Asperger's as illness - one psychologist's view

This afternoon, I spoke to a psychologist who had a surprising interpretation of Asperger’s and the DSM Guide. I will paraphrase what he said:

You, John, manifest many signs of Asperger’s as listed in the DSM. You have trouble with eye contact, you exhibit some repetitive movements, you fixate on special interests. You obviously meet many of the criteria.

When you were a kid, reading your description, I’d say you had major social issues and you were not able to function in school. Reviewing this data I can say, as a kid, that you met the criteria for Asperger’s as that illness is described in the DSM.

Excuse me? Illness?

Yes, he said. Illness. The DSM is a manual of disorders. Disorder is another word for illness. Now, when I look at you today, I’d say you are cured of Asperger’s. You are obviously successful in your work. You have a wife and a kid, and you talk about having friends. Given those improvements, you no longer meet the criteria in the DSM for Asperger’s. You did as a kid, but now you’re cured.

Really?

So let’s compare that to a drunk and AA. Say a fellow had terrible trouble with liquor, and almost drank himself to death but then joined AA and kicked the bottle. Twenty years later, he still goes to meetings. The meetings keep him connected, he says, and many people in the program find his continued sobriety an inspiration.

But if I’m hearing you right, he’s not an alcoholic anymore because he’s not drinking and he’s not drunk. Is that what you’re saying?

Yes, that’s right. He’s cured.
Well, that’s gonna be news to millions of people in AA programs all over the world, I thought. And my Asperger’s is cured too! What to make of that?

I felt like a scientist feels when he runs into a creationist in the lab.

Asperger’s is a way of being. People like me are the way we are because our brains are different. A course of therapy is not going to change the structure of my brain cells. There is no smoking gun in my past that made me Aspergian. It’s not a result of childhood abandonment, molestation by my uncle, or beatings in school. I was born this way.

If you accept that premise – that Asperger’s results from brain differences we are born with – then there is no cure via psychology. Once an Aspergian, always an Aspergian. But there is moderation of symptoms and learning to cope. I’ve said that right along.

The words “disease” and “illness” suggest a condition that one catches. If you catch something, you should be able to un-catch it, or get cured. I never thought of Asperger’s – which is how I am at a very basic level – as a curable condition and I certainly don’t see it as a disease.

What do you make of that thinking? And what is the role of psychology in dealing with Aspergians? For me, the "cure" has come from understanding how my thinking differs from nypical people's thinking. I could then change my behavior to look more nypical myself. My underlying thought processed never changed.

That's a very different process than the typical therapy session.

Would conventional therapy have helped me reach that goal?