cocoabear asked:
They say,where are all the autistic adults?Could it be they have asperger`s syndrome?
They say,where are all the autistic adults?Could it be they have asperger`s syndrome?
How common,do you think asperger`s syndrome is in the general population?
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People were not diagnosed as often 20 or 30yrs ago…those people are often mis-diagnosed as mentally retarded and are in homes or they have committed suicide due to the fact that they are socially unaccepted often.
I think its highly under diagnosed, hopefully now with new research and treatments more accurate numbers will come out and people who need help can get it.
I personally don’t know much about asperger’s syndrome but I was just talking to a friend at work who’s son has Asperger’s Syndrome. Actually people with this are actually very intelligent. She said her son’s psychiatrist said you would be surprised how many people that are enrolled in college who are undiagnosed with asperger’s syndrome.
my son has it. I think it is vast problem that is just now getting the attention. Many good books and info out there about it.
There are many people in the population who have fallen through the cracks who are undiagnosed. Up until recently, (last 5-10 years) the knowledge and awareness of Aspergers Syndrome was very limited. Furthermore, since many times a person on the spectrum has co-morbid conditions (ADHD, OCD, Schizophrenia for example) in the past many people on the spectrum have been either misdiagnosed, or under-diagnosed.
Besides the lack of awareness, since this is a spectrum disorder, that as of now, cannot be diagnosed definitively with a blood or DNA test, it can in many cases be difficult to diagnose. The “spectrum” manifests itself in that some people with AS may have severe or very blatant symptoms while other may have mild ones. Some researchers have used the term “polar-opposites” in terms of behaviors — so one individual may have a need to maintain rigid routines, while another may not. One person may be very strict about getting to appointments on time and the other may always be late. There are some excellent books on AS — here:
Dr. Tony Attwood describes Aspergers using the analogy of a puzzle. At a recent conference he said that if you have about 80% of the pieces (including key corner and side pieces) you have AS, and most everyone in the general population has 10-20 pieces so many of us have some AS traits and some people fall somewhere in between…
The puzzle example explains why one person with AS may stick rigidly to routines while another person with AS does not have a need for strict routines. I specifically asked Dr. Attwood if the absence of a typical AS behavior or symptom could or would rule out an Aspergers diagnosis and he emphatically stated that it wouldn’t. Aspergers is the dx when you have someone with many of the AS behaviors at a high rate of occurance and certain level of severity — and not everyone has the same set of traits . He also stated that there are exceptions to the rules….
One of the most important thing to know about Aspergers is that if you have met one person with Aspergers, you have only met ONE person with Aspergers — in other words, each person has their own, individual and unique set of charecteristics and behaviors. This makes it quite difficult to diagnose when the person in question does not have some of the more blatent, classic, severe symptoms. Not every one with AS has sterotypical behavior and many people with AS can *mask* their symptoms in public, but under stress, or in private they loose control and allow AS symptoms to show.
Add to all this that many Aspies have a high level of intelligence, and a good memory as well as well developed mimicry skills — which has enabled many of the ones who were never diagnosed, to learn the coping skills that they need to try to blend in to society as a whole.
Now that more children are being dx’d and there is a greater awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorders as a whole, are we seeing more adults who are recognizing various spectrum traits in themselves and some are proceed to get an official dx while others are content to self-diagnose.
Other than the official DSM which in many peoples’ opinion, is poorly formulated, here are a few links that might help you learn about how to recognize AS:
And here are a couple of links that can assist in self-assessment”
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