This petition is against the proposed changes to the DSM-V, which would eliminate high functioning ASD patients (PDD-NOS, Asperger's and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder) from the Autism Spectrum. According to Fred Volkmar, MD, the researcher who worked on the data leading to this change, while some high functioning autistic individuals would be put under the umbrella of classic autism, more than 3/4 of high-functioning autistics would no longer be considered autistic, placing their access to social and school services in jeopardy.
Changing the name of their diagnosis from ASD to another name does not make them any less autistic. Basic formative differences exist in all autistic children's brains - including enlarged white matter growth in the first year of life leading to a large cranial size in infancy; reduced brain stem size and function, and confused neural connections, which lead to sensory and social difficulties.
These formative differences exist in patients with PDD-NOS and Asperger's as well. Changing a name will merely shift the tide, rather than stopping the epidemic, and it shifts focus from the real problem - and that is the root cause of autism, which must be addressed.
Sign this Petition to let your voice be heard in this issue. The changes are only in draft form, and not final.
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
January 25, 2012
January 23, 2012
Seeing this momentum behind the petition reminds me that so many families are terrified of the services their children will lose if these changes go through. Your support proves that we refuse to let medical labeling erase the real needs of our loved ones.
Reached 100 supporters
January 22, 2012
January 19, 2012
My own child is looking at a future without essential school support because of these proposed labels. Please send this link to your inner circle right now so we can hit our goal and show the committee exactly how many families are terrified of these changes.
8 Comments
The doctors need to look at the brain scans not just change the book to save money. We really need these services for my nephew.
Ridiculous. Asperger's is a real thing and ignoring it won't help anybody. Stop trying to rebrand kids.
My son has Aspergers and he needs the help he gets at school. Taking this label away just means the funding goes away too. This is not right.
WHY ARE THEY MESSING WITH THIS. my daughter depends on her diagnosis for therapy. leave it alone.
This will hurt so many families who just want their kids to have access to support. keep the criteria how it is.
I have asperger’s syndrome and no other difficulties besides social awkwardness. Being grouped into a very broad disorder I meet nearly none of the requirements for is a disgrace to the field of psychiatry. To say the neurosciences have gone down in quality and reliability would only be a sad understatement. I am an educated woman with three degrees and I am currently pursuing a fourth in biology. My current pursuit has taught me that their is a noticeable physiological difference between asperger’s and autism that is both visible and chromosomal. A duplication versus deletion mutation are as different as is physically possible, they are opposites. One leads to a smaller brain, IQ, and intellectual disabilities. While the other leads to a bigger brain with an average or above average IQ. But the scientifically ignorant uneducated baboons of psychiatry aren’t capable of comprehending or even noticing real world physical and genetic conditions even if it smacked them right in the face.
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This petition is against the proposed changes to the DSM-V, which would eliminate high functioning ASD patients (PDD-NOS, Asperger's and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder) from the Autism Spectrum. According to Fred Volkmar, MD, the researcher who worked on the data leading to this change, while some high functioning autistic individuals would be put under the umbrella of classic autism, more than 3/4 of high-functioning autistics would no longer be considered autistic, placing their access to social and school services in jeopardy.
Changing the name of their diagnosis from ASD to another name does not make them any less autistic. Basic formative differences exist in all autistic children's brains - including enlarged white matter growth in the first year of life leading to a large cranial size in infancy; reduced brain stem size and function, and confused neural connections, which lead to sensory and social difficulties.
These formative differences exist in patients with PDD-NOS and Asperger's as well. Changing a name will merely shift the tide, rather than stopping the epidemic, and it shifts focus from the real problem - and that is the root cause of autism, which must be addressed.
Sign this Petition to let your voice be heard in this issue. The changes are only in draft form, and not final.
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
January 25, 2012
January 23, 2012
Seeing this momentum behind the petition reminds me that so many families are terrified of the services their children will lose if these changes go through. Your support proves that we refuse to let medical labeling erase the real needs of our loved ones.
Reached 100 supporters
January 22, 2012
January 19, 2012
My own child is looking at a future without essential school support because of these proposed labels. Please send this link to your inner circle right now so we can hit our goal and show the committee exactly how many families are terrified of these changes.
8 Comments
If a child has overcome ASD then he/she shouldn't have to deal with the stigma of ASD.
The doctors need to look at the brain scans not just change the book to save money. We really need these services for my nephew.
Ridiculous. Asperger's is a real thing and ignoring it won't help anybody. Stop trying to rebrand kids.
My son has Aspergers and he needs the help he gets at school. Taking this label away just means the funding goes away too. This is not right.
WHY ARE THEY MESSING WITH THIS. my daughter depends on her diagnosis for therapy. leave it alone.
This will hurt so many families who just want their kids to have access to support. keep the criteria how it is.
I have asperger’s syndrome and no other difficulties besides social awkwardness. Being grouped into a very broad disorder I meet nearly none of the requirements for is a disgrace to the field of psychiatry. To say the neurosciences have gone down in quality and reliability would only be a sad understatement. I am an educated woman with three degrees and I am currently pursuing a fourth in biology. My current pursuit has taught me that their is a noticeable physiological difference between asperger’s and autism that is both visible and chromosomal. A duplication versus deletion mutation are as different as is physically possible, they are opposites. One leads to a smaller brain, IQ, and intellectual disabilities. While the other leads to a bigger brain with an average or above average IQ. But the scientifically ignorant uneducated baboons of psychiatry aren’t capable of comprehending or even noticing real world physical and genetic conditions even if it smacked them right in the face.
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If a child has overcome ASD then he/she shouldn't have to deal with the stigma of ASD.