Why is everything now just ASD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. So merld is no longer its own diagnosis in DSM V but was also never an autism diagnosis anyway, right? So why are we arguing about MERLD?

Because there are a few autism parents who do not believe kids can just have language disorders and belive everything is autism. They insist everyone embrace autism and call their kids autistic.

Not really. People are just sick of you.

You have single-handedly wrecked this board for parents of kids with ASD. Every time a thread on ASD comes up, you derail it by posting that MERLD isn't autism, even if the thread is just about autism and a parent of a kid with ASD is looking for advice about ASD. No one can talk about ASD on this board without you changing the topic to MERLD. You suck, lady.

There are many MERLD parents who speak out here about proper diagnosis, not just one. I could bring along dozens more, by directing them to this site, if you like.

Okay, troll

How clever you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a healthcare professional is is alarming how many kids are being diagnosed with ASD who don't actually have it. I agree that from a therapy perspective it can be quite helpful for coverage. But I also believe there is just general over-diagnosis. It has become a catch all when there isn't an obvious answer.

People seemed to overlook this comment because it doesn't fit in with their autism narrative, but I agree wholeheartedly.

To the healthcare professional: how do you know that the kids don't actually have it? Have you seen their evaluations? How many different settings have you observed them in?

My child's pediatrician doesn't see any of the signs of autism in my child because she doesn't see her with her peers and she only sees her for 15 minutes at a time. Yet I would be furious if she second-guessed the experts.

There's a lot of disagreement, even among "experts," as to who qualifies for an autism diagnosis.

There's also a lot of disagreement on who constitutes an expert on autism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. So merld is no longer its own diagnosis in DSM V but was also never an autism diagnosis anyway, right? So why are we arguing about MERLD?

Because there are a few autism parents who do not believe kids can just have language disorders and belive everything is autism. They insist everyone embrace autism and call their kids autistic.

Not really. People are just sick of you.

You have single-handedly wrecked this board for parents of kids with ASD. Every time a thread on ASD comes up, you derail it by posting that MERLD isn't autism, even if the thread is just about autism and a parent of a kid with ASD is looking for advice about ASD. No one can talk about ASD on this board without you changing the topic to MERLD. You suck, lady.

There are many MERLD parents who speak out here about proper diagnosis, not just one. I could bring along dozens more, by directing them to this site, if you like.

Okay, troll

How clever you are.

You just threatened to brigade the page because people object to you injecting MERLD into completely unrelated discussions. You are continually engaged in attempt to drive parents of kids with ASDs off this board and to prevent any discussion of ASDs. That is trolling.

I am sorry that you are so bitter in your life that you feel the need to troll a board for parents of kids with SN. I wouldn't want to live in your head.

[Anonymous]

Those diagnoses were removed because they were not shown to be scientifically valid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those diagnoses were removed because they were not shown to be scientifically valid.

No, it was really just a committee of people with some expertise. Lots of controversy surrounding their decisions, especially over removing Asberger's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. So merld is no longer its own diagnosis in DSM V but was also never an autism diagnosis anyway, right? So why are we arguing about MERLD?

Because there are a few autism parents who do not believe kids can just have language disorders and belive everything is autism. They insist everyone embrace autism and call their kids autistic.

No, there are a few parents who believe their kids have MERLD and are actually autistic.

You can have language disorders and be on the spectrum or not.

Clinging to an outdated diagnosis is more a sign that a parent is paranoid that their kid is actually autistic but refuses to acknowledge this. The MERLD ship sailed 3 years ago and counting.

No one cares if your kid is ASD; no one cares if you embrace autism or not. Just stop yammering on about the conspiracies that "everything" is ASD. You get or got that diagnosis for a reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those diagnoses were removed because they were not shown to be scientifically valid.

OP here. I sort of raised the question partly because I wonder what it's like for older teens or adults who have had the label Aspberger's for most of their life only to suddenly be told "yeah that's not a thing." Or if you're a parent of a child who received one of these labels, got your mind around it, steered your ship that direction, and suddenly it just doesn't exist! It just must be a bit unsettling, I would think. "I was this, now I'm not."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those diagnoses were removed because they were not shown to be scientifically valid.

