Monday, 3 December 2012 05:56 pm
(no subject)
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deckardcanineThe new DSM-V has dropped "Asperger's syndrome" from official diagnoses and lumps the people to whom it applied under "autistic spectrum disorder."
Ordinarily I don't really mind when the APA changes terminology. I got used to saying "dissociative identity disorder" despite the tradition of "multiple personality disorder" instead. If it's more accurate, why not?
My hangup this time is the broadness of the remaining label. Telling people I have Asperger's can give them a good idea of my symptoms. Telling them I have autistic spectrum disorder -- especially if someone else does the telling in my absence -- may bring much more severe behavior to mind. Even adding "mild" may not be enough; I recall a documentary in which a "slightly autistic" man spent hours each day staring at a particular frozen video frame.
On this point, I intend to stick with old-fashioned language.
Ordinarily I don't really mind when the APA changes terminology. I got used to saying "dissociative identity disorder" despite the tradition of "multiple personality disorder" instead. If it's more accurate, why not?
My hangup this time is the broadness of the remaining label. Telling people I have Asperger's can give them a good idea of my symptoms. Telling them I have autistic spectrum disorder -- especially if someone else does the telling in my absence -- may bring much more severe behavior to mind. Even adding "mild" may not be enough; I recall a documentary in which a "slightly autistic" man spent hours each day staring at a particular frozen video frame.
On this point, I intend to stick with old-fashioned language.