Melanie Sykes have just been diagnosed with autism

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59352983

Melanie Sykes has just been diagnosed as being autistic 

She like many here remained undiagnosed until later in life. 

very positive article


  • It's very wrong that someone is accusing you of not loving your child;

    It was a bit of mistake to imagine that someone had even made such an accusation.


  • This Post has been moderated under the breaking of Rule of 4. 

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  • You've worded this so perfectly. Thank you.

  • “When you debate a person about something that affects them more than it affects you, remember that it will take a much greater emotional toll on them than on you. For you it may feel like an academic exercise. For them, it feels like revealing their pain only to have you dismiss their experience and sometimes their humanity. The fact that you might remain more calm under these circumstances is a consequence of your privilege, not increased objectivity on your part. Stay humble.”

    I'm sorry about your son. I hope he gets the support he needs. It's very wrong that someone is accusing you of not loving your child; I've worked with children for many years now and it's clear from the way you speak about your child that you do love him and want what's best for him. But I have to say I agree that you shouldn't be bringing these things up on a forum for Autistic people. As a woman diagnosed at the age of 33 and who nearly died of anorexia recently having suffered since my early teens (the anorexia – which will never leave me – is a result of Autistic tendencies, as it is for many women). Yes I can speak and hold down a job and a marriage (when I'm not in hospital) but that doesn't mean I'm well or capable. I understand why people ask these questions and can certainly understand why the parent of a child with your son's difficulties would ask these questions, but whilst I don't think you're necessarily being disrespectful, perhaps you need to show a little empathy and sensitivity and not debate about it with people who are actually affected by 'high functioning' Autism. You keep saying you 'don't want to offend' etc and then don't seem to take the hint when people assert boundaries. There's a time and a place. We hear this stuff all the time, and it takes an emotional toll. This is supposed to be a safe space for us.


  • I am glad to have been of some service.


    In that Autistic Spectrum Disorder describes limited, narrow and repetitive patterns of social interaction, communication and imagination ~ or as the acronym of ASD it has always been a diagnostic descriptor; rather than as being according to you a malevolent entity!?!

    And yes I have read extensively on the for and against arguments.


    People on this forum can identify with autism according to the terms and conditions of here so doing, so refrain from imagining that people are speaking on behalf of your son and then assuming that you are justified in criticising them for your own actions!?!



    In terms of conscious embodiment autism describes being neurophysiologically self-centric, as such it should neither then be compared with cancer nor in any way metaphorically, allegorically or literally is it to be surgically, chemically or radioactively removed from the body of society.



    Well the basic issue is that autism is a developmental condition rather than being a medical one, and as a developmental condition it is not then a developmental disorder either ~ as being autistic just involves to various degrees being otherwise enabled.



    Using that as an unfounded ‘if’ based criticism reflects badly upon yourself though.


    I have on numerous occasions been an advocate for those who could not do so for themselves, and when I am unable to speak or write for myself ~ there are those that do so as advocates for me.


    The Aspie quiz is neither mine nor technically does it include me either ~ being that although I have a quite significant Knowledge Quota, I only have an Intelligence Quota of 62 rather than the required 90 or more to take that particular test.


    Rather than describing millions of parents such as yourself as being like *****~ for not being able to fulfil the neurotypical dream that is actually a nightmare for those who cannot, recognise that autistic children’s developmental impairments require research from the social sciences involved in education, and their co-morbidities require research from the medical sciences involved in health.


    When the word ‘cure’ is used on autistic forums in relation to the word autism or the description of autistic people ~ it can have all the functional equivalence of the word ****, and of course the coercive threat to collaborate with the ‘****’ just makes things even more of a communicational crash and burn at an explosives storage depot session.



    You have though been high-jacking and criticising the credibility of this threads topic matter regarding Melanie Sykes socially functional autism diagnosis, and by default the campaign to make the education system more befitting for everyone on and off the autism diagnostic spectrum.



    This is not though a two dimensional argument ~ but a discussion about three dimensional states of affairs with at least as many perspectives as there are people existentially addressing them.



    Remember that autism is a spectrum condition with negative, neutral and positive attributes ~ so if you see nothing positive about autism; you are failing to recognise the difference between autism as a neurophysiological condition ~ and autistic developmental impairments as being educational specialisations and psychological and physiological co-morbidities as being medical specialisations.


