I think that there are people who are wired differently. Then there are people who are diagnosable under the current criteria as having AS. I don't think that too many people are diagnosed. I tend to think that too many people are not clued into the fact that they are wired differently so that they can enjoy their strengths and be less hard on themselves for things about them that just don't work the same way as other people.

I think alot of the question is...what would or does a diagnosis mean to you? Some people take it as an indication that something is wrong with them and don't want to be diagnosed saying that nothing is wrong with them lots of people have these qualities. Other people feel like even learning about AS opens up the possibility that they are different instead of failures. For some of those people being diagnosed can mean validation. For some it can mean services or accommodations at work that they need.

I actually think its underdiagnosed to be honest..
Most mental health professionals are unaware of it or think its just something that goes away with age.
My last therapist I had to show her that nope it doesnt go away... its not like a light switch is flipped
when you turn 18 and it just stops... you just learn to cope with most of it.. and what you cant cope
with you have to deal with other ways... You will always find what your looking for when you read about it
meaning its a common problem in the health field to read something and go oh shit I have this or that...
I forget the name of it.. If you have taken the 'test' given by a certified mental health person and they say
nope.. then more than likely you don't have it =) just one of your quirks that makes you yourself =)

chris

There are several factors that need to be considered here.

First is the question of who's got this thing that makes a bunch of us different. For that, I believe we're under reported. My estimate is that about 7% of the US population is autistic to some degree.

The catch is that most aren't sufficiently pathological to merit clinical attention. In psych, this is referred to as clinically insignificant or "borderline" in the sense that if someone seeks help, they can be diagnosed, but until and unless they seek help, there's no need for nor reason for a diagnosis.

And third, the current diagnostic criterion for aspergers suck. I essentially can't be diagnosed as aspergers because I'm an adult. Clearly, that's wacked and broken.

So it depends on how we look at it. In terms of self recognition and recognizing each other, I believe we're under reported, under identified, etc. In terms of the pathology, I think we're under diagnosed, but only a little. They're doing pretty well at catching children these days. it's just us adults who are out in left field.