Do you believe that Aspergers is a mild form of autism?

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I read this thread again last night and got really angry at the Aspie bashing, but I left it and people have replied or extended on their comments and I now realise I’d mis-interpreted what was being said.

I think it’s because I perceive myself as an Aspie, I have only recently had a diagnosis of ASD so I’m still coming to terms with what it means to me and what it might mean to others around me and it really bothered me that I could encounter people out there who might claim I am lying about a diagnosis to get attention or to exuse myself from being a horrible person.

I don’t see why someone would want to pretend they are on the spectrum - it’s difficult enough pretending I’m not so why go through the stress??

It’s a difficult situation because although I’d love to be a better person socially, for the most part I do enjoy being me.
I think if someone offered me a instant cure I’d have to decline. I like my methods and to be honest I don’t think I could live like an NT.

So just to be clear, if I were to refer to myself as an Aspie, would I be causing anyone here any offence? Or have I just got the wrong end of the stick and people here are just sick of NTs claiming to be on the spectrum?

So just to be clear, if I were to refer to myself as an Aspie, would I be causing anyone here any offence? Or have I just got the wrong end of the stick and people here are just sick of NTs claiming to be on the spectrum?
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I might be wrong but this is how I also read this thread or perhaps that autism and Asperger's are really just variants of the same thing and it not the case that you can pick and choose and just be an 'aspie' neurotypcial when really we are talking about neurotypcial people sharing (SOME LIMITED) traits with people with autism.

In my very limited experience it is incredibly hard for anyone on the outside to say what is 'mild' and what isn't. For example, I worked 60 hr weeks in my late teens with a boy with autism, tubular sclerosis and epilepsy. I am now a mother of a girl with suspected autism (and PDA). It is not my place to say what is more severe in these cases. Whilst the boy's abilities were extremely limited by his various health issues and cognitive abilities he appeared to have a good life. He wasn't able to go to school and I was his full time one-on-one carer. We spent our days doing things he liked - riding trains, and I like to think that he had a fair degree of enjoyment. We were friends and he remembered me but he was not verbal. My daughter on the other hand gets through a full day at a normal school, has a few (one mainly) close friends and if you didn't know her well, or know autism well, you would probably think she was just like everyone else or indeed "quirky." However, the stress, anxiety and trauma she experiences in having to go out each day into a neurotypical world is huge. The demand avoidance she experiences in trying to do simple tasks (get dressed for the day, go to bed for the night) is sometimes crippling. My whole family has had to rethink how we operate, what our priorities should be and how we can best support her so as to limit the stress on her mental health and do everything we can to ensure she retains a positive view of herself and her life. In terms of the outside world though, they assume and expect her to be and act "normal." Her teacher who is the school special needs teacher and claims to have experience with autism couldn't even see through the mask and it has taken months for me to impress on her that my daughter is having to do a fair amount more work than your average student to cope in school. In fact she (the teacher) still seeks to install on me again and again that my daughter is a pleasure to have at school and she is a lovely well-behaved girl. Would I rather she just was herself at school and they had to deal with the fallout of her stress? Maybe. I hate that she has to compartmentalise. I want her to live in a world where it is ok for her to be a confident young girl with HFA/ Aspergers who is able to voice her needs and has them taken seriously. In contrast, the young boy I cared for, whilst the implications on his health and cognitive abilities was far more 'severe' he would never have to compartmentalise and try to be anything other than what he was. It is very stressful being "forced" to be something other than what you are. There is nothing 'mild' about that.

Pretty much all the scientific literature says yes to the OP's question, so to counter that, I'd need to make a really strong case, I have not the energy for that right now.

From what I understand, Aspergers seems to be somewhere between autism and NVLD, but probably closer to NVLD. So... I guess it's a combination of a mild form of autism mixed with NVLD.

Got to laugh at the Madonna reference. Sadder still is our society for promoting someone like that.

Nobody who has gone through the trouble of locating this page and signed up in my opinion is pretending anything. There are plenty of venues where people do indeed seek trendy labels. Aspie makes me think of Trekkie....you know Star Trek.

^^ sorry you had to go through that Elaine. It sucks. You know what makes me most angry is that if they are so inexperienced with how autism presents in girls at least they could take parents seriously. The doctors have been even worse. Two of the senior doctors have refused to offer any help and just keep saying it is a "home" problem as it doesn't show at school. It makes me so upset how many girls (and boys) are out there without the proper support.

Amazing all these school personnel with all these degrees don't know jack s**t about autism.

Of course, the DSMV 5 got rid of that rediculous lable.

Most people who think they have ASD just have social anxiety. ASD is not just about social anxiety in fact it's usually the opposite. Autistic people are mostly confrontational.

Yes, to both the "mild" and the "autism" bit. "Mild" just means "less severe" in this case, it doesn't mean it's no big deal.