Overdiagnosis of autism

[Antonio the Sixth]

Maybe in the US, but definitely not in France (and probably not in the rest of Europe as well).

[Antonio the Sixth]

For our resident amateur psychologists, I'd like to remind that autism is a spectrum, not a single universal phenomenon. Nobody ever claims that Asperger's is the same thing as the most serious cases of autism. So, it would be nice if all the people who feel so butthurt at the idea that relatively "normal" people get "lumped together" with their very-impaired relatives would make an effort to get their facts straight first.

Thanks.

[Antonio the Sixth]

*facepalm*

[Antonio the Sixth]

*facepalm*

So silly.

I related an experience, which was similar to the OP. Perhaps you are too young, but a generation ago, autism described a "disease" that entailed wide ranging physical as well as emotional disabilities. It has nothing to do with anyone pretending to be armchair psychiatrists.

Is it that hard to understand though that autism has different degrees?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Thanks a lot for sharing this. You've been through a horrific experience and I am truly sorry for that. I have no idea how the educational system works in the US (or in NH), but I find it sickening that they didn't let you (regardless whether or not you have Asperger's) choose whether or not you wanted to receive the "help" that you got. Those people were well-meaning but certainly had no clue how to properly deal with cases like this, as the biggest disservice you can make to someone with Asperger's is to make it a defining label. This is totally wrong, again, whether or not the diagnosis was correct. And of course, the person who diagnosed you is guilty as well and it seems like a huge problem if it is indeed overdiagnosed in the US.

Since you have shared your experience, allow me to share mine.

I have Asperger's. I'm not defining myself as "someone who has Asperger's", and I'm sure as hell not letting anyone define me as such. In fact, I've never told most of my friends about it, and not because I'm ashamed or anything, but because I generally don't consider it relevant (when I talk about it, it's usually in response to some question related to my social skills, and I explain it in the most matter-of-fact way there is). None of my professors has ever known about my disability, even though I required extra time for exams.

I was 15 when I was diagnosed, and it came after nearly 10 years of trying to figure out what was going on with me. Because, contrary to you, I definitely had social skills issues from a very young age. In fact, I had almost no friend until high school. At elementary and middle school, schoolmates and teachers didn't need a medical label to know I was weird - it was obvious to all. The other kids reacted as elementary/middle-school kids always react when they see someone who's different. I can't say I suffered from severe bullying (never got beaten up or anything like that) but the everyday provocations became really straining and ended up making me hate going to school even though I was easily the smartest kid in the class.

Since I was diagnosed, my life has in every respect considerably improved. In fairness, most of it has nothing to do with my diagnosis (since as I said I have never made too much of it). I went to a smaller, private high school where students weren't the petty little monsters I had found before, and shared some of my interests in politics and history. I myself made some efforts to become more sociable, and ended up making real friends with whom I'm still close. Then I graduated from high school with excellent grade and ended up attending my dream university, where I met even more nice people and became even more interested in what I found there. And finally I went to SF, where people are infinitely easier to link up with than in France. I met amazing people, forged probably the closest friendship yet, and experienced love for the first time in my life (though entirely unrequited).

However, I think knowing that I had Aspergers also has helped me out significantly. As I said, I had long known I was different and didn't need a psychiatrist to convince me of that. However, it felt really good to know that my lack of social skills wasn't (entirely) my fault, that it wasn't just "not trying too hard" or "being self-centered". In some way, it made me feel more "normal" because it meant my character in itself wasn't flawed. Learning more about Asperger's I've recently realized that I'm probably among the highest-functioning people with Asperger's there are. And that's something I'm very proud of, because it means that I was able to overcome most of the hurdles I was faced with - kinda like a paralympic athlete, if you will. I don't feel any less "special" or "worthy" because of that, since I recognize there is just as much diversity among mentally handicapped people as there is among "normal" ones. My accomplishments aren't diminished because I am who I am, and Asperger's is only a small facet of that. I know what I can expect from myself, but I also know that nobody should force myself to change the core of my personality (as many well-meaning adults had tried to before I was diagnosed).

[Antonio the Sixth]

I find it pretty shocking that your teachers actually dismissed a professional opinion and just imposed special ed to you because of their gut feelings. Actually, I find it shocking that this is even legally possible - I mean, don't they require some sort of medical certification for this thing. This sort of behavior is absolutely inexcusable and runs counter so many educational principles that it should be considered a serious violation. Once again, this seems to have been a terrible experience and I'm truly sorry for you.

It also means that what happened to you can't be blamed with overdiagnosis of Asperger's since if I understand correctly you were actually never diagnosed as such. It seems that the only qualified neurologist who was involved in this process actually was right all along. Just like the renowned Parisian neuropsychiatrist who diagnosed me with Asperger's was. I'm not claiming that all psychiatrists/psychologists are above all blame (in fact, in France they are blamed for having completely misunderstood autism for decades, with dramatic consequences). Still, I don't think that anyone here has solid grounds to claim that (beyond the media hype that certainly exists) Aspergers is actually overdiagnosed.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yeah, teachers do have a strong influence on these issues here as well. Actually, my first psychological exam (in 1st grade) was conducted on the advice of a teacher. As a result I was labeled a "gifted" child, but no mention of Aspergers (just to illustrate how unknown it was in France until very recently). I can also see how bogus medical certificates can be easily obtained from a family doctor, I think that's the same everywhere... Still, I want to hope that special education is rarely implemented without a valid medical opinion. I'm not even sure if special ed is actually necessary for children with Asperger's (at least I don't think it would have done any good to me, though I know there are much more serious cases of Asperger's than mine). So it seems like there is indeed some popular hype in the US about Asperger's (though again maybe professionals aren't really to blame for this). In France though, we're barely starting to become aware of it, and I've heard several times that it's severely underdiagnosed.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Aren't "normal" people the worst? They exist to do manual/office labor and other peon jobs, nothing more. That's their role in life. They aren't capable of doing anything that requires thought or intelligence. They are expendable. They exist solely to breed people who will grow up to be just like them.

I fear for them when automation obsoletes their existence.