OP here. I sort of raised the question partly because I wonder what it's like for older teens or adults who have had the label Aspberger's for most of their life only to suddenly be told "yeah that's not a thing." Or if you're a parent of a child who received one of these labels, got your mind around it, steered your ship that direction, and suddenly it just doesn't exist! It just must be a bit unsettling, I would think. "I was this, now I'm not."

OP, diagnosis can be a moving target. Sometimes kids with speech delays, just have a developmental delay that resolves in time. Others have language based learning issues.

The key thing is what therapy does a kid need. Not every kid on the spectrum needs social skill support for example. Some kids with ADHD really need social skills support. It just depends on what are the areas that need strengthening. "Labels" don't mean much at the end of the day (except for those parents who are hung up on them).

[Anonymous]

Also, OP, there's a very limited number of things (9) for which a child can receive an IEP. The legislation was written nearly 40 years ago. The DSM is much more nuanced and detailed. But that's why it sometimes seems like the ASD label crops up often. School designation for an IEP isn't a medical diagnosis, but sometimes you get what you get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those diagnoses were removed because they were not shown to be scientifically valid.

OP here. I sort of raised the question partly because I wonder what it's like for older teens or adults who have had the label Aspberger's for most of their life only to suddenly be told "yeah that's not a thing." Or if you're a parent of a child who received one of these labels, got your mind around it, steered your ship that direction, and suddenly it just doesn't exist! It just must be a bit unsettling, I would think. "I was this, now I'm not."

OP, diagnosis can be a moving target. Sometimes kids with speech delays, just have a developmental delay that resolves in time. Others have language based learning issues.

The key thing is what therapy does a kid need. Not every kid on the spectrum needs social skill support for example. Some kids with ADHD really need social skills support. It just depends on what are the areas that need strengthening. "Labels" don't mean much at the end of the day (except for those parents who are hung up on them).

Hmm that's a good way of looking at it. It does seem like some people on these boards are TERRIFIED of labels (at least certain ones) so perhaps I had the impression they were more important than they actually are. We are working on getting a full diagnosis of my daughter's SNs, right now it's developmental coordination disorder with perhaps some pragmatic language stuff as well, but it's a process getting it all to come together and we aren't sure what it will ultimately add up to so it's been on my mind lately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those diagnoses were removed because they were not shown to be scientifically valid.

OP here. I sort of raised the question partly because I wonder what it's like for older teens or adults who have had the label Aspberger's for most of their life only to suddenly be told "yeah that's not a thing." Or if you're a parent of a child who received one of these labels, got your mind around it, steered your ship that direction, and suddenly it just doesn't exist! It just must be a bit unsettling, I would think. "I was this, now I'm not."

The Asperger's label is still commonly used by professionals and clients, even though it is no longer in DSM-V. So it's not like it no longer exists. The main purpose of the DSM is it to provide categories and codes for insurance purposes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those diagnoses were removed because they were not shown to be scientifically valid.

OP here. I sort of raised the question partly because I wonder what it's like for older teens or adults who have had the label Aspberger's for most of their life only to suddenly be told "yeah that's not a thing." Or if you're a parent of a child who received one of these labels, got your mind around it, steered your ship that direction, and suddenly it just doesn't exist! It just must be a bit unsettling, I would think. "I was this, now I'm not."

OP, diagnosis can be a moving target. Sometimes kids with speech delays, just have a developmental delay that resolves in time. Others have language based learning issues.

The key thing is what therapy does a kid need. Not every kid on the spectrum needs social skill support for example. Some kids with ADHD really need social skills support. It just depends on what are the areas that need strengthening. "Labels" don't mean much at the end of the day (except for those parents who are hung up on them).

Hmm that's a good way of looking at it. It does seem like some people on these boards are TERRIFIED of labels (at least certain ones) so perhaps I had the impression they were more important than they actually are. We are working on getting a full diagnosis of my daughter's SNs, right now it's developmental coordination disorder with perhaps some pragmatic language stuff as well, but it's a process getting it all to come together and we aren't sure what it will ultimately add up to so it's been on my mind lately.

I've been through this as well. Our DD had multiple diagnoses and lots of testing before we got to ASD. We are still not sure it's right, but it does allow her to get the help she needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a healthcare professional is is alarming how many kids are being diagnosed with ASD who don't actually have it. I agree that from a therapy perspective it can be quite helpful for coverage. But I also believe there is just general over-diagnosis. It has become a catch all when there isn't an obvious answer.

