Tag: Asperger’s Syndrome

Autism or ASD is it is more accurately referred to today, is a condition with no known cure. It is not normally a lethal, degenerative disease, and while it does have some physical symptoms, such as inflammation in the brain, the majority of the symptoms displayed by those with ASD is behavioral. They often do not interact with others in a normal, expected way, and socializing with people may sometimes present great challenges.

It’s because ASD covers such a wide spectrum of different behavioral symptoms that ASD wasn’t even recognized until the 1980s as its own unique condition. Before that, people with ASD were diagnosed as schizophrenic and treated in the same way as the mentally ill, with anti-psychotics and other treatments, since some ASD patients may, in fact, respond well to anti-psychotics, while for others it is not appropriate.

As ASD was first recognized, medical experts of the time used a simpler, more rigid and less accurate form of diagnosing ASD.

Classifying The Groups

Modern diagnosis now considers everyone to have ASD, with different, specific behaviors, symptoms, or syndromes measured for individual intensity on the spectrum. This is now the preferred way, since the individual symptoms matter far more than what “class” of ASD a person falls in, and a wrong categorization could lead to incorrect treatment, as medical staff tried to fit a “square peg into a round hole.” However, this newer form of diagnosis only came into effect in 2013. Before that, from the 1980s onwards, groupings were used.

In this older system of categorization, four basic groups of ASD patients existed, with symptoms being roughly divided from one group to the next, and severity being another qualifier for ranking which people fell into which groups. Adults diagnosed with ASD recognize many of these terms, as they were widely used in the media, and even portrayed in film, television and other forms of fiction.

Asperger’s Syndrome

This is the most famous and, in some ways, the “desirable” form of ASD. The name comes from the Austrian physician Hans Asperger, who first documented patients in 1944 with similar characteristics. Asperger’s was considered the “mildest” form of ASD and was often considered the “high-functioning” version of the disorder. In many cases, people who were classified as having Asperger’s didn’t even require any kind of medical treatment.

People with Asperger’s would be considered “eccentric” or “quirky” in terms of personality. The stereotype of someone with Asperger’s is the introverted genius, as ASD can often channel awareness into a focus on detail, and an ability to process specific, high volumes of information. Former  Asperger’s syndrome diagnosed patients would often be able to interact with people, though it would be with some difficulty and introversion. The “social awkward professor” would be another example of an Asperger’s stereotype that was frequently portrayed in the media.

Pervasive Developmental Disorder—Not Otherwise Specified

This next “stage” was often referred to as PDD-NOS, was considered to be more severe, than Asperger’s. In other words, this was a “step down,” and people classified in this group were generally considered to have similar symptoms to Asperger’s but often more severe, to the point where it could actively hamper or cripple social interaction. Of course, with a name like “PDD-Not Otherwise Specified,” there was a bit more to PDD-NOS than just a more severe form of Asperger’s.

PDD-NOS was one of the reasons why the classification system of the four groups was ultimately abandoned. So many of the symptoms displayed in ASD didn’t neatly fit any of the three remaining categories that PDD-NOS grew too large, unwieldy, and unrealistic as a place to categorize “everyone else.” When the miscellaneous group becomes larger than the other categories, this presents a serious challenge to the validity of the categorization system. Poor adaptive behavior, poor response to changes in routine, and difficulty learning language were just a few of the symptoms grouped to PDD-NOS

Autistic Disorder

As with Asperger’s, this category, also sometimes referred to as “classic autism” was one of the most widely known, and also portrayed frequently in the media. This is the type of ASD that most people imagine, thanks to films like Rain Man, with severe interactive issues, and an emphasis on routine and repetitive activities.

The Autistic Disorder category was considered severe enough that comprehensive intervention was often required here. Intensive treatment, therapy, and sometimes even medication is required at this level.

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

This was considered the most severe form of the categories and was often characterized by regression. In this case, children seemed to be developing normally, learning to crawl, walk, and speak, and then, sometime between the ages of 2-4, the children would regress, and lose the skills they’d learned.

