Dorianfinder
Regular Member
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- Location
- Western Cape
- Ethnic group
- European
- Y-DNA haplogroup
- R-FGC13617
- mtDNA haplogroup
- T2b1
Autism is not a single diagnosis, it is a spectrum on which there are varying degrees of 'social' dysfunction. The 'rain-man' (Dustin Hoffman) savant-type autism is extremely rare and is not the same thing as Aspergers, of which they are both viewed as specific types of Autism-Spectrum Disorders. The spectrum is composed of very severe forms of congenital disorders on the one end of the continuum and much less severe developmental one of the other end. But what is more important is that two cases of the same disorder may vary significantly, so much so that most people would not realize that both individuals share the same diagnosis.
Autistic Spectrum Disorders should be viewed with caution and interpreting or comparing cases should be avoided by the layperson. An increase in Asperger's d/o has resulted in many parents feeling stigmatized as educators generally have a poor understanding of its definition and how to deal with it.
There seems to be more diagnosing of Asperger's due to the social awkwardness of the Asperger's patient and increased class sizes. There also appears to be a need by lay-educators to classify what they perceive as learning difficulties as either ADHD (attention-deficit & hyperactivity) or ADD (attention-deficit). Needless to say, Ritalin is being over-prescribed, but this is thankfully changing.
The Asperger's label prevents in essence a child from being prescribed ritalin as simple ADHD/ADD can be ruled out in most cases when class disturbances are coupled with general poor social functioning + above-average verbal/comprehension skills. On the WAIS (IQ assessment) Aspergers children should have a negative spike on a single indicator, social fx. The rest should be pretty normal.
Whereas ADHD/ADD children will find concentrating difficult and hence have problems with math & science. Attention-deficit children are very socially-minded in contrast to Asperger's-type cases.
The social deficit in Asperger's is a complex issue in modern society where television, video games and a general lack of face2face communication is more common than it use to be before the tech revolution. There is no doubt a physiological and environment component to the increased prevalence of this type of Autism.
Some environmental factors that may precipitate the onset of Asperger's include:
- Both parents work long hours and child spends too much time unsupervised in front of TV/PC
- Primary care-giver communicates without making necessary eye-contact (general lack of attention to emotive and other non-verbal signs)
- A diet rich in refined sugars
- Lack of routine and general structure (role-definitions) in the household. Absent parents
There is a cultural component that needs to be taken into account as well!
Autistic Spectrum Disorders should be viewed with caution and interpreting or comparing cases should be avoided by the layperson. An increase in Asperger's d/o has resulted in many parents feeling stigmatized as educators generally have a poor understanding of its definition and how to deal with it.
There seems to be more diagnosing of Asperger's due to the social awkwardness of the Asperger's patient and increased class sizes. There also appears to be a need by lay-educators to classify what they perceive as learning difficulties as either ADHD (attention-deficit & hyperactivity) or ADD (attention-deficit). Needless to say, Ritalin is being over-prescribed, but this is thankfully changing.
The Asperger's label prevents in essence a child from being prescribed ritalin as simple ADHD/ADD can be ruled out in most cases when class disturbances are coupled with general poor social functioning + above-average verbal/comprehension skills. On the WAIS (IQ assessment) Aspergers children should have a negative spike on a single indicator, social fx. The rest should be pretty normal.
Whereas ADHD/ADD children will find concentrating difficult and hence have problems with math & science. Attention-deficit children are very socially-minded in contrast to Asperger's-type cases.
The social deficit in Asperger's is a complex issue in modern society where television, video games and a general lack of face2face communication is more common than it use to be before the tech revolution. There is no doubt a physiological and environment component to the increased prevalence of this type of Autism.
Some environmental factors that may precipitate the onset of Asperger's include:
- Both parents work long hours and child spends too much time unsupervised in front of TV/PC
- Primary care-giver communicates without making necessary eye-contact (general lack of attention to emotive and other non-verbal signs)
- A diet rich in refined sugars
- Lack of routine and general structure (role-definitions) in the household. Absent parents
There is a cultural component that needs to be taken into account as well!