I miss the days when people could just be shy or awkward or irritable or even narcissistic without it eliciting an armchair diagnosis.
As to why it might appear that different people refer to different things when using these terms: that might just be because their reference points are from different points along the scale. Or in some cases, they might just be ignorant but vocal bloggers; but sadly this happens in all aspects of science (eg the anti-vaccination campaigners spouting shit doesn't mean that doctors don't know what they're talking about when they promote the use of vaccinations).
The problem is lay people think of "autism" the way that creationists say evolution is a "theory". An awkward introvert with technical interests isn't going to be professionally diagnosed as autistic unless they have some pretty serious and defined symptoms. But that doesn't stop misinformed lay-person usage in everyday conversation.
Imagine you're living in a culture of subsistence agriculture. And imagine further that you are thin, quiet, nearsighted, physically delicate, and are inclined to spend all your time reading. You are basically unsuited for the available jobs, nobody wants you in a relationship, and what everyday activities are available are ones you don't enjoy. So the village headman decides that you have a disorder and need treatment, by which he means regular beatings. Of course, you might make a fine librarian, but that's not an option.
The same thing was done with gay people for ages. Or women; note how female hysteria was a medical diagnosis that eventually vanished: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_hysteria
As another example, quite a lot of American children end up medicated because they are inconvenient for overworked teachers in classrooms that follow industrial models of education. A friend of mine was once a substitute teacher in a class where every single student had been diagnosed with ADHD and was on medication. The daily life that their trait was interfering with is entirely artificial. At some point I think one has to wonder whether the problem is the trait or the constructed environment that the trait isn't a good match for.
We all have deficiencies. What we all need are environments that let us figure out how to cope with them.
Of course, it is all matters of degree and people need to be able to take responsibility for their actions and needs. Not all can and that requires something different.
See also http://intellectualizing.net/2013/09/21/the-trouble-with-ove...
Another issue is that it's sometimes easier to have a personal difference interfere with school than it is to have it interfere with real life. That argument is at http://intellectualizing.net/2015/03/12/schools-are-disorder... Real life is more flexible than most schools.
We use the term "colorblindness" in a monolithic way, yet it refers to any of at least eight different things, each of which is caused by a different genetic mutation and produces a different physiologic result. Even the term "red-green colorblindness" is misleading, because it could refer to at least four different things.
Many people with "colorblindness" can actually live their whole lives without ever realizing it; the most common form (deuteranomaly, which is what most people mean by "red-green colorblindness", despite it actually affecting the yellow-orange-brown area of the visible spectrum) rarely if ever interferes with common day-to-day life for many people who have it (like me). On the other hand, the rarer forms can significantly impair vision to the point that common tasks become difficult or even impossible. Yet most of the time we use the same term, "colorblindness", to refer to all of them.
In much the same way, "autism" refers to a wide range of situations, some of which have significant effects on day-to-day life and some of which have much lesser effects.
In the case of my nephew, his condition (his pediatrician diagnosing him to have Autism) became a disorder when it was proven that his symptoms were the result of numerous factors, all resolved under a licensed doctor's care using standard blood and stool tests to detect, and standard biomedical interventions to correct. He suffered from numerous food allergies, a raging yeast infection, and heavy metal poisoning.
His issues arose mostly as the result of his body's deficiency in creating glutathione, an essential antioxidant produced by our bodies to aid in the excretion of toxins. This deficiency was confirmed by genetic sequencing that revealed an MTHFR mutation, passed on to him by both parents, therefore a double mutation, limiting his glutathione production to 7-10% of normal.
His symptoms started at about 2-1/2. At the age of 7 or so, his doctors diagnosed him as "indistinguishable from his peers", after the interventions and much developmental therapy to help him catch up. He eats a rotating diet, where the same food does not repeat for several days at a time, and takes numerous supplements to address deficiencies revealed by the aforementioned blood and stool samples.
The only lingering sign of autism we can notice is he still loves some good bear hugs. I'm happy to oblige him.
With exactly the same broad spectrum of opinions, with or without clinical frame of reference. When it comes to psychiatry, science appears to be as sensitive to fashion as society in general.
Much confusion stems from the sliding scale definition as it can be difficult to separate (no vs mild), (mild vs moderate) , or (moderate vs significant) impairment.
Twelve years ago I volunteered to run summer camp activities with autistic kids. These kids had speech problems, and were constantly shaking, arms curled, their thoughts were aloof and obsessive. Yes there was a spectrum, but there was no doubt who was autistic.
Newly found, or self diagnosed persons have clarity of mind that was completely absent from traditionally autistic persons.
Frankly, if you can think straight you shouldn't be let off the hook. To speculate, perhaps our society is getting bad at instilling social behavior, as kids are increasingly isolated.
"Off the hook" as in not being labelled autistic, or ?
Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):
!.Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.
2. Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.
3. Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understand relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers
I am 50yo, am a struggling recovering addict, and I totally suffer deeply from all 3 of these criteria and have for most of my life...
No one ever mentioned the word autism to me, and I've been to two high quality, long-term impatient treatment centers in my life.
I suffer from these to this day, and can't help but wonder how much of my addiction issues are directly related to them.
It feels to me, looking at the list through tear-clouded eyes, that almost all of them are.
That said, not all psychiatrists are created equal, and some of them suffer from the same biases as the rest of us. Try talking to an autism specialist.
