Sunday, May 09, 2010

CDC Facts: Autistic Disorder and Intellectual Disability



Honest discussion of many autism subjects will invite hostility from different quarters of the alleged autism community. One example is the connection between Autistic Disorder and Intellectual Disability.  Few will even discuss the obvious fact that many persons with Autistic Disorder are also Intellectually Disabled.  Attempts to discuss Autistic Disorder and Intellectual Disability are met with overt hostitlity even though Intellectual Disability is a fact of classic autism or Autistic Disorder:.

The CDC Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) Facts section of the CDC web site states this fact simply and clearly:

Autistic Disorder (also called “classic” autism)

This is what most people think of when hearing the word “autism.” People with autistic disorder usually have significant language delays, social and communication challenges, and unusual behaviors and interests. Many people with autistic disorder also have intellectual disability

(emphasis added -HLD)


With the expansion of the definition of autism in the 1994 DSM-IV the concept of autism has come to include many very intelligent, high functioning persons as autistic and the intellectual disability component of autistic disorder is erroneously but intentionally set aside as a "comorbid" or "coincidental" condition, a process that will be worsened with the New Autism Spectrum Disorder category in the DSM-5.  The obvious connection between autism (pervasive developmental delay) and intellectual disability will be pushed even further from our consciousness.  

4 comments:

Adrianna said...

It's not just ID that's being pushed from our consciousness. It's the social, linguistic, and communicative dimension that's being lost.

Autism is a disability that, by definition, impairs speech, language, and social interaction. More and more, I see online autistics that show no evidence of this either now or in their developmental history, nor have they had speech/language therapy or any other interventions to explain their current success. Rather, their ony "deficits" include being geeks and loners who don't go with the crowd.

People like myself who couldn't make simple requests or follow simple commands at 13 years old, despite being very verbal, don't quite fit that.

People who are loners up until high school and suddenly find their niche in college aren't autistic. They're simply loners, geeks, etc. Autism is a life sentence of social disability.

ID and speech/language/social disability intersect in that it's next to impossible to teach S/L/S skills to people who are intellectually disabled and who either cannot understand or cannot retain information. They also do not necessarily have the impulse control to think to implement their skills before they act, nor do they necessarily recognize when they need to use what.

Autism as a handicap is getting lost as a concept. It's so annoying to hear people say that they have a little bit of autism because they don't read very well. Seriously, someone told me that!

The result is that ID autistics are doubly marginalized by the current trend towards high-functioning euphoria. NDs talk about how wrong it is to abuse LFAs and how such-and-such treatment doesn't work, but what solutions do they have?

Anonymous said...

My child was just diagnosed, we are searching frantically for an answer on what all of it means. The team of doctors diagnosed him with autistic disorder, iq in mid 80s, and cognitive challenges. Does that mean he is intellectually disabled? If so does that mean he will not improve or progress? Please let us know!!!

- Scared parents of newly diagnosed autistic boy

Anonymous said...

"...Autism is a disability that, by definition, impairs speech, language, and social interaction. More and more, I see online autistics that show no evidence of this either now or in their developmental history, nor have they had speech/language therapy or any other interventions to explain their current success. Rather, their ony "deficits" include being geeks and loners who don't go with the crowd..."

Those people are such a pain in the ass. For that matter, so are the people who get all "shut up about being lonely and just study math and science, back home people didn't care about "social skills"!!!" to their kids even if they do this for cultural reasons (yep, my parents are immigrants) instead of using either A-word. o_O

Adrianna said...

To Anonymous,

Yes, your child is intellectually disabled, but it may not be as much as you think. IQ tests have their limitations, especially with autistic children. He may actually be very smart and you just don't know it yet. In any case, with the right early intervention and persistence, and the maturity that all children gain with age, then yes. Your child WILL make progress. What type of progress and how much, it's really too soon to tell.

But don't give up! That's the big thing. There is a wide range of outcomes. Many autistic children will learn to speak and understand language. Many can hold jobs, although they aren't necessarily competitive and prestigious jobs. Some will be in assisted living and be able to engage in self-care and others will be in institutions and will need a lot of help in self-care.

I know it doesn't help much when you have so far to go and the future is so uncertain. I guess I just want you to know that you're not alone and that there is hope for your child. Practice makes perfect. Practice makes perfect and patience is a virtue

God bless.