Pedagogy of the Depressed: experiences as a special ed student in the 1990s.

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4. Well, many experts DON'T agree with what the APA is doing

The psychologist who diagnosed my brother for SSI appeals said that this was wrong because AS and autism are NOT the same thing. AS, he said, involves the right hemisphere of the brain, while autism involves the left hemisphere. They are two completely different disorders.

The characteristics of AS also overlap with many other disabilities and disorders and can be misdiagnosed. It is always a mistake for people to self-diagnose, which many people who claim to be AS do. AS is less common than SPD (schizotypal personality disorder), for example, which has many of the same characteristics as AS.

My brother was diagnosed by the above-mentioned psychologist as SPD on Axis II, with generalized anxiety disorder and ADHD on Axis I. The psychologist for SS diagnosed him as having AS.

What will happen with AS being included with autism is it will be far harder for people to get SSI.