Over the last 12 months I've come across a number of people who are trying to completely separate Aspergers Syndrome from the Autistic Spectrum. The reason for this is to avoid the label of Autism and it's consequent label of "dumb" (associated largely with low functioning Autism) and "Rain Man" (associated mostly with high functioning Autism).

It's frustrating. What this attitude does is it ignores the medically established links between Aspergers Syndrome and the remainder of the Spectrum. Government authorities rely on medical fact in their planning - and they will pay no attention to the opinions of those who go against that fact as they will be labelled "fakes". Of course they won't be told that - mail or any other communication from the person concerned will get put in the "out" basket and in effect ignored.

The more Aspies that do this the worse for those who need assistance.

I'm all for giving Aspergers an individual identity. But to take it out of the Spectrum completely is wrong.

When one takes into account my preferred theory of the origins of ASD's (per Dr. Thomas Good on the Mercury Poisoning - The Myth article), it makes sense that one gene could well be at the root of all Spectrum conditions. What creates the differences within the Spectrum is environment. Now I criticised Dr. Good in one single sense because mercury poisoning could be one of those environmental triggers. However having said that there are many many other causes or triggers ranging from food allergies to getting sunburnt to witnessing domestic violence. There are literally hundreds of triggers out there - maybe even thousands. It is just so varied it can't be predicted.

The second factor in environment aside from the trigger itself is the gravity of the trigger and the follow up triggers. This is where the differences are really established. The worst reactions to triggers would lead to LFA, and the mildest reactions would lead to Aspergers. And all the variants in between. The point though is the original root condition in each case is the same.

There are also the similarities in symptoms - such as the basic issues with routine and autonomy. The attention span is another common issue. So too in many cases hyperactivity. Control in general - it is all basically the same thing with all Spectrum conditions.

For the whole Spectrum to be treated correctly, this basic starting point is essential. Because it is medical fact. Working from this point is needed. It appears that the Victorian state government has taken this on board in it's Autism State Plan - taking in the views from all points of the Spectrum. Mostly it would be Autism (low and high) but Aspergers was also considered as it should have been. Now if those who are demanding separation got their way, Aspies wouldn't be getting a look in. All because they try to renounce the connection to avoid labels that they simply can't avoid no matter what they try and do. Especially HFA's.

With the diagnostic changes within the DSM in 1994, the Spectrum was widened. Recognition was given to the work of Hans Asperger and corrections were made to the Kanner work in certain places. The two went together. It is generally held that if Asperger's work had been done in the US and not Austria, it would be Asperger who would be credited with what he called "autistic psychopathy" and I probably would have been diagnosed with Autism in 1967, not 1997. Also, as the condition of Aspergers doesn't carry the extremes of LFA, medicine may have been more tolerant from an earlier stage rather than going overboard as it did certainly prior to Kanner's work.