DSM-5 Autistic Spectrum Disorder Disaster By Kim Oakley Should Be Mandatory Reading For The DSM-5 Committees

I have great respect for Kim Oakley  a California mother who has been honestly and courageously documenting her severely autistic son's self-injurious behavior on Youtube, Classic Autism kgaccount's channel,  for several years.  Within the past year she has also begun  a blog, Autism, Epilepsy and Self-Injurious Behavior, on which she presents her views on autism with  the same honesty and courage. 


Ms. Oakley's most recent blog comment DSM-5 Autistic Spectrum Disorder Disaster is as direct and to the point as the title itself.  She pulls no punches in ripping (deservedly) the DSM-5's failure to acknowledge the  serious and fundamental autism problem of self-injurious behavior:

"Has the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Lost It’s Collective Mind? Have the “36,000 Physician Leaders in mental health” ignored history? After all, decades of autism research show self-injurious behavior is a hallmark trait of severe autism.

Hundreds of research studies have been published on autism and self-injurious behavior. Hundreds of papers are written about autistics who present with self-injurious behavior. Thousands of experts have discussed the challenges of self-injury among autistics. Yet, today, you see no mention of self-injurious behavior in DSM-5 autism diagnosis.

Yes, the modern mental health leaders of the APA would have us believe autism with self-injurious behaviors doesn’t exist."

DSM-5 Autistic Spectrum Disorder Disaster elaborates further, asks many tough questions and provides a list of references to back up Ms Oakley's concerns about the DSM-5's failure to address such an important autism issue as SIB, self-injurious behavior.  

Notwithstanding that I have zero influence, standing or recognition with the DSM-5 teams, I strongly recommend that the DSM-5 committee members responsible for drafting the New Autism Spectrum Disorder read this comment by Kim Oakley, view the Youtube videos of her severely autistic son's self injurious behavior and reflect on this important issue. 

I would actually like to see the DSM-5 people consider contacting and meeting with Kim Oakley and her son to gain an understanding of severe autism and self-injurious behavior. Given the disdain that many members of the psychiatric and psychological professional communities have displayed towards the perspectives of  parent advocates of autistic children generally that is unlikely to occur but you never know. It might dawn on the DSM-5 team members that a parent like Kim Oakley has actual first hand, direct, 24/7 observations ... real evidence ... of the realities of severe autism and the challenges ... including self injurious behavior ... that it imposes on the lives of those it affects and the family members who care for them.  It might occur to them that she could provide them with the benefit of some real word autism experience and knowledge that they lack.

Severe Autism Reality: Autistic Cases 'Autism Experts' Run From

Kim Oakley and her family are not researchers studying high functioning autism and trying to convince the world that autism is beautiful.  They are not ill informed mainstream "journalists" looking for a feel good story about autism.  They are a  family caring for a family member severely affected by an autism disorder. They are courageous in caring for Kim Oakley's son and they are courageous again for sharing their struggle honestly with a world that doesn't have the faintest clue about the realities of severe autism disorders, a world misled into thinking that autism is an advantage not a disorder. The following video, Autistic Cases 'Autism Experts' Run From',  by Kim Oakley, portrays severe autism as experienced in her home ... straight up and honestly:

This father of a son with severe Autistic Disorder applauds Kim Oakley and her family for caring for their son despite the challenges and for trying to tell the world about the realities of severe autism disorders and the challenges they present for those who suffer from them and those who care for them.

What is Severe Autism?

What is severe autism?  Kim Oakley asks the question rhetorically before answering it in Silent Alarm. I strongly recommend anyone who wants to know what severe autism is read this latest comment by someone who has dealt with severe autism first hand, someone who knows what she is talking about:

Parents of severely-autistic children have had enough of feel good façades. We can’t stand silent as a parade of imposters infiltrate the autism community. Nor shall we bow to the self-appointed autism elite. We’ve survived too much to play that game. We’re in the trenches. We know how to fight. Remember no pain, no gain? Severe autism is painful. By lifting the weight of it all, there is much to gain. Kim Oakley

Silent Alarm is exactly what the title says. Read it if you want to know the truth about severe autism.  Or read some mainstream media pap about the joy of autism if you don't want to know the truth. Better yet just sit back and wait until the DSM-5 pushes the severely autistic off the spectrum completely and remodels the autism spectrum in the image of those who are anything but severely autistic.

Kim Oakley: Medical mysteries, autism and chronic self-injurious behavior

One of the blogs I follow,  and list on the side bar of this blog, is Autism, Epilepsy and Self-Injurious Behavior by Kim Oakley. A couple of days ago Kim Oakley wrote on the subject of Medical mysteries, autism and chronic self-injurious behavior. As is always the case Ms Oakley writes with straight up honesty and with a view to understanding and helping her son, and others,  who engage in self-injurious behavior.  In this comment Oakley describes some of her son's self-injurious behavior, in what contexts it arises and how long the last episode lasted:  4 days.

Obviously 4 days is a long time.  My son's self-injurious behavior has never lasted more than half an hour to an hour to  my knowledge.  I can't imagine 4 days of self injury, the pain it must have inflicted on her son or the courage Oakley and her family needed over those 4 days. Oakley isn't sure what caused the 4 day self-injurious "bender" to suddenly stop but she offers some speculation about what brought it to an end.  

I recommend anyone struggling with self-injurious behavior in an autistic child to read  Medical mysteries, autism and chronic self-injurious behavior. Oakley does not pretend to have all the answers but she gives us plenty to think about.    Once again, I recommend anyone with a child with autism who engages in self-injurious behavior to visit and bookmark Autism, Epilepsy and Self-Injurious Behavior by Kim Oakley.  It might provide one more piece of information to help you understand the mystery of chronic self-injurious behavior of your autistic child.

Autism, Epilepsy and Self-Injurious Behavior: A Reality Based Autism Blog You Should Read

I have recently added a new blog to the "Autism Reality Favorites" section of my sidebar. Autism, Epilepsy and Self-Injurious Behavior is authored by Kim Oakley whose videos about her autistic son also provide an honest portrayal of the very serious challenges autism disorders present to severely autistic children and adults.  This is not the feel good "autism is just  a different way of thinking" of Dr. Laurent Mottron,  Estée Klar or Ari Ne'eman. I strongly encourage anyone with a serious interest in autism disorders, especially parents of newly diagnosed autistic children and public policy makers whose decisions affect the availability of public services for autism to check out Autism, Epilepsy and Self-Injurious Behavior.  While you are there follow some of the links to the videos Kim Oakley has posted with their honest portrayal of serious autism self injury issues.