The fight to maintain stratification within PDD

Over the past month their have been editorials in the NY Times and the LA Times related to the news that in 2013 Asperger's is going to be folded into autistic spectrum disorder. The overwhelming majority of those writing editorials do not want to lose their diagnostic identity because they do not want to be confused with "lower" functioning autistics.

The "high-low" distinction creates a form of social stratification within the world of PDD where those with Asperger's believe they are less impaired than those diagnosed with autism. This stratification is maintained in part by popular culture references that some of the world's greatest minds had Asperger's Syndrome: Thomas Jefferson. Einstein, Wittgenstein, Bill Gates. It makes good sense to want to preserve one's admission to the club of great minds. Whether or not any one of these distinguished minds had or has Asperger's is not at all clear to me. What is clear is there is an odd and sad form of descrimination within the PDD family that the possibility of eliminating Asperger's has brought to light.

This is clealry a very personal and emotional topic and I invite comments and debate on the issue of social stratification within PDD.

< Back to view all blogs