more accurately the language and thinking used by diagnosticians and treating providers. Can't say until I see the diagnostic criteria if it might effect the threshold at which higher functioning people with autistic traits might qualify for a diagnosis that would open the door for services. The likeliest impact, if any, will be with respect to the array of educational services, services covered by Medicaid or other insurances, and/or disability criteria for Social Security/SSI. Time will tell whether this change will over-all be positive, negative or neutral. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,999 Date: 06 Dec 12 - 07:44 AM I was unaware that insurance companies paid for special needs assistance for kids in the US. In Canada, it is taxpayer funded, part of the social contract here. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,Stim Date: 06 Dec 12 - 09:49 AM Janie-It's not really tossed around as an insult, but it is a label that causes sufferers and their families to be isolated and even ostracized. If you don't think so, watch the faces of friends and family members when they find out that a three year old has been diagnosed with "Autism". |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,999 Date: 06 Dec 12 - 09:55 AM It does cause a sinking in one's heart. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,Stim Date: 06 Dec 12 - 02:44 PM And people don't come 'round like they used to. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: GUEST,999 Date: 06 Dec 12 - 04:44 PM Stim, that one really hit home. Had me in tears for a few minutes. You ever need/want to talk about it, I'm at irishancestry (at) gmail (dot) com BM |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: LadyJean Date: 06 Dec 12 - 08:14 PM Some years back a group autistic children and their parents went to a local amusement park. The kids functioned well enough to manage the rides, or their parents wouldn't have brought them. They were wearing tee shirts, with the name of their association, whatever it was, on the front. The park didn't want to let them in. Didn't want to let them on rides, and made the kids turn their tees inside out. All of which sucked. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: Janie Date: 06 Dec 12 - 09:59 PM I agree with you whole-heartedly, LadyJean. It does suck. All of it. Stim, I have little personal or professional stake in this change. It may not prove to be a positive change. I think the potential exists for the over-all impact to be positive, but as I already said, time will tell. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: 'Asperger's' Out, 'DMDD' In... From: JohnInKansas Date: 07 Dec 12 - 05:07 AM The main purpose of the DSM would appear to be to provide a consistent set of definitions and descriptions to be used by mental health practitioners so that they can all 'use the same language" in diagnosis and in determining treatments. The use by insurers and others who may provide assistance for patients is a "derivative use," although probably helpful. Early comments on the new "DMDD" classification that seem most likely to help with settling some of the concerns has seemed to come mostly from those directly involved in treatment, although that may be just an appearance that I see since I pay less attention to the news/gossip comments. One recent expression of concern, as an example only, is at: Kids' tantrums as disorder concern docs > By Rachael Rettner, MyHealthNewsDaily > Some doctors are concerned about new guidelines allowing children who frequently throw tantrums to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder, arguing that normal kids can act this way, but also caution that such behavior could signal several other mental health conditions. > The new diagnosis of "disruptive mood dysregulation disorder" will appear in the updated version of the psychiatric handbook the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), to be published in May. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) approved the final version of the manual on Saturday (Dec. 1). > Although detailed criteria for the diagnosis have not been released, an APA statement said the condition could apply to "children who exhibit persistent irritability and frequent episodes of behavior outbursts three or more times a week for more than a year." The addition is intended in part to reduce the number of kids misdiagnosed as having bipolar disorder, who may be treated with powerful drugs. > But some experts say the new condition was added to the manual too soon. ... The complete posting at the link is fairly long, but a main concern expressed is that the ambiguity in how this classification is to be described could lead to more use of drugs for more patients, rather than the "less medication" the change is intended to encourage. A peek at the full article is suggested for those interested ... John |
