The next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders may eliminate the terms for Aspergers and PDD-NOS and just call them all autism Spectrum Disorders. Does it matter?
David is really looking forward to Halloween. He loves doling out candy to the younger neighborhood children who come to the door dressed in cute, non-threatening costumes.
Sometimes you want to say something, but you just aren’t finding the words. You’re not even sure exactly what you’re trying to say. Then someone else says it perfectly.
Is the public going to feel an autism-news overload in the near future? It seems as if autism has been a cause célèbre for a few years, now. Sooner or later, people who don’t live with autism on a daily basis may just tune out any autism news they hear the way I tune out news about Paris Hilton, or lately, David Letterman.
People may have wondered why the media didn’t run stories about the studies showing new, higher rates of autism until this week while they read about it online late last week.
People with autism or autistic disorder are quite different than people with Aspergers Syndrome, but there are also many similarities. Should they both be considered Autism Spectrum Disorders?
Johanna Eubank writes about the joys and trials of having an adult child with autism.
About Johanna Eubank
Johanna Eubank is a news and research assistant for the Arizona Daily Star and online content producer for StarNet. She and her husband Dave have two sons, 23-year-old David, who has autism, and 20-year-old Rob, who is studying to be an aerospace engineer.
Email: jeubank@azstarnet.com