    Only your view is not inclusive and your misunderstanding and incomprehension of things is not serving you well.



    Autism is not being used as a political correctness debate aside from yourself stating that it is, along with your continual emphasis about being a struggling parent with a non-verbal autistic child ~ without mentioning or inquiring about any research or treatment modalities that might be relevant, but rather by default negating and dismissing the campaign to have individuality appropriately facilitated, identified and affirmed in the education system.



    Autism is a fact of life.



    Imagine that this topic could very simply be analogous to a cuboid block, with contextually four rectangle shaped sides and two square shaped sides ~ with each perspective of which being as valid as every other, and as such I am only presenting information that is the case ~ for the sake of consideration and discussion, and not for the sake of any argumentative dismissal.



    Not according to the National Health Service in the UK:


    Autism is not an illness

    Being autistic does not mean you have an illness or disease. It means your brain works in a different way from other people.

    It's something you're born with or first appears when you're very young.

    If you're autistic, you're autistic your whole life.

    Autism is not a medical condition with treatments or a "cure". But some people need support to help them with certain things.

    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/what-is-autism/


    And from the National Centre of Biotechnical Information in USA:


    The outlook for many individuals with autism spectrum disorder today is brighter than it was 50 years ago; more people with the condition are able to speak, read, and live in the community rather than in institutions, and some will be largely free from symptoms of the disorder by adulthood.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7398158/



    We have not gone back and fourth with articles and youtube links at all ~ being that you have only offered opinions rejecting things as not being so, when in fact they are. You may just as well be arguing that a cuboid block only has square shaped sides whilst I am explaining there are rectangle shaped sides also.



    Neurological diversity involves individuality in every case ~ whereas by contrast you have been debating against the relevance of high social functioning on the autistic diagnostic spectrum, and debating for the greater relevance of parents that have socially lower functioning autistic children ~ as being a philosophical and personal campaign involving therefore your sense of identity.



    In that the Latin prefix ‘dis-’ means broken into pieces or separated apart ~ being disabled in concrete terms involves having lost an ability; such as going deaf or losing a limb and such like, whereas autism involves developmental impairments that can develop further due to inappropriate or incompatible facilitations, identifications and affirmations of individuality in society, to greater or lesser extents.



    I can being that after seizures I am sometimes quite unable to speak, write or cope with some of my basic needs, and I have family and friends who work in care facilities dealing with such needs as you describe also.


    For them, they do not want to celebrate their autism. Autism for these people can only be described as torture, pain and suffering.

    Keep in mind that statement you made about not speaking for everyone ~ as some are by contrast quite content as long as their basic needs are being met and their particular interests and scheduled routines are being maintained.



    Not in the least.



    No one but yourself with the usual methodology to prevent self-harm being described via the following link:


    Self-harm and autism ~ a guide for parents and carers

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/self-harm/parents



    After I had a near death experience at the age of three I started having stress induced body buckling room wrecking seizures several times a week at best, or several times a day at worst ~ and everyone in the family desperately hoped each one would be the terminal one.



    During my childhood, my mother tried to get help for me but the doctors and social services made out it was either her responsibility or my responsibility to be better behaved and more responsive to treatment, so eventually everyone felt better imagining I was responsible and just gave me loads of stress about being more dependable ~ and the more of that I got the more body buckling room wrecking seizures everybody had to deal with!?!



    Along with the problem of being another unfounded ‘if’ attack, there is the further problem of you wanting the absolute best for your child which involves by contrast someone else’s child having the absolute worst chance of life involving whatever pain and suffering maybe the case.



    Everyone has the right to argue against finding a cure for all the characteristics of being autistic, whereas no one has the right to stop autistic people having their impaired abilities reasonable adjusted for socially, nor does anyone have the right to stop autistic people having their co-morbidities sorted out medically ~ when and where possible.



    That is your imagined interpolation of what you did not fully understand and therefore could not fully comprehend.

    Redefining the diagnostic criteria works for everyone involving neurophysiological behaviourisms that are typical, atypical and divergent, what with making the assessment protocols more refined in their contextualisation and more accurate in their description of the different character traits.



    Not as far as you have misconstrued things ~ no, but yes they do in respect of calling for a better quality of social facilitation, identification and affirmation for everyone on the autism spectrum in terms of involving anything from having no autistic traits to some, all the way up to those having enough traits to be somewhere on the autism diagnostic spectrum itself.



