“Autism Spectrum Dependency Classification System v 1.0” -proposal-

[Rev.] Romulus Campan, FDScMH (Forensic), LTh (Hons), CertEd, QTS,
PgCert Religion, Spirituality & Mental Health,
PgCert Special Psychopedagogy,
PgCert Autism & Asperger’s
Chair, Disability & Neurodivergence Staff Network – BSMHFT

Previous attempts to classify the Autism Spectrum (AS), failed to understand the ‘trees’ within the ‘forest’ of unknown dimensions, which has become generally known as Autism Spectrum Disorders.

I am unwilling to concede ‘disorders’ to ‘conditions’ simply because after countless episodes of bullying and harassment from mostly ignorantly unqualified individuals and groups, in this case having found in their “autism activism” a venting platform for complex seemingly psychological issues, I have decided to initiate and maintain liaison only with academically and/or experientially qualified entities, willing to participate in existing efforts to rescue and restore the Autism narrative from the chaos caused by such incompetent “movements” and individuals, the vast majority of whom have spawned from Judy Singer’s disastrous, “NeuroDiversity” brain-child, born as an “idea” explained by the book’s Amazon abstract as follows:

“The word itself was just one of many ideas in this work, her 1998 Honours thesis, a pioneering sociological work that mapped out the emergence of a new category of disability that, till then, had no name.” (italics mine)

Surprisingly, however, as I have detailed in a previous essay, Singer’s careless inference with the medical field mutated into an increasingly conflicted understanding of disability, revealed in a recent article as “The problem with the expression “People with Neurodiversity” is that it turns Neurodiversity into the latest fashionable synonym for Disability.”

The necessity to re-classify the AS should be obvious to all ‘navigators’ of a “system” which could be best depicted as a beach playground where infantile participants more and more aggressively, try to destroy and rebuild their newer and newer sand-castles of a derailed activism, fortunately washed away by oftentimes feeble, but nevertheless professionally and/or experientially much more accurate attempts to defend the Autism narrative from becoming another defunct sociological experiment.

The real reason in my opinion for this constant threat for the wellbeing of millions of autistic individuals and their families worldwide, including my own, is the collapse of observational behaviourism as exclusive instrument in understanding Autism from its ontogenesis throughout its lifetime progression, having left behind a Medi-Social Model identifiable void, where oftentimes hazardous and dangerous psychiatric interventions are being argued against by an equally hazardous reactivist revisionism, frightened apparently that “as long as autism – which is not a mental ill-health condition – remains in the psychiatric diagnostic manuals, there will continue to be those who use this to justify their attempts to find a cure.” (italics mine) (Chown & Leatherland, 2018).

I cannot, in all honesty, understand how and why would 25 autistic individuals, many of whom academics, be afraid that millions of individuals with autism, living themselves, their families and/or care environments under the constant threat of self-harm, wandering and uncontrollable violence, would be offered a treatment, a cure?

I have developed the Autism Spectrum Dependency Classification System, as a response-proposal against the confusions caused by the changes in the past years to the two, main disease categorisation systems, the DSM and the ICD, also the chaos in the less formal use of “functionality-based labels”, the now literally demonised HFA or High-Functioning Autism and LFA or Low-Functioning Autism.

As I have already hinted throughout my social-media presence, I consider dependency the most practical means of conveying the level of functional autonomy of an Autistic -or any other- individual, integrated with a simple, universally applicable sub-categorisation system, by which dependency is in direct proportion with the identified comorbid symptoms, as an individualised, non-numerical quotient of support needed for the maximum achievable autonomy.

By using the concept of “comorbid symptoms” I acknowledge Autism as a monolithic disorder featuring the below explained intellectual/mental, neurodevelopmental, physical and mental-health/psychiatric conditions not as independent co-morbidities (regardless of their also non-autistic existence), but as comorbid symptoms sharing origins simultaneously or developmentally with their Autism root.

The following codes have been used:

–ID/MR – Intellectual Disability / Mental Retardation

–LD – Learning Disabilities: Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Visual Stress Syndrome, SPD (Sensory Processing Disorders), Tourette’s Syndrome, etc.

–PHD – Physical Disabilities (observable and/or non-observable): Motor-functional (Fibromyalgia, CFS, Spinal Disorders, MS, etc), Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, etc.

–MHD – Mental Health Disabilities: Clinical Anxiety & Depression, B/EUPD, Pathologic Demand Avoidance, etc.

I am publishing this first version of my proposal, relying in all honesty on my personal, academic and professional integrity in regard to having created this system without any deliberate intention to copy or otherwise unethically inspire from anyone else’s previously published thoughts or ideas. Should the reader have any questions or concerns about this, I would respectfully appreciate being informed about it, to address any issue as soon as possible.

This initial proposal version wishes to become a collaborative effort with -as previously mentioned-academically and/or experientially qualified peers. Should you be interested in collaborating, please DM me at https://twitter.com/Rev_Rom_ASD, keeping in mind that I reserve myself the right to extend any further collaborative invitations.