Reply #175: Yes and no.

[HuckleB]

Unfortunately, too many practitioners are stretching the supposed spectrum of Autism out beyond any justification. This often leads to misdiagnosis and mistreatment for those who no longer can keep the balls in the air, something that one can say about people with depression and/or anxiety who may have some OCD traits who then face a crisis and get mislabeled. It happens more often than folks want to think. And for some, Autism and Asperger's have become labels du jour. They need an explanation for their difficulties, and Asperger's is a whole lot hipper than depressed anxiety with obessions. And isn't there always a justification for everything, anyway? Further, we're talking about something that isn't going to lead to juggling later in life, without help early in life. This is a developmental issue, not something that strikes the brain later, as with bipolar disorder or depression. There is no trivialization going on in my posts. I am dealing with real world concerns that should not be trivialized as they have by some on this board.