    Autism Spectrum Conditions are developmental in nature, not medical. Autistic Co-morbidities are though psychologically and physiologically diagnosed as being medical conditions.



    The Autism Spectrum Disorder acronym of ASD has become the Autistic Spectrum Condition acronym of ASC increasingly in the UK ~ yet no matter what the current or future nomenclature or acronyms may or may not become, they will still be describing what has been described in one way or another for along as mammalian life has been on the go.



    There are non-verbal autistic people who are able to use technological devices to write with and websites of forums including this one amongst others to communicate on, so if there is the personal aptitude and the appropriate facilitation, identification and affirmation of their autistic individuality to do so ~ it shouldn’t be a problem.



    Diagnostic criteria describe peoples behaviour and or symptoms, so in choosing to dismiss the credibility of which ~ you chose to undermine and demean those people’s sense of identity, and as such quite a few on the autism diagnostic spectrum feel particularly hypersensitive after a life time of personal rejection and social isolation.



    As long as you no longer promote your son’s autistic impairments as valid and whoever else’s as being invalid or unwarranted in terms of diagnosis ~ and no longer promote **** ideologies, you wont have anywhere near as many problems addressing your or your son’s personal needs.



    Yes, just as people compulsively comfort eat, shop and so forth on account that their primary social needs having been obstructed and corrupted by what parents, teachers and peers etcetera enforced behaviourally instead. A slightly different approach is required by you.



    Just like autism; down’s syndrome is a neurophysiological embodiment of consciousness, and to end that correlation as such involves killing them, and that is the issue.



    Wanting to live is a choice though for her.



    It does though upset at least some people with down’s syndrome that they like autistic people and so forth are undesired, and it also angers or depresses them that they like many other minorities are deemed too disturbing or troubling to bare.



    Hence the neurological diversity movement attempting to encourage society at large to accept diversity as being a good thing; rather than as being something to be ignored, criticised or mourned as a bypass to an ideologically normalised life ~ in that trying to live the dream of normality sidelines reality and excludes diversity, sort of thing.



    Still it is her freedom to enjoy what and as much is experientially available and amenable to her.



    It is not the condition that is being celebrated, it is in fact the individual dealing with their condition that is being respected, and it is as such their achievements that are being celebrated.



    I used the ‘neurodiversity’ video as an example of not being a discriminatory movement against those with the most severe co-morbidities of autism ~ but as a universal celebration of individuals who are otherwise enabled having fulfilling experiences for themselves, without having to live up to social value systems that ordinarily exclude them and make them feel incomplete.



    So no one is trying to change your opinion as that is up to you as being your decision, we are merely addressing your mistaken use of the word ‘autism’ as being the plural and the word ‘autistic’ as being the singular, and that it is your dismissive attitude and continued enforcements of misconceived and demeaning assumptions that have been offending people.



    Yes ~ and as such you have cognitive dissonance in terms of continuing to dismiss Ekblad's paper as holding no water; despite having in fact been peer reviewed as you state here:



    Only the subject of neurological diversity has been covered in the Medical Humanities Blog section of the BMJ as follows here:


    Neuro Diversity Explored In Film – Review by Professor Janet Harbord, Professor of Film, Queen Mary University, London

    When cinema has depicted autism it has almost exclusively sought to translate the world of the autistic person for a supposed neurotypical audience. But what happens if we start from a position of autism as a benefit, a modality that can renew our experience of what cinema can be? Cinema’s assumptions about how communication takes place, what the eye is drawn to in a scene, about who or what is at the centre of a story or even that a story has a centre, begin to figure as particular choices in the history of film that can be overturned. Autism through Cinema is a four-year project that explores how autism can transform the medium of film and its reliance on normative codes of body language and social interaction, https://www.autism-through-cinema.org.uk.

    https://blogs.bmj.com/medical-humanities/2021/09/08/neuro-diversity-explored-in-film/


    And by contrast in terms of observing the neurophysiological diversity of autistic people ~ we also have the following from another one of the BMJ’s Medical Humanities pages:


    Theorising the neurotypical gaze: autistic love and relationships in The Bridge (Bron/Broen 2011–2018)

