Is Asperger's A Form Of Autism?

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wildgrape,

GhostsInTheWallpaper was talking about the label, the definition. You are talking about a completely different thing that no one before you was talking about.

You mistake the label with the condition here for a moment. 'Asperger's' didn't exist before someone started to call it that (Wing it was, I think?). Yet, before the label, the condition/difference/whatever that we call Asperger's today did exist already. The label Asperger's is a social construct based on that some people saw the need (and were right about that there was a need to recognise and help those with these particular uncommon deficits) to come up with a description, studies and several names.

Asperger's is a concept, an idea, a definition but saying 'Asperger's' does not mean the underlying thing that causes it to look like what we currently call 'Asperger's'.

Reread what GhostsInTheWallpape wrote, I think it's pretty clear:

Wiring = your neurological disorder.
Autism = a fancy concept invented by humans to call yours and other neurological disorders by a common or by related names because they look somewhat similar.

I disagree. GhostsInTheWallpaper characterized autism as a reality. A label is not a reality; quite the opposite. It is evident that GhostsInTheWallpaper was not talking about the label.



Huh? I'm sorry but this seems to be fuzzy thinking at its worst. Could you explain the meaning of this?



I don't have a disorder; I am autistic. Do you think that people with dark skin have a disorder, too, since they are different from the norm where you live?

I agree with this. I don't know if I have NLD. I do to some extent because of my impaired theory of mind (knowing what they could be thinking, what they think about me, what their intentions are) but I have no problem discerning emotional states like happy, elated, sad, angry. I do get confused about some things. Either that or people decide things later when I'm not around and change their minds.
When I was younger I had a special interest but I was more interested in drawing it and thinking about it more than listing memorized facts. The special interest took most of my time and I devoted a lot of thought to it.
I had stims.
I didn't have a speech delay.
I had sensory issues, trouble paying attention, auditory processing disorder.
I couldn't make friends my own age.
My IQ was in the above average range.

I was never a math whiz of any kind nor did I generally like science but, later, I did have an interest in the biological sciences but math requirements kept me from majoring in them.
I have always been much better at languages, writing, allegory, metaphors, imagery, art and literature (making up my own stories) than either math and science.
It's less confusing itemizing under an umbrella diagnosis instead of trying to fit us all into these defined spaces.

It's a form of HFA.

I don't understand that.





Asperger's describes behavioural symptoms and not whatever neurological, environmental or (neuro)biological cause causes the behavioural traits. Asperger's is diagnosed in people who are impaired because of their traits and require treatment or help from society. That's whet the criteria describe and that's out current definition of autism spectrum disorder however bad it may be.



I don't have a disorder; I am autistic. Do you think that people with dark skin have a disorder, too, since they are different from the norm where you live?[/quote]

Yeah and that's one reason why it's too bad we all call is autism just because it looks a little similar. Sorry to have offended you if you were offended, but I thought it would get the point across.

I for example, I am autistic, I do have a disorder that's called autism. It's severe, it's severely impairing and the idea to compare autism to skin colours is as ridiculous to me as saying that your autism is a disorder is ridiculous and offensive to you. That's exactly where one of the problems by just saying 'I have Asperger's' or 'I am on the autistic spectrum' lie. It only tells that people fulfil a couple of behavioural criteria no matter their underlying cause, severity and functioning-level which is a problem when people start to think that all these people under a common label actually have symptoms and even needