I think that the present system works fairly well. People who display certain traits and behaviours are diagnosed as autistic (ASD). Those who can live independently are just autistic, those who cannot or have more severe difficulties, are usually diagnosed with additional co-occurring conditions, such as intellectual/learning disability, being non-speaking, severely epileptic etc. etc.
In my opinion the term 'profoundly autistic' is a misnomer for people who are autistic but also have severe co-occurring conditions.
Yes, people can be highly intelligent but severely disabled by profound autism. It's a bit unfair to dismiss them.
I was thinking of 'inside autistic minds' programme, and Ken Bruce son has profound autism, but with great difficultly had written a very thought provoking piece of writing, even though he couldn't talk and barely type.
"Through his short film on the program, Murray aimed to show that a lack of spoken speech does not mean a lack of intelligence or a desire to connect with the world."
This has just made me question something in my own family history. I had a great uncle who was in an institution his whole life and I've never known any details of why. I've always been afraid of upsetting people by asking. But now I know I have autism, I wonder if he had it too..
There are definitions in the diagnostic manuals, such as 'autism with intellectual disability'. The ICD-11 describes around 300 different presentations of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This is a recognition that autism comes in many different varieties. Are all these varieties the result of the same genetic or environmental causes? Are these varieties caused by a sliding scale of autism severity, or are they caused by overlapping co-occurring conditions?
My point is, does 'profound autism' exist as an entity in and of itself? For example, Is the causation of not being able to speak directly linked to autistic features or is it independent? A person who cannot speak, but is gregarious and happily engages with other people will not get an autism diagnosis, what then is the cause of their inability to speak? It is apparently not autism.
There are definitions in the diagnostic manuals, such as 'autism with intellectual disability'. The ICD-11 describes around 300 different presentations of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This is a recognition that autism comes in many different varieties. Are all these varieties the result of the same genetic or environmental causes? Are these varieties caused by a sliding scale of autism severity, or are they caused by overlapping co-occurring conditions?
My point is, does 'profound autism' exist as an entity in and of itself? For example, Is the causation of not being able to speak directly linked to autistic features or is it independent? A person who cannot speak, but is gregarious and happily engages with other people will not get an autism diagnosis, what then is the cause of their inability to speak? It is apparently not autism.
