Why Don't We Call Them Quirky?

摘要

Like The Conscientious pediatricians they are, Perri Klass and Eileen Costello keep up with the ever-evolving vocabulary of childhood dysfunc-tion. They know all about autistic spectrum disorder, sensory integration dysfunction, pervasive developmental disorder, Asperger's syndrome and more. They've waded through the medical literature and analyzed the studies. They know the clinical nuances that distinguish the diagnoses. They've seen hundreds of kids, counseled and comforted hundreds of worried parents. And Klass and Costello know how scary it can be when those medical labels are applied to a young child for the first time. "The terminology has real value," says Klass, "but it is also terrifying." So the two Boston pediatricians' chose a simpler term to lessen the terror for families. Their solution: just say "quirky."