CCD, as it was known, was thought of as the “lowest functioning” form of autism. It could be so severe that even basic motor skills and coordination like hand-eye reflexes could be compromised, so children couldn’t eat properly or even tie their shoes. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, anti-psychotics, or anti-convulsants might be prescribed to help manage symptoms.

The perception of autism within the medical community has changed a lot in recent years. It is a very complex condition, with causes and effects that are still not fully understood even to this day. So while some methods of treatment, such as behavioral therapy or even stem cell therapy have been successfully administered, these are not cures, and do not make autism go away; they only manage the condition.

In the same way, autism, because of its broad range of symptoms and its complexity is not a disease and does not have a single cure. Even if stem cell therapy works, for example, that’s not a universal solution, and to apply it to every person diagnosed with autism would do more harm than good. Autism can’t be cleared up with a universal solution in the same way an infection is cleared up with a shot of antibiotics.

A New Form Of Diagnosis

Today, autism is referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD, and everyone who is diagnosed with ASD is said to have different symptoms of varying intensities that fall along this spectrum. However, before 2013, this was not the case.

Before the decision to create one single ASD condition, autism was roughly divided into four categories. This was eventually abandoned in favor of the more broad, inclusive ASD diagnosis, because often there was so much overlap and inconsistency with trying to classify an ASD person into one of four types that it meant appropriate treatment might not always be administered due to a child or other patient being in the “wrong type.”

However, for many people before 2013, the four subtypes of autism were an important way to have a better understanding, in “shorthand” form of their condition. While these are no longer in current medical use today, these are the four subtypes that ASD patients used to be classified as.

Asperger’s Syndrome

This classification got its name in 1944, from Austrian physician Hans Asperger, who documented many patients with similar characteristics. Asperger’s is considered a milder form of autism. People who had been diagnosed with Asperger’s were usually able to function in daily life without the need for any special medical treatment or concessions, but their behavior would occasionally introduce challenges or distance into their life, especially as they got older.

A person diagnosed with Asperger’s would, in the past, have been considered very “eccentric” or “introverted.” They usually experience significant—but not necessarily crippling—communication issues, display passionate enthusiasm for areas of interest, and zero enthusiasm, or even tolerance, for topics that don’t. The “absent-minded professor” stereotype that seems unaware of anything beyond their own interests is an example of Asperger’s syndrome.

Pervasive Developmental Disorder—Not Otherwise Specified

Known more commonly as PDD-NOS, this was considered a step “down” from Asperger’s and was a more severe diagnosis for autism. People diagnosed with PDD-NOS could have the same characteristics as Asperger’s, but more severe, or other characteristics that might even resemble schizophrenia, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, with a fixation on repetitive motions and behaviors.

However, these diagnoses never fit quite as neatly into “just schizophrenia,” or “just OCD,” due to additional symptoms, or a lack of intensity in existing symptoms for a full diagnosis. PDD-NOS was diagnosed when children displayed early communication difficulties, such as being slow to learn language or poor adaptive behavior, responding badly to changes in a routine.

Autistic Disorder

The more severe form of autism, autistic disorder, or “classic autism” as it was sometimes referred, was the version most often portrayed in film and television. Repetitive motions, unusual speech patterns, and sometimes violent behavior are all the hallmarks that medical professionals were looking for, but to a more magnified degree.

With autistic disorder, typical parenting and educational methods weren’t always effective, and this required much more specific and intensive attention and treatment to manage.

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

The most severe form of autism, one of the chief characteristics used to diagnose it was a regression. Children seemed to be on the right track for developing language and social skills, then would lose them, usually between the ages of 2-4. As a result of this, communication was difficult, as was managing behaviors, since any disruption to a routine was often met with aggression. In addition to this, there might also be some physical symptoms, such as seizures that would occur regularly.

CDD as it was also called, was considered the most severe and “lowest functioning” of autism conditions, since it would impair even motor skills, resulting in mobility issues. Severe speech pathology is associated with CDD due to the rapid loss of communication skills, and both antipsychotics and anti-convulsants might be prescribed to deal with aggression, repetitive behavior, and seizures.

Today, all of these subtypes have been eliminated, and now everything is diagnosed under Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, with more attention being paid to specific symptoms and individual treatments for those symptoms, treatment has become more effective.