Generating Awareness

Those of us diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, or who support people diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, may have a fight on our hands. Or, maybe not. It depends on the impact of the upcoming edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The APA plans to release edition 5 of the manual (DSM-5) in May of 2013.

   It can take any teacher a while to figure out the strengths and challenges of children at the beginning of a school year.   A child with Asperger Syndrome, or a similar autism spectrum disorder, may not benefit from waiting to be figured out.

   I saw a nice feature in the paper this morning about Autism Awareness Month.  Of course, in our family, every month is Autism Awareness Month.  Every day is Autism Awareness Day.  Every minute is...you get the idea.

   We’ve seen a lot of progress since our son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in 1997.  Especially in the way the media is increasingly portraying people with autism spectrum disorders as people and not aliens.

I’m convinced that, without knowing it, many of us are routinely interacting with people who have some form of Asperger Syndrome. We may think it’s something else. They may not recognize it themselves.

How does your brain work?

If you’re like most of us, you haven’t got a clue. Brain scientists have a clue, but that’s about all they have. In the grand scheme of things, we only have the basics figured out. We still have a lot to learn about the more complex aspects of the human brain.

I’ve been reading published responses to the American Psychiatric Association’s proposal to remove Asperger Syndrome from their diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM). I’ve appreciated the personal experiences people have shared in explaining where they stand on the issue.

Being diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in 1997 was one of the best things that ever happened to my son, Drew. Make no mistake, Asperger Syndrome can be duplicitous. It can give you abilities that make people shake their heads in wonder, and deficits that just make them shake their heads.

Wow.

The reaction I received to my article announcing that I’ve been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome was gratifying.

Will you think of me differently after you read the next sentence?

I have Asperger Syndrome.

I’ve written quite a bit about the benefits of disclosing Asperger Syndrome. My wife and I got an email last week that really drove the point home.