    In popular media, autistic subjectivity is most often produced through the lens of the neurotypical gaze. Dominant understandings of autism therefore tend to focus on perceived deficits in social communication and relationships. Accordingly, this article has two primary concerns. First, it uses the Danish/Swedish television series The Bridge (Bron/Broen, 2011–2018) and critical responses to the series as examples of how the neurotypical gaze operates, concentrating on the pleasures derived from looking at autism, how autism is ‘fixed’ (Frantz Fanon, 1986) as a socially undesirable subject position, and the self-interested focus of the gaze. Second, it analyses key scenes from the series to expose and challenge the dominance of the neurotypical perspective in scholarly accounts of autistic sexuality and relationality. Using Lauren Berlant’s (2012) work on love, I argue that the non-normative ways of being constructed by the series do not fit easily within neuroconventional frameworks of love and desire. Consequently, autistic expressions of love are rendered both undesirable and illegible to the neurotypical gaze. The article therefore offers a flexible framework for understanding how the neurotypical gaze functions across cultural and academic spheres and gives vital insight into how autistic love and relationships are narratively constructed.

    https://mh.bmj.com/content/early/2021/01/26/medhum-2020-011906



    Anyone with the appropriate reading proficiency can yes, but that is exactly the point of them as being a means of being better informed and thereby having a more balanced opinion regarding the latest research findings and directions of research.



    The online tests serve in the first instance as assessments for people to see if seeking a medical referral from a GP and so forth to an assessment team is warranted, and in the second instance they serve to make it easier for the assessment team to come to a more informed decision at the end of the diagnostic process.



    Well obviously the Sage, Lancet and BMJ articles describe and as such demonstrate otherwise, being that autism is not the problem ~ whereas autistic impairments being inappropriately facilitated, identified and affirmed in society to become co-morbidities are problematic.



    That is not the case. They can define the nature or character of their experience politely in accordance with the terms and conditions here and that are in general involved with describing the characteristics of autism, remembering that autism describes every variety of being autistic.



    Respect does not mean compliance with your demands and or expectations ~ therefore appreciate the required semantics here, and describe things accordingly and thereby respectfully.



    Your son’s neurology and physiology cannot be cured or fixed in respect of being autistic, but his conscious embodiment and developing awareness through which can be better facilitated, identified and more appropriately as such affirmed.



    They actually want their individuality as neurologically divergent people to be accepted, and thereafter the success of their achievements to be respected or celebrated, rather than being themselves castigated or rejected for not being otherwise or elsewhere than they actually are.



    Keep secure in mind then that Kanner’s, Asperger’s and Down’s Syndromes etcetera are neurophysiological embodiments of consciousness ~ and can neither be ‘cured’ or as such ‘culled’, whereas developmental impairments can be better facilitated, identified and affirmed sociologically, whilst psychological and physiological co-morbidities can be better treated and healed ~ especially with more funding and support for research being involved.

    [All quotes in this thread have been removed following a data deletion request - if you have any questions about this please contact communitymanager@nas.org.uk 

  • Where my ADHD kicks in and  is like damn that's way to much stuff to Wana read 

  • From what I’ve seen over the years, she is always just herself, very honest, open, factual and down to earth. Now we know why,

  • She hasn’t got ‘publicity for it’. She gone public so that other people, women in particular can feel confident enough to come forward for assessment. She’s showing it’s a positive, and nothing to be ashamed for. Why you think she should now be responsible for changing how Autistic people ‘are treated’ is beyond me. 
    She’s just another person with Autism, who also requires guidance and help with things. Being diagnosed as an adult isn’t easy to digest, so I can only imagine her distress, along with the enlightenment a diagnosis brings.

    She is also a parent of a child with Autism, so that alone has not given her ‘an easy life’. 

  • I'm a quarter of the way into your video recommendation, she is a lovely person, very not like the world in which she has a career.

  • Also, a documentary is in production to look into the failure of the current Education system to cater for individuals rather than a collective schooling solution that serves very few.

    It is discussed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP2RqlLwg58

  • Missing my point though what's it Gona change? There'll just like her and sympathise with her Autism. They won't still won't give a *** about the rest of us with Autism just cause she got assesed she'll get publicity for it but nothing will change for us.

