The committees that revise the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders conduct ongoing research into their areas of specialization. Those active in research on the Autism Spectrum detected important problems/irregularities in diagnosing patterns in 2013. Children of Caucasian parents were more likely to receive a diagnosis of Asperger's Disorder while children born to parents identified as belonging to a minority group were more likely to be diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (PDD, NOS). Further, the researchers found that the children receiving these different diagnoses presented with highly similar symptoms. They concluded that the significant difference between choosing to label the child's condition Asperger's or PDD, NOS was the racial identification of the child's parents; which I personally consider a form of white supremacy.
Thank you for sharing this important and deeply thought-provoking piece. It’s crucial that we engage in these conversations to better understand the historical context and impact of the language we use when discussing autism.
The legacy of Hans Asperger is undeniably complicated and painful. His involvement with the Nazi eugenics program is a stark reminder of the harm that can be caused when society places value on individuals based on arbitrary standards of intelligence or perceived productivity.
Thank you for reading! Yes, language is powerful. We can use it to sew division or to unite a front. When we use it to create supremacy over oppression and to justify that…. Bad things happen, every time.
The fundamental problem is a lack of scientific knowledge that adequately explains individual variations and differences. We need biological markers like a blood test or a brain scan that can be tested and validated.
The committees that revise the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders conduct ongoing research into their areas of specialization. Those active in research on the Autism Spectrum detected important problems/irregularities in diagnosing patterns in 2013. Children of Caucasian parents were more likely to receive a diagnosis of Asperger's Disorder while children born to parents identified as belonging to a minority group were more likely to be diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (PDD, NOS). Further, the researchers found that the children receiving these different diagnoses presented with highly similar symptoms. They concluded that the significant difference between choosing to label the child's condition Asperger's or PDD, NOS was the racial identification of the child's parents; which I personally consider a form of white supremacy.
💯! And now we are battling with the gender gap between diagnostic criteria and presentation differences across the gender spectrum. There is also still a heavy diagnostic bias for neurodevelopmental diagnoses based on race and culture. We changed the diagnostic criteria, but not the methods of diagnosis nor the training for those who evaluate: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8500365/#:~:text=In%20a%20study%20of%20over,children%20being%20Black%20or%20Latinx.&text=Another%20study%20found%20that%20White,Black%20and%20Latinx%20children%2C%20respectively.
Thank you for sharing this important and deeply thought-provoking piece. It’s crucial that we engage in these conversations to better understand the historical context and impact of the language we use when discussing autism.
The legacy of Hans Asperger is undeniably complicated and painful. His involvement with the Nazi eugenics program is a stark reminder of the harm that can be caused when society places value on individuals based on arbitrary standards of intelligence or perceived productivity.
Thank you for reading! Yes, language is powerful. We can use it to sew division or to unite a front. When we use it to create supremacy over oppression and to justify that…. Bad things happen, every time.
The fundamental problem is a lack of scientific knowledge that adequately explains individual variations and differences. We need biological markers like a blood test or a brain scan that can be tested and validated.