DSM-5 Proposed Draft

[DapperButch]

[QUOTE=violaine;49341][QUOTE=DapperButch;48862]Hi, belle.

When I heard about this potential change at work today, I didn't think about the positive that you mention above (some people not being able to get services). Thanks for that thought.

Instead what I thought about was my concern that those parents who struggle with the idea of accepting that their child has Aspergers will have an even harder time accepting an Autism diagnosis (due to the stigma of that recognizable diagnosis), and that more children will become untreated (that may have been treated) if they had been "labeled" with the "lighter" diagnosis of Aspergers (meaning, parents will be less likely to follow through with treatment if they are told that their child has "autism")

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"]thank you for responding to my post, and interest in further communication regarding the elimination of asperger's dx to the DSM V.

i have seen the parents in support groups- yes - they do often struggle with the 'A' word. sometimes, it appears to be more about what NT parents want AT kids to do/be, instead of who the person on the spectrum wishes to be, and i cannot help thinking about NT hard wiring connected to peer pressure - many times there's perceived such strengths in achieving lots of socialisation/fitting in, et c.
asperger's is not necessary 'lighter' in all areas- that's what i mean- it manifests for everyone differently. because someone is more verbal, can operate a computer, and hold a job- does not automatically assume the aspie is free of depression, anxiety, melt.down, & insomnia. what if a person has no family support, friendships, & social skills? although a 'lighter' dx is given, there's huge missing pieces.

if parents view asperger's as an easier road, that could set the child/teen/adult up for as much failure as choosing to eliminate very real needs a person on the spectrum has in place for coping skills- just because the parent forces 'normalisation' either from denial or embarrassment.

acceptace is gold- education is great- it's up to the parents to educate themselves instead of being in denial, embarrassed, or forcing an AT to be NT

best,
belle

I absolutely agree with you across the board, belle. Thank you for your thoughts.