#Asd in dsm 5 asan professional

#Asd in dsm 5 asan professional

However, some autistic people view Musk’s revelation as merely a publicity stunt using Asperger’s as a marketing tool to further his professional goals.Īccording to an article published in Slate and written by Sara Luterman, an openly autistic writer, Musk’s announcement was a “poor attempt at laundering his image as a heartless billionaire.”Īlso, Luterman feels that Musk isn’t accurately representing most autistic people, as many have difficulty with employment, financial disparities, and unstable housing situations.īecause ASD includes people with a wide range of strengths and abilities, identifying as autistic, an Aspie or Aspien, autist, or on the spectrum is a personal choice. Sam, an autistic student at Lakeland STAR School/Academy in Wisconsin, says, “Because of all the great things Elon Musk has done, finding out he has autism made me feel like I have a chance to succeed in life, too.” It also helped increase self-esteem and a feeling of empowerment they may not have experienced before. It may have also helped prove, once again, that autistic people are just as capable of contributing to society as neurotypical individuals, if not more so, in some cases.įor some autistic people, Musk gave them a renewed sense that having autism is not a limitation. Musk’s announcement that he has Asperger’s may have helped reduce the stigma associated with ASD. What do autistic people say about Musk’s announcement? While some with Asperger’s need help with social interaction, they typically may not need support for daily living. Now, instead of labeling a person with Asperger’s or using stigmatizing terminology like “high functioning” or “low functioning,” the DSM-5 has identified three levels of autism defined by how much support the autistic person needs:Ī person with Asperger’s falls under the Level 1 support criteria. repetitive patterns, interests, or activitiesĪlso, these behaviors are typically present early in the person’s development, and based on the individual, they can cause challenges in daily life.ĭiagnosis also involves determining whether the autistic person has intellectual or language delays.īefore the DSM-5 criteria changed in 2013, an autistic individual received a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome if their symptoms or behaviors required minimal support and they did not have a language delay or intellectual impairments compared with neurotypical individuals.differences in social communication and interaction.But for a diagnosis, a number of behaviors will be present.Īccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ASD is characterized by these behaviors: Not all people will have every characteristic or behavior. But is there a difference between autism and Asperger’s?ĪSD is considered a spectrum disorder because it’s said to exist on a spectrum, with each person having their own set of differences and needs.Īutism affects each person differently. But don’t worry, I’m pretty good at running ‘human’ in emulation mode.”Īs the studio audience applauded, his words set off discussions across social media and news feeds about Asperger’s syndrome.Īlthough the DSM-5 no longer includes Asperger’s as a diagnosis, Musk still identifies with this subtype. So, I won’t make a lot of eye contact with the cast tonight.

He continued: “I’m actually making history tonight as the first person with Asperger’s to host SNL - or at least the first to admit it. That’s because I don’t always have a lot of intonation or variation in how I speak, which I’m told makes for great comedy.” He is also well-known for his involvement in Dogecoin, a meme-based digital currency.ĭuring his “ SNL” monologue, Musk said, “Sometimes after I say something, I have to say, ‘I mean that’ - so people really know that I mean it. He created several high-profile companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, and The Boring Company. Still, these childhood challenges did not deter his success. Biographies written about Musk say he was introverted and bullied in school. Elon Musk was born June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa.