Is Coping with Asperger's Worth the Effort?

[misterarthur]

My son is on the spectrum. ("Diagnosed" PDD/NOS - pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified - in other words "we don't know"). I'm not qualified to comment on much of the discussion here (I'm not even a scientist, but I subscribe to the physorg rss feed). Anyway, for anyone on the spectrum, or the parent of someone on the spectrum, I recommend wrongplanet.org It's got a great forum for young people (teens in particular), and useful information for parents. I am not associated with the organization in any way at all. If you, or someone you know or love has Asperger's (or any 'high-functioning' level of autism), I recommend checking it out.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I suspect the 'sociological' issue behind a general public viewing Asperger's as a 'disability' is because most are only introduced to the issue/'condition' by being shown the worst cases in which such people are disabled by their AS tendencies and need special care. Why would they take much interest in someone who is 'coping', or, even, may be doing better than they are managing?! That wouldn't make very interesting TV, so the general public is unlikely to see 'a day in the life of an average Aspie coping with life'.

There are certainly plenty of bipolar people who aren't extreme enough to ever become dysfunctional, and also schizophrenics, and epileptics. You name the diagnosis, and there are people out there who have it, but for whom it hasn't become a serious enough problem to lead to a diagnosis. That doesn't mean it's not affecting the quality of life they'd have otherwise.

(You might wonder how someone could be having seizures without it becoming problematic. In a footnote to the second edition of Musicophilia Oliver Sacks writes:

"Many people, it seems, may accept mild epileptic or other disturbances and not think to mention them to their doctors or anyone else. After reading this chapter, one correspondent, a neuroscientist, wrote to me of having 'suffered seizures when the church bell rings during the consecration at Mass...This doesn't bother me in the least,' she added, but now I am wondering if I should mention it to my doctor.' ")

The fact these people aren't diagnosed doesn't mean they are perfectly normal, healthy, living a viable "alternate" way. Coping, as you said earlier, is draining. The extra effort it takes for anyone living with a liability like this to cope and stay functional would be unnecessary without the condition.