Asperger’s Syndrome

TriBeCa Therapy is located in Downtown Manhattan, NYC and provides individual psychotherapy and group therapy for adults, children, teens and couples who are looking for creative help in living and building their lives.

There’s a lot of debate about Asperger’s—is it a mild form of Autism? A learning disability? A genetic disorder? Is it fair to call it a disorder at all? In fact, the committee charged with revising DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the authority on psychiatric diagnosis) is considering removing the disorder from the manual altogether.

This raises an interesting question about where this leaves individuals who’ve been diagnosed with Asperger’s.

If you’ve been diagnosed with Asperger’s, or have wondered if it’s a description that fits you, you probably have at least as much confusion about who you are as you do about what it is. What’s common among people with Asperger’s is an intense sense of awkwardness and difficulty in interpersonal relationships and in social situations. Often this includes difficulties making friends, finding or holding a job, being successful in school.

Asperger’s: a disorder, syndrome or something else?

Included in the debate over just what constitutes Asperger’s is a group that challenges the notion that Asperger’s is a problem at all. They promote the idea that Asperger’s represents difference rather than disorder, and consequently they take exception to the notion that Asperger’s is something that needs to be fixed.

As with diagnosis in general (and anything a prospective patient has come to believe about himself or herself) I prefer to respect the way in which that individual has come to see and define himself or herself. What’s important, as always, is collaborating to shape the course of our therapy together: identifying what you want help with and working together to help you create your life.

For more information on creative psychotherapy in New York City for difficulties with Asperger’s Syndrome, contact:

TriBeCa Therapy
matt@TriBeCaTherapy.com
212-571-5799
291 Broadway, Suite 801
New York, NY 10007