Reclassification of Aspergers Syndrome

People diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome have changes to face in the upcoming year. It has been announced that The American Psychiatric Association’s is looking at AS being taken out of the Autism Spectrum's umbrella.

The question is will this have a positive or negative impact?

Of course, it appears to be positive, as AS will now be singled out and possibly start to get the attention it needs as its own entity. However, some fear that, because it is no longer part of the more recognized spectrum, it may be ignored as something less critical.

Firstly for those already diagnosed with AS, it does not change their status. Anyone diagnosed pre-DSM-V will still be recognized as a person with this disorder. However it does not guarantee anything more than just that.

But for anyone seeking a diagnosis after the fact, it will be much more difficult as they will need to meet several more criteria than before upon the report’s release in 2013.

How does this affect those who deal with AS on a daily basis? It can either mean a lack of programs and studies geared toward AS or, and fingers are crossed, it could mean that AS finally gets the attention it deserves. Possibly more emphasis on clinical studies and a deeper understanding of this neurological condition, simply due to the fact that it will be singled out and not seen as a side study of the Autism Spectrum. We can only hope for this to happen. However the prospect of this does not appear, as yet, to be feasible.

The dark reality of this, at this time, seems to be leaning towards a lack of funding and proper program implementation for those who are, or will be diagnosed with, Aspergers Syndrome, leading to demise in the already limited programming available to families and individuals dealing with AS now.

Being a parent of a child who lives with AS, I am a little anxious about this change in classification. I have personally researched this topic and do not like what I have seen to date. Once this change is made I may be forced to take my advocacy on this condition to a whole new level.

Although there are many programs geared to assisting in dealing with this condition, I feel it does not get enough specific attention already. If the classification change happens next year and the attention it is receiving begins to taper off, it will lead to more ignorance on the subject and therefore more decline in services needed to help those afflicted with this disorder.

Unfortunately the APA will not be able to promise that reclassification of AS will do it any justice. Maybe it should stay where it is under the umbrella. At least until it reaches a level of public awareness that warrants it receiving proper attention and research. Until it no longer needs to be “parented” by a much more acknowledged topic of research such as Autism. I do not want to imply that Autism is of any less importance, however it has been recognized for much longer that AS and is receiving a fantastic amount of research and development of helpful programming. Several incredible organizations have been founded to assist with this. It is because of these organizations and the current classification of AS that we get the funding, research and programs needed for AS to date.

So why not keep AS under its current classification? Until it is more recognized and treated with a little more intensity as many other neurological conditions. Allow it to mature in recognition, so that one day it is treated as it should be and we can develop more ways to help live with it and one day possibly treat it.

Reclassification of Aspergers Syndrome by Andrew Seichter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.