Fitting in with labels.
There are continuing arguments everywhere. One of them is whether High-Functioning Autism can be a true diagnosis. I know it is not in the DSM IV-TR. But it is the diagnosis I received.
There are many intelligent arguments for and against the existence of HFA. Many (many!) of which I do not understand.
I have written a little bit about it:
I have latched onto HFA as an answer to my being a bit of an outcast for a really long time.
Visiting support sites on the internet, there are Asperger’s sites and then there are Autism sites. Which do I take a closer look at and join? (This is a rhetorical question)
It has not been approved of for people to use labels and “boxes” to place on others/place others in. For me…..I need that. So I know where I fit in. It happens often I don’t fit in, so I really want to. Even in this.
However, I would not go about diagnosing anyone else or even trying to. Autism is a fuzzy concept I badly want to be made clear. People are also a fuzzy concept I have tried to make clear but they keep changing and moving, even the ones familiar to me.
Filed by renaeden at June 16th, 2007 under Autism and me...
Autism IS a fuzzy topic. I still can not understand if and what the differences between HFA and Asperger’s are. There does not seem to be a standard definition of either. I am not just talking about the DSM, but also the information in books and online, and how people categorize themselves.
Some people use the terms completely interchangeably. When I read about either one of them, I can totally relate. Is it possible that I am both if they are not the same thing? Other people think that they are completely different things, but not always for the same reasons. It is all very confusing!
Comment by Lori — June 16, 2007 @ 10:16 am