If it's all you've ever known, it just is your daily life. How would you know any different?
They can tell if you are indeed outside the standard deviation for the population, and help you identify if and how to get back up to par.
I have heard that you will never find an addict who isn't trying to numb pain in their life. If you can deal with the pain you feel separately I hope that the addiction will become a much easier battle to win!
Numerous times when I have gotten to know people who interact with autistic kids, or have been a caregiver for an autistic child, they have spoken to me as though I have autistic tendencies (and knew about them) and so lately, as an adult, I have been wondering whether Im on the spectrum.
I know that life is a struggle, and some of the things I struggle with could be related to tendencies I share with others. I dont know why, but the thought that I might be even midly autistic fills me with hope, thinking that if I can learn to function despite my difficulties and I'm not alone, then maybe I can help others do the same.
I can't say whether you're autistic or not, but I can tell you that you have company (you are not alone) and you are appreciated!
A type of pervasive developmental disorder that is defined by: (a) the presence of abnormal or impaired development that is manifest before the age of three years, and (b) the characteristic type of abnormal functioning in all the three areas of psychopathology: reciprocal social interaction, communication, and restricted, stereotyped, repetitive behaviour. In addition to these specific diagnostic features, a range of other nonspecific problems are common, such as phobias, sleeping and eating disturbances, temper tantrums, and (self-directed) aggression.
http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2015/en#/F8...
More clinical info:
* A disorder beginning in childhood. It is marked by the presence of markedly abnormal or impaired development in social interaction and communication and a markedly restricted repertoire of activity and interest. Manifestations of the disorder vary greatly depending on the developmental level and chronological age of the individual. (dsm-iv)
* A disorder characterized by marked impairments in social interaction and communication accompanied by a pattern of repetitive, stereotyped behaviors and activities. Developmental delays in social interaction and language surface prior to age 3 years.
* Autism is a disorder that is usually diagnosed in early childhood. The main signs and symptoms of autism involve communication, social interactions and repetitive behaviors. Children with autism might have problems talking with you, or they might not look you in the eye when you talk to them. They may spend a lot of time putting things in order before they can pay attention, or they may say the same sentence again and again to calm themselves down. They often seem to be in their "own world."because people with autism can have very different features or symptoms, health care providers think of autism as a "spectrum" disorder. asperger syndrome is a milder version of the disorder.the cause of autism is not known. Autism lasts throughout a person's lifetime. There is no cure, but treatment can help. Treatments include behavior and communication therapies and medicines to control symptoms. Starting treatment as early as possible is important. nih: national institute of child health and human development
* Disorder beginning in childhood marked by the presence of markedly abnormal or impaired development in social interaction and communication and a markedly restricted repertoire of activity and interest; manifestations of the disorder vary greatly depending on the developmental level and chronological age of the individual.
* Type of autism characterized by very early detection (< 30 months), social coldness, grossly impaired communication, and bizarre motor responses
.http://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/F01-F99/F80-F89/F84-/...
The "disease" analogy is grossly misleading because it makes you think it's a single "thing" with a single cause; the right analogy is to a dimensional trait (such as intelligence), or traits perhaps (such as both social/communication skills on the one hand, and repetitive behaviors on the other). Then think about many different conditions resulting in this trait, much as many different conditions result in intellectual disability (or intellectual superiority). As with intellectual disability, autism diagnosis is more of a semi-arbitrary cutoff on the scale, rather than a binary yes-or-no.
I say "semi-" arbitrary because diagnosis is an attempt to locate "where on this scale people start to really need extra help," but "arbitrary" because there isn't a strong scientific reason to put it at say 99.1 percentile vs 89.9 percentile.
As with variation in intelligence, autism appears to be mostly genetic, with some impact from environment. The underlying condition resulting in autistic traits varies a lot. Sometimes, the condition may have other consequences, such as seizures or intellectual disability. Other times, the condition is best thought of as simply an extreme personality type, or something like that.
Think about how various conditions resulting in ID can have accompanying issues (such as heart problems with Down syndrome). When someone says seizures or gut problems or whatever are "autism," that's like saying heart problems are intellectual disability. It doesn't make any sense. Autism is just the social/communication part, not everything that's up with someone.
If you work in tech, you know a lot of autistic people, you just maybe don't know it, and they often do not know it themselves. Some of them are quite successful and not "obvious"; others are extremely clear to anyone who knows what to look for. But most of them probably do have some level of real disability, or if nothing else did have some level of it as children.
For many of us the disability is primarily in personal life (friends, etc.), or historical childhood difficulty, and we are highly competent at work.
I did not imagine that the diagnostic label applied to me until my son was diagnosed; but now I realize that it does apply or very nearly apply to me and several people I know (but I have no idea how to bring it up). Especially when they are having kids, I wish I'd known earlier that autism can be kind of the way my family is and many people I know are, and that it isn't always this big scary thing.
The tech industry should be much better informed about autism given its prevalence in our coworkers and ourselves. Even the many who aren't diagnosable may be closer to autistic than to average.
When those of us who are around 40 were kids, the diagnostic rate for autism was about 1/1000 and it's now a bit above 1/100, higher for boys. So the delta between those is the number of undiagnosed adults walking around today, who would have been diagnosed by modern criteria. It's a lot of people.
Some number of those got a different dx in the past (such as intellectual disability), but the kinds who are now in tech probably got no diagnosis at all most of the time, other than "weird kid."