Aspergers itself is a discredited diagnosis, and for good reason; it's a deeply flawed and surprisingly vague diagnosis, founded on a misunderstanding of what autism is and how it works. It's as scientifically valid as claiming that autism is caused by 'refrigerator mothers.'
Admittedly anecdotal, but my experience of parents declaring their autistic child to have 'Aspergers' is a convenient - and ostensibly inoffensive - euphemism for differentiating their fascinating savant from my dull mongoloid. At best, it's a poignant symptom of a parent's unwillingness to come to terms with their child's diagnosis. Either way, it needs to stop.
Victim status is highly prized these days.
There also are plenty of self-diagnosed Aspergers out there.
Aspergers itself is a discredited diagnosis, and for good reason; it's a deeply flawed and surprisingly vague diagnosis, founded on a misunderstanding of what autism is and how it works. It's as scientifically valid as claiming that autism is caused by 'refrigerator mothers.'
Admittedly anecdotal, but my experience of parents declaring their autistic child to have 'Aspergers' is a convenient - and ostensibly inoffensive - euphemism for differentiating their fascinating savant from my dull mongoloid. At best, it's a poignant symptom of a parent's unwillingness to come to terms with their child's diagnosis. Either way, it needs to stop.
A generation ago, well-off parents sought diagboses of ADD or ADHD to rationalize Johnny's poor academic record.
A generation before that, dyslexia was the disease du jour.
Let's play "Which Self-ID are you today?" ;-)
Think Roy Lichtenstein, Pop Art, 1960s, falsetto voce: тАЬGosh, Chuck. I don't know. There are so manyтАжтАЭ