Asperger's Syndrome?

Are you upset that this person has been diagnosed with what you consider a rather mild if nonexistent mental condition? OR maybe you're upset that he has probably received a "free ride" courtesy of the Board of Ed.

asperger's is a disorder that leads to significant problems with socialization, but that isn't the sum of it. the problem is a cognitive one, and people with the condition aren't able to detect or process or respond appropriately to normal social cues. usually this doesn't make it just difficult to make friends; it makes it impossible to have a successful interpersonal exchange, and people can wind up with a social/emotional development level that is decades behind where most people at their age are. it can also lead to problems in school and delayed education, even though most people with asperger's are quite intelligent, particularly when it comes to language skills. like all autism classifications, it is a spectrum disorder, and the symptoms can range from relatively mild to severe. some people with asperger's seem just slightly eccentric, but some aren't able to live independently. there is no medication for it; if this boy you're talking about was given some sort of prescription, it wasn't for the asperger's itself. the medical community is not "reaching." the condition is very real and biologically based, and it is not autism-like, it is a true autism spectrum disorder. please don't judge or dismiss before you have full information.

brokechick wrote: asperger's is a disorder that leads to significant problems with socialization, but that isn't the sum of it. the problem is a cognitive one, and people with the condition aren't able to detect or process or respond appropriately to normal social cues. usually this doesn't make it just difficult to make friends; it makes it impossible to have a successful interpersonal exchange, and people can wind up with a social/emotional development level that is decades behind where most people at their age are. it can also lead to problems in school and delayed education, even though most people with asperger's are quite intelligent, particularly when it comes to language skills. like all autism classifications, it is a spectrum disorder, and the symptoms can range from relatively mild to severe. some people with asperger's seem just slightly eccentric, but some aren't able to live independently. there is no medication for it; if this boy you're talking about was given some sort of prescription, it wasn't for the asperger's itself. the medical community is not "reaching." the condition is very real and biologically based, and it is not autism-like, it is a true autism spectrum disorder. please don't judge or dismiss before you have full information.

good job brokechick and dakotas way.

Yup, some folks with aspergers get meds for correlated conditions (for example, OCD behavior, etc) but the meds certainly don't treat or cure Aspergers.

Lots of research out there, all of which says a professional should not be diagnosing the Aspergers for just "not making friends"

http://www.autreat.com/dsm4-aspergers.html

That said, remember medical/psychiatric diagnosis change and evolve as we learn more. ....Homosexuality was a disorder until far too recently in the DSM. PTSD is still evolving and being defined, etc.

TVC15 wrote:
Not sure what you mean by "free ride"?

I am being facetious. The Bd of Ed. is required by law to give every child a free education. If there isn't a school within the city system that "fits" a particular handicap then they, the City, pays for your kid to go to a private school, tuition paid for by the City of New York.