People seemed to overlook this comment because it doesn't fit in with their autism narrative, but I agree wholeheartedly.

To the healthcare professional: how do you know that the kids don't actually have it? Have you seen their evaluations? How many different settings have you observed them in?

My child's pediatrician doesn't see any of the signs of autism in my child because she doesn't see her with her peers and she only sees her for 15 minutes at a time. Yet I would be furious if she second-guessed the experts.

There's a lot of disagreement, even among "experts," as to who qualifies for an autism diagnosis.

There's also a lot of disagreement on who constitutes an expert on autism.

I have an 19 year old who has been labeled autistic by therapists and the pediatrician. I went along with it, but it really doesn't fit if you try to match symptoms up with the DSM.
We just took DS to a psychiatrist who looked at us like we had two heads. He kept saying ' you haven't taken him to a psychiatrist before?'
Autism doesn't fit him. That label is all for the money. Autism= advocates who gave lobbied for all kinds of crazy therapies to be covered (hyperbaric oxygen therapy - really?!).
That's fine for some but for our son it really did him no favors - I was just tired of resisting the labels.
Our DS is mostly cognitively disabled which can go along with autism but in this case it's his primary issue and I wish that we had spent more time focusing on his primary issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a healthcare professional is is alarming how many kids are being diagnosed with ASD who don't actually have it. I agree that from a therapy perspective it can be quite helpful for coverage. But I also believe there is just general over-diagnosis. It has become a catch all when there isn't an obvious answer.

People seemed to overlook this comment because it doesn't fit in with their autism narrative, but I agree wholeheartedly.

To the healthcare professional: how do you know that the kids don't actually have it? Have you seen their evaluations? How many different settings have you observed them in?

My child's pediatrician doesn't see any of the signs of autism in my child because she doesn't see her with her peers and she only sees her for 15 minutes at a time. Yet I would be furious if she second-guessed the experts.

There's a lot of disagreement, even among "experts," as to who qualifies for an autism diagnosis.

There's also a lot of disagreement on who constitutes an expert on autism.

I have an 19 year old who has been labeled autistic by therapists and the pediatrician. I went along with it, but it really doesn't fit if you try to match symptoms up with the DSM.
We just took DS to a psychiatrist who looked at us like we had two heads. He kept saying ' you haven't taken him to a psychiatrist before?'
Autism doesn't fit him. That label is all for the money. Autism= advocates who gave lobbied for all kinds of crazy therapies to be covered (hyperbaric oxygen therapy - really?!).
That's fine for some but for our son it really did him no favors - I was just tired of resisting the labels.
Our DS is mostly cognitively disabled which can go along with autism but in this case it's his primary issue and I wish that we had spent more time focusing on his primary issues.

These aren't advocates. These are lunatics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those diagnoses were removed because they were not shown to be scientifically valid.

OP here. I sort of raised the question partly because I wonder what it's like for older teens or adults who have had the label Aspberger's for most of their life only to suddenly be told "yeah that's not a thing." Or if you're a parent of a child who received one of these labels, got your mind around it, steered your ship that direction, and suddenly it just doesn't exist! It just must be a bit unsettling, I would think. "I was this, now I'm not."

OP, diagnosis can be a moving target. Sometimes kids with speech delays, just have a developmental delay that resolves in time. Others have language based learning issues.

The key thing is what therapy does a kid need. Not every kid on the spectrum needs social skill support for example. Some kids with ADHD really need social skills support. It just depends on what are the areas that need strengthening. "Labels" don't mean much at the end of the day (except for those parents who are hung up on them).

Hmm that's a good way of looking at it. It does seem like some people on these boards are TERRIFIED of labels (at least certain ones) so perhaps I had the impression they were more important than they actually are. We are working on getting a full diagnosis of my daughter's SNs, right now it's developmental coordination disorder with perhaps some pragmatic language stuff as well, but it's a process getting it all to come together and we aren't sure what it will ultimately add up to so it's been on my mind lately.

We have these diagnoses too plus ADHD. Yes, technically not autism, however, my kid needs similar supports to kids who were clear cut autism diagnoses. Most people assume that he's autistic. I don't really care. I just get my kid the help he needs.