I find this article very interesting because this seems to be exactly the problem my teenage son has who has Asperger's syndrome. He does not fit the usual stereotype but he cannot handle even the slightest unexpected event no matter how minor. We have readjusted our lives so that he almost totally avoids situations that might cause distress for him. He has to have a member of family with him at all times. We just treat this as normal for him and it's no big deal. 

We plan things out well in advance and always make sure he has prcise details of what's going to happen in any unusual situations like being on holidays and going on a day trips. We get all the information first. Sometimes information is incorrect so we have to go on mini trips without him to make sure information is good. Thereafter the whole family can set out for the day. We've had great holidays together. He's happy because he doesn't have to worry.

Our son appears completely normal so most people don't get it. The biggest problems are with school, teachers, hospital and health professionals other than psychologists and psychiatrists. Most just refuse to believe there's a problem. They seem to think that it's just putting up with nonsense. We have been unable to get Domicialliary Care Allowance for our son bcause he does not conform to the stereotype although he is unable to go to school and cannot go anywhere or do anything alone. He was diagnosed by a psychiatrist. The Dept of Education accepts this. They have done everything to help with his education. However the HSE assume him to be just a mild case because we make sure that he avoids stress so that he can develop normally. Because he seems so normal and well they don't seem to believe it.

If what this article says is true and professionals stop focussing on behaviours and stereotypes they might start believing that children and teenagers like our son have a genuine disability that makes them very dependent. When our son told the doctor in the HSE that he could not go out alone because 'something might happen'. She didn't think this was a medical problem. Every single day of our lives is a struggle and only people with diabled children can understand what this is like. In the light of this research maybe the HSE can re-evaluate these cases.

Blown away by this information.  Good luck with further studies.

I was treated the same as a child although undiagnosed until recentley. Im now 31. My mother filled me in on everything and I normally stayed in my room or watched tv with one of my two sisters. I became psychotic during college due to my bad social skills and although i didnt harm anyone, my mental health was severly damaged. I was treated a number of years ago and undiagnosed given zyprexia. It worked at first and I was able to cope with postgraduate studies for my first year. I became very depressed for my MA and stayed that way living on my own for a number of years. I lost touch with who I was, I depended on the zyprexia to get me to sleep and went through each day just passing the time and doing nothing neccessarily productive. I read some books and lost touch with the joys of life like women, tv. I forgot how to feel. I turned to drugs because some friends where trying them. This forced the issue of what was happening with my life and I gave up drugs and stopped taking zyprexia the next week. The past two weeks have been a roller coaster ride. I felt the sun again and began to feel, pain, hope, life. I went to a psychiatrist and was told i should ween myself off the zyprexia. I dont know what my future holds. Living by myself has become very unsettling and I can never truly relax because i dont have a routine. I find it hard to sit and watch tv, my mind wanders too much. I read philosophy in the hope of going back to do an MA in Philosophy next year. I feel I have jumped into the abyss a few times already now and studying philosophy cannot hurt my mental state too much. I need guidance and I feel isolated.