Autism Controversies

There is considerable disagreement over the exact nature of autism, however it is generally considered to be a neurodevelopmental condition which manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior. It encompasses a wide range of atypical conditions, none of which is well understood.

Although there are common and specific physical conditions comorbid to autism spectrum disorders, not all people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders experience these. The diagnostic criteria, as of 2006, are still generally limited to psychiatric and cognitive evaluation methods with IQ score and a particular patterns of abilities (common to those with autism) featuring strongly in the formal diagnosis of autism and distinguishing it from Asperger's Syndrome at the time of diagnosis.

The cause(s) of autism and the spectrum of pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) are as yet unknown, as are the prognoses, or best treatment options. There is, however, widespread agreement that early diagnosis and intervention can often make a significant difference for the long-term prospects of a person with autism because the human mind and nervous system are more plastic at a younger age; therefore, research for possible therapies and treatments is often focused toward children who have been diagnosed early with a spectrum disorder. However, many adults on the autistic spectrum, as well as other interested parties, believe that this emphasis on the problems facing children has resulted in limited research and treatment options for adults with autism.

Today's medical community considers autism to be essentially incurable, or at least to have life-long effects. Meanwhile, judging by the plethora of material on the Internet and elsewhere, many autistic spectrum adults and neurotypical (non-autistic) allies in the autism rights movement do not consider autism to be a disorder, but simply a different way of perceiving and behaving. These people believe that at least some of the difficulties encoutered by people with autism may result from prejudice and lack of accommodation from society.

With knowledge being so limited and scientific progress so slow, nearly all conjectures about autism are hotly debated. Parents of autistic kids face a bewildering set of choices and attendant uncertainty about the merits of various diagnoses, prognoses, and alleged cures and treatments. Some of these controversies are described below.

Usefulness and accuracy of autism as a diagnosis

The 1994 DSM-IV criteria for the diagnosis of autism are the result of several revisions, and consequently the psychiatric community is divided as to whether the condition should be ordered by severity along a spectrum or categorised into multiple distinct disorders that have similar symptoms. This division is exacerbated by the wide range of conditions comorbid to autism spectrum disorders. Research and clinical experience suggests that, while autism may appear to manifest itself as a psychiatric disorder, its underlying causes are neurological. PDD has emerged as an overarching descriptive term for the cluster of disorders that includes autism.

A diagnosis of autism is complicated by the fact that there is no definitive test for autism due to the significant variance of symptoms among people with autistic traits, as well as a lack of knowledge about the etiology of the condition. Those with Asperger syndrome may be highly functional cognitively but lack 'social' skills, whereas others with may be non-verbal and deficient in elementary skills. Some autistic people are considered mentally retarded, having low IQs (Intelligence Quotients), while some have been ultimately found to have average or above average intelligence. A minority of people with autism even have narrow, but exceptional autistic savant abilities.

This is not just an academic issue - treatment strategies and choices are based on definitions of what needs to be changed. Different treatment approaches have had widely divergent outcomes depending on each specific person. For example, some parents claim their children recovered with only behavioral approaches, some credit biomedical intervention as the best method for improvement, and others report little or no progress after trying many different approaches. Occasionally, parents claim their autistic children have simply "grown out of it".

There are also those (primarily those on the autistic spectrum themselves) who reject the premise that autism is necessarily a disorder that should be cured. In their view, a diagnosis can sometimes result from a judgment of non-conformity that is followed by efforts to correct what are essentially personality traits.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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