I'm inclined to agree, although I do believe that Asperger's Syndrome is real. The diagnosis can be used to bully the out-of-step, just as schizophrenia was so used in the 1960s. The best way to see if Asperger's is being used to lean on an out-of-step kid is to look at how loosely the diagnostic criteria are being used - and how the diagnoser takes to being rebutted provided that there are objective grounds to do so.
A rule of thunb used to detect real Asperger's is the theory-of-mind test. Here's an example, which closely follows the standard quiz:
Person A walks into a room with two boxes, Box 1 and Box 2. He puts his watch into Box 1, and leaves. Shortly afterwards, Person B comes in. She takes the watch out of Box 1 and into Box 2, and then she leaves. A couple of minutes later, Person A comes back in the room. What box does he open for his watch?Someone without Asperger Syndrome would answer "Box 1." Asperger's sufferers answer "Box 2," because they can't place themselves into another person's shoes. They just remember that the watch was moved. Note, though, that a person could answer "Box 2" for other reasons. "Person A saw person B sneak in and spied her moving the watch", for example.
Because of that theory-of-mind deficit, Asperger's sufferers do much worse in English-literature class than in others. To take a single example, they're incapable of comprehending dramatic irony.
The danger with a too-loose diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome is that an abused person shows many of the same superficial symptoms - i.e., little or no social life, restricted activities, narrow focus. A diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, in addition to stigmatizing the different, can be used to cover up cases of abuse. Therein lies the potential for getting rid of a problem (i.e. giving a hurting kid the heave-ho) instead of recognizing it.
I think any responsible clinician should have a differential-diagnosis checklist that (s)he should work through for any suspected case of Asperger's Syndrome. That list should be used to tease out cases of pseudo-Asperger's. It should include abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as well as "very high I.Q. score."
Also, it should include narcissistic personality disorder and psychopathy. Not every case of misdiagnosed Asperger's is a saint or victim.
Common-sensically, I think the English-literature disparity is a good sieve. If a kid is getting As and Bs in science and math, ad Ds or Fs in English literature, (s)he shoud be looked at more closely. Someone whose English-literature grades are comparable to or higher than his/her math and science grades should be spared.
Hi there. I’m sorry I missed your well-reasoned reply to my post. I’ve been away from the forum due to medical reasons. I agree with you that Asperger’s is real; I know a young man diagnosed with it. He is a very intelligent young man, I might add, who is doing very well under the guidance of his loving parents. I believe he will go far in life. However, I also agree with you that the diagnostic criteria is too loose as it is applied to many other children. Have a good night.