[Boogieman]

IF that diagnosis was correct. With the huge increase in autism/Aspergers diagnoses lately, there is certainly a case to be made that false diagnoses account for some of that increase. It’s become almost trendy to say your child has Asperger’s, or ASD, certainly more trendy than saying your kid is lazy, mean, or a brat.

Most people with Aspergers don’t manifest this kind of violence either, it’s more of a trait of people with some type of psychosis, so I think that probably weighs in favor of a misdiagnosis too. Of course all of that is just armchair speculation, so take it for what it’s worth.

[Merta]

I hope that it is a misdiagnosis. That way all of the town psychologists can go and start ruminating over something else. I remember originally being diagnosed with PDD(Pervasive Developmental Disorder) before asperger’s was first diagnosed in 1994. Around the time of graduating High School I had learned why I was treated like an idiot, had an association with the special education classes and had a speech impediment and a weird voice. It was really hard to accept autism because I’ve been desperately wanting to be seen as normal through all of my life.

Overtime I’ve become comfortable with the diagnosis but now it has become a demon on my own attitude and behavior. What a breath of fresh air it would be if the parents were wrong on their diagnosis. It still wouldn’t excuse all of the ugly things I’ve read being said about somebody with my disability but I guess I can get over it. I’ve read ugly stuff before.

[Intolerant in NJ]

It’s become almost trendy to say your child has Asperger’s, or ASD, certainly more trendy than saying your kid is lazy, mean, or a brat...when I was learning this stuff fifty or so years ago at places like Walter Reed, I don't recall there even being an Asperger's diagnosis, and autism was pretty much a footnote at the bottom of the page of childhood psychiatric diagnoses, which emphasized Childhood Schizophrenia and behavioral and personality disorders such as social withdrawal and oppositional tendencies. I've been out of the field for going on a dozen years so most of what I get is second hand and anecdotal, but my impression is that there's a lot of overdiagnosis of autism these days, probably because there's been such success in gaining funding for this particular disorder - practioners follow the money and such. It will be interesting to find out as the investigation continues when and how Mr. Lanza was diagnosed with Asperger's, and what was or wasn't done about it......