  • [Username removed by moderator] I've read your posts, and I'm struggling to follow your line of thought. Firstly, let's try dropping the talk of 'identity politics', 'bubbles' etc. I'll ask for forgiveness in advance, as I'm not trying to be insulting, but it's clear that this is an 'identity politics' issue for you. You're defining yourself very much as 'parent of autistic child' and are arguing from the basis of that identity. You talk about wanting respect for people's beliefs. Again, this is very much an 'identity politics' type of response. I do not respect opinions that I consider harmful, nor should anyone. We should, however, not assume bad intentions in others unless demonstrated. So perhaps we should proceed on that basis. I'm going to assume that you've accurately described your personal circumstances and are motivated by trying to help those close to you.

    Firstly, the comparison between autism and cancer is disanalogous. Cancer is a disease that causes death; autism is not. That is not a credible position. I am unfamiliar with any serious agency with any knowledge of the topic that is calling for a cure for autism. This isn't because they've been captured by identity politics. It's because that position is inherently implausible. Putting aside the diagnostic criteria, the best description of autism in practice I've seen is an atypical distribution of skills; people with autism tend to be very good at some things and poor at others. I'm unsure about what a 'cure' for that would even look like.

    I wonder whether you're confusing autism with comorbidities. Many of the things you've described don't seem to relate to autism directly. From the literature I've read, people with autism are prone to a range of other conditions, sometimes inherently, and sometimes because of the social response to autism. This is why functioning levels are typically considered unhelpful, and why the DSM-5 removed the old diagnoses; when comorbidities were accounted for, there were no meaningful differences. Naturally, a person with multiple comorbidities may have greater care needs, but that doesn't add any credence to the 'cure autism' position, because they are extraneous to the general position.

    I agree with you that the 'politics of representation' are difficult, and advocacy groups struggle to cover a range of views. However, here's another problem. Despite being well intentioned, parents don't always accurately represent the interests or feelings of their children. I've known many circumstances where parents have very strongly advocated for certain positions when their child was unable to speak for themselves, and, years later, the child has disagreed. Just because a person is in distress doesn't mean that they would necessarily wish that their neurotype is different, even if that was possible.

    A word on context too. A major problem that autistic people face, which is well represented on these threads, is that people aren't believed when they say they feel a certain way. This can be very harmful. I suspect that this is why your earlier conversations became so heated. Saying that someone isn't autistic because they seem to communicate fine is wrong in fact; the diagnostic criteria talks of 'difficulties in social communication'. Finding something difficult doesn't mean that a person can't do it well. The antonym of 'difficult' is 'ease', not 'skill'. The reaction may have been caused by you using a formulation that many people have heard and has caused them harm. It's not that the robustness of the diagnostic procedure shouldn't be challenged, but it is questionable to do so in that particular way on this forum. People who allege domestic violence do need to be challenged as to whether their accounts are true, but to do so when they are seeking help in a refuge may be insensitive.

  • She was actually on our tv screens well before Eminem popped up. The difference is she’s a UK TV personality, while he’s a universally known music artist.

  • Again though this just calling people fake cause you personally dislike them and don't want to associate yourself with them. He'll there's enough people I couldn't see myself getting along with in this group for that reason and as I've said unless your the drink that assesed her who are we to judge like her or hate her.

  • May I ask out of interest why it would cross your mind (ie "how can you tell")? Just curious.

    I also think that diagnostic criteria are evolving butI know there has to be some sort of "cut off". I scored just above the cut off on my assessment. With some people, it may seem that they have more obvious difficulties but many years ago they might not have even got a diagnosis. So I think things are evolving all the time.

    I do think as more people explore information which is available and so start talking about their own experiences,  this goes to redefining what autism means. For example,  when I started reading about autism and aspergers for myself I discounted it in the first instance because I couldn't relate to it. It was about stereotypical male behaviour and from official sources like the nhs. But then as I started reading more (a mixture of first hand experiences and also that of qualified people) it began to make more sense. As I talk about my own experiences this may feed into how other people relate to it too. 

    Edit - I think I'm trying to say there may be common shared experiences of people with autism which are not in "official" material but it's only since we have more access to sharing information that these are brought to the open more.

    On the other hand, I do wonder sometimes if what people describe can be attributed to autism or if it's something else like personality. And then these things get thrown into the unofficial mix of autism. I would say there's plenty I cannot relate to but a lot i can. 

    I have thought about this before going off on so many branches in my head. I don't know if I have explained correctly what I mean and its certainly not a personal attack on anyone autistic or not. 



