In a way, name calling isn’t restricted to childhood. It usually becomes more subtle with age, but lately it seems to be escalating back to an immature level. To be blunt, names like: retard, bitch, or idiot, are used. Toned-down name calling would be to use terms like: knucklehead or blockhead. Sophisticated name calling crops up under the guise of words like: Asperger Syndrome, Autistic, or the now less heard phrase (but once upon a time accepted) Deaf and Dumb.¹ It’s the socially acceptable sophisticated names that are at risk for being abused. That’s what causes most people who are different to hide their other names.²
I prefer to use the word name rather than diagnose to make my final point in this post.
The verb diagnose carries a negative connotation behind it. Personal names, like Mary or Mike, typically remain neutral. No parent choses a name for their daughter or son based on diagnosing whether or not they show symptoms of having Mary’s Syndrome or Mike’s Syndrome. However, too many psychologists (and psychiatrists) choose a name for their client (or patient) based on what they would like to use as a reference for describing the differences they observe about him as compared to how they perceive the rest of society. Once these names get registered into the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and are made available to the public, others end up tapping into what they begin. What is especially destructive is the fact that first impressions last (unless of course they’re fought hard to destroy) and the DSM does repeatly alter certain descriptions after they’ve become widely used and accepted. I’ve already ranted about the DSM in my Hidden Expressions post back in March. I’m not saying a DSM book is useless, but what I am saying is that it has the potential to ruin lives and families just like it does to help them. This is especially so for gifted children and adults and is pointed out in the book Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults.
Now comes my final point:
Because the awareness of Aspergers and Autism began in the same century (combined with the lack of knowledge to know how much they differ), Aspergers has become rooted and entangled into the Autism Spectrum category. High Functioning Autism is commonly used synonymously with Aspergers. Few people even question this, since not enough information is available to the public. Even for myself, I have to accept Aspergers as being a form of Autism in order for me to begin learning more about this in depth, regardless of whether or not I agree.
As I’m learning about the ways in which Aspergers is not Autism, I’m also realizing why the mental health profession is reluctant to be more open about the risks behind incorporating Aspergers into the Autism Spectrum.
The American Psychiatric Association is presently redefining these categories in their DSM book. I’m sure it will have to continue being edited over time. If, and only after, the truthful facts get sorted out can they leave this chapter of their book closed. We will know that day has arrived when we no longer see Aspergers named as being a mental disorder (disorder in the subjective sense).
Given that those at the top level of the mental health profession cannot agree upon whether or not Aspergers is a form of Autism — plus, the fact that too many of them cannot make correct diagnoses often times³ — they are not going to want to make things more difficult by adding the responsibility of separating Aspies from Auties on top of it all!
I want to focus time and energy specifically upon Aspergers and all that relates to it. That means I want to keep my involvement with Autism down to the minimal level necessary to untangle this mess for my own benefit primarily.
¹Because syndrome has two different meanings (a complex of concurrent things vs. a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease) like the word dumb does, it must be removed or at least replaced with something neutral or positive (not something that is acceptably abused!). Too many kids today (hopefully not adults too) probably don’t even know that dumb also means unable to speak.
²I’m an odd duck who can’t be bothered to hide my identity. I like all my names so long as they remain used as neutral tools for identity (not used negatively and/or abused), and are as equally respected as their counterparts: Woman (vs. man), Introverted (vs. Extroverted), Calvinist (vs. Arminian), Christian (vs. Christ-less), Conservative (vs. Liberal), Honest (vs. Deceptive), Republican (vs. Democrat), Finn (vs. non-Finn), Aspie (vs. Neurotypical), Aspergian (vs. NTgian), etc. For each new label I could add to my list, I would increase the percentage of society who will hate me. [Don't take the way I constructed this list as me making a dig. My intent is not be malicious, but rather to show how easy it is to play mind games with words and admittedly have a little fun while doing it.]
³Naturally, the Psychiatric Association will never humbly admit how often they fail at their job. Their failure rate gets exposed by those who finally receive a correct diagnoses (evaluation/name) due to persistently seeking after the truth. They then share this knowledge (of having been repeatedly misdiagnosed) with others (either online like at WrongPlanet.net or offline among family and/or friends).
