TLAs like ASD, ADD, and DSM
Published February 24, 2009 @ 10:06AM PT
One of the focuses of the DSM-V Neurodevelopmental Disorders Work Group is whether the mutual exclusion of ADD/ADHD and ASD should remain or be lifted. Currently a person can not, according strictly to the letter of the DSM, be diagnosed with both neurodevelopmental disorders at once. The neurodevelopmental group is working on possible re-definitions of autism spectrum disorders for the new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
Though the DSM may currently place some restrictions on which letters can go with which other letters, this article from Times Online asks the question, "Does having a clutch of acronyms after their names help or hinder children with multiple behaviour problems?" and then proceeds to discuss kids being diagnosed with multiple neurodevelopmental and/or psychological disorders from the DSM including the ASD/ADD dual diagnosis. The article raised some interesting (to me anyway) different ideas about where the sudden explosion of DSM diagnoses might be coming from, including some non-medical ones such as changing social and cultural norms and misdiagnoses based on not properly looking at lifestyle (e.g. difficulty concentrating because of lack of sufficient sleep).
I'm still pretty interested in the dynamic between culture defining medicine and medicine defining culture, especially when it comes to the DSM. That book has been a tool of both good (in getting people access to services they may need for survival) and great ill (e.g. the horrors done to homosexuals in the name of "treatment"), and the book is definitely not without strong criticism of its development and usefulness, even by the people who use it. The Times Online article talks about the destructive force of misdiagnosis, especially when a person is given medications for something they don't have.
How much power, unchecked, should the people who define items in the DSM be given? Do we give too much?
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
StumbleUpon
EmailRelated Posts
-
The Somali Autism Rate in Minneapolis: What does it mean?
-
The Puzzling Array of Autism "Treatments"
-
When Treatment Goes Too Far: Boy Burned at HBOT Center
Comments (6)
Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.
Author
-
Dora is committed to improving quality of life for individuals on the autistic spectrum--including herself! She is Co-director of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education and a member of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network's Board of Directors.
Top Autism Actions
-
-
-
End the Perpetuation of Pity
221 People
-
End the Perpetuation of Pity
Technically, ASD and DSM are abbreviations, not acronyms. Acronyms are groupings of letters that stand for something but also spell out a word; an example within the field is GRASP, the "Global and Regional Asperger's Syndrome Partnership" based in NYC. ADD is borderline because, although it spells out "add", it is seldom if ever pronounced that way.
Score: Guy with autism 1, most respected paper in the UK 0.
Posted by Mark Romoser on 02/24/2009 @ 05:28PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
I totally did not know that! Ooops... :-) I'll definitely not misuse the term "acronym" again, that's for sure! (Although disturbingly that means "Three Letter Acronym" shortened to TLA is not in fact self-referential as it is really a three letter abbreviation, which makes it no longer satisfying to me at all *cries*)
Posted by Dora Raymaker on 02/24/2009 @ 05:41PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
Apparently, neither did the copy editors at the Times of London. They're the ones I was calling out, 'cause it's their job to pick up things like that.
Posted by Mark Romoser on 02/24/2009 @ 06:24PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
But "TLA" can still stand for Three Letter Abbreviation! :-D
Posted by Cody Boisclair on 02/28/2009 @ 01:54PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
HA! Cody I didn't catch that! Beautiful, thanks!
Posted by Dora Raymaker on 02/28/2009 @ 02:59PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.
When my sister was little she was diagnosed with ADD, and put on Ritalin. Her teacher, for some unknown reason, told the class, and thus began her 5 years of being bullied, until she finally moved on the junior high. I definitely don't think that diagnosis helped her at all. Now, it's been suggested that she doesn't even have ADD, but simply had trouble concentrating (particularly on written words) because her eyes aren't quite working together the way they're supposed, leading to difficulty moving from the end of one line of text to the beginning of the next. That would certainly explain why she's always hated reading until quite recently (she's 18 now).
Posted by Lianne Lavoie on 03/24/2009 @ 12:26PM PT
You must be signed in to report content.