  • As in contrast to non-autistic (or Allistic) people being described as Neurologically Typical (or NT); the description of being Neurologically Divergent (or ND) is commonly and regularly used by autistic people here and elsewhere to refer to themselves and others on the autism diagnostic spectrum, keeping in mind that it is not used by or in reference to autistic people alone:


    The neurodiversity paradigm was taken up first by individuals on the autism spectrum.
    .
    Subsequently, it was applied to other neurodevelopmental conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental speech disorders, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, dysnomia, intellectual disability and Tourette syndrome, as well as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and some mental health conditions such as schizoaffective disorder, antisocial personality disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.
    .
    Neurodiversity advocates denounce the framing of neurodevelopmental disorders as requiring medical intervention to "cure" or "fix" them, and instead promote support systems such as inclusion-focused services, accommodations, communication and assistive technologies, occupational training, and independent living support.
    .
    The intention is for individuals to receive support that honours authentic forms of human diversity, self-expression, and being, rather than treatment which coerces or forces them to adopt normative ideas of normality, or to conform to a clinical ideal.

    As is also exemplified via the following You-Tube video:


    Girl with Down Syndrome Joins Harlem Globetrotters ~ The Week in Neurodiversity (3/10/18)

    Basically then, from a medical or clinical perspective ~ Leif Ekblad (as the author of the Autism, Personality, and Human Diversity: Defining Neurodiversity in an Iterative Process Using Aspie Quiz paper) was in 2013 addressing the need for neurologically typical, atypical and divergent behavioural traits to be further researched and categorised for more accurate diagnostic criteria ~ in respect of autism as being a spectrum condition that involves people having maximum, moderate and or minimum personal and or social support needs.

    And as for:



    Sage journals are peer reviewed and published for those interested, qualified and working in not only the disciplines of the Social Sciences and Humanities ~ but also those of the Health, Life, Biomedical, Materials and Engineering sciences too, so a 'Gold' or 'World Standard' is provided in terms of their article's high credibility.
    .
    The following for example is another take on the same subject matter covered this year in a Psychiatric article of the Lancet Medical Journal:

    The neurodiversity concept: is it helpful for clinicians and scientists?
    .
    ADHD and autism spectrum disorder are conceptualised as discrete, categorical, neurodevelopmental disorders, which originate in early development and are assumed to be the result of underlying brain dysfunction.
    .
    From one perspective, these definitions provide important clarity for clinical practice and ensure we are guided by research progress over the past 40 years.
    .
    By contrast, others have argued that alternative ways of thinking are needed. Some challenges to current concepts are empirical.
    .
    For instance, research shows that neither ADHD or autism spectrum disorder are categorical in nature, but rather behave as population dimensions with no clear-cut boundary differentiating individuals with, from those without the conditions. Different neurodevelopmental disorders also show marked phenotypic and genetic overlap.
    .
    Furthermore, neurodevelopmental conditions are highly heterogeneous—individuals with similar clinical presentations can have very different neurocognitive profiles.
    .
    Finally, for ADHD and possibly autism spectrum disorder, emerging evidence of adult-onset forms could be viewed as a challenge to their standing as neurodevelopmental conditions. Alongside, but largely independent of evidence-based challenges, has come an ideologically inspired proposal to completely rethink the way we understand these conditions—replacing the notion of disorder underpinned by dysfunction with that of neurodiversity.
    .

    So basically Leif Ekblad's theory evidently did and still as such does hold water ~ enough of course to be discussed for further research purposes; what with the adult-onset forms of autism (mentioned in the last paragraph) resulting obviously when the functional ability to socially camouflage and personally mask starts progressively breaking down, or suddenly breaks down.
    .
    In then that you argue for the visible traits of the autism diagnostic spectrum and against the invisible ones ~ despite both trait clusterings being the warp and weft of what autism involves to lesser and greater degrees medically, clinically and socially ~ it would be rather helpful if you consider the characteristic differences between Kanner's and Asperger's Syndrome, as are described via the following link:

    Kanner's infantile autism and Asperger Syndrome
    .

    Also perhaps ~ consider reading at least the first and second chapters of one of the most authoritative diagnostically and developmentally descriptive AS books available ~ i.e., the 'Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome' by Professor Tony Attwood, as either costs just under £20 new; however much less second-hand ~ or else is freely readable or gettable as a PDF book via the following link:

    [All quotes in this reply have been removed due to a data deletion request - if you have any questions please contact communitymanager@nas.org.uk ]