After taking nearly two decades to root itself in the popular consciousness, the mysterious neurological condition Asperger’s Syndrome may soon be history - proposals for the fifth edition of the psychiatrist’s bible, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM five, recommend filing Aspergers under the general category of autism spectrum disorder. For those already diagnosed, the change could remove, or at least complicate, a part of their identity. Benjamin Nugent is assistant professor of English, and director of creative writing at southern New Hampshire University. He too had his diagnosis of Aspergers taken away, but for a different reason. Namely, he doesn’t have it. Benjamin recently wrote about the misdiagnosis in an Op Ed appearing in the New York Times.
Asperger's Association of New England
