The American Psychiatric Association voted this weekend to remove the diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome from the so-called bible of psychiatry, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders. People with Asperger’s will now more likely be diagnosed as having autism spectrum disorder. The APA says the change will lead to more accurate diagnoses for people with

In the proposed Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) scheduled for publication in May 2013 (American Psychatric Association), Autism Spectrum Disorder has 2 core symptoms: social communication issues and fixated interests/repetitive behavior. This would make ASD an umbrella term that covers several different type of symptoms. Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) will be removed and

There are three different schools of thought regarding this matter. One category of people considers reward and punishment a futile short-term regimen to coach children. They argue that this system fails because it doesn’t teach children good habits, nor puts an end to bad behavior in the long term. This perspective presumes that the effectiveness

Three Valuable Things I Have Learned at The Morgan Autism Conference I was invited to attend the 11th Morgan Autism Center Conference, www.morgancenter.org, which took place on the 22nd of September. This conference focuses on social cognition, communication, and transitions from childhood to adulthood and is attended by parents, educators and professionals dealing with autism.

I have watched this movie twice and I was really touched by the potential that everyone of us posesses to live a happy and successful life, even individuals with ASD. I would love for people with Asperger’s Syndrome themseves to watch it too. Parents of children with Asperger’s Syndrome and educators in special education would

The ultimate goal in special education is to help as many children as possible to get to the appropriate level of mainstream education. By mainstream, we mean a regular education class for typically developed children. The average number of kids in lower grade (kindergarten, first, second and third grade) is about twenty kids, and some thirty

It is one of very few true success stories told by a woman who lives with Asperger’s syndrome. She became an animal scientist and a professor at the university. The protagonist, Temple Grandin, was able to explain and describe very skillfully how a person with this condition feels, hears, sees, perceives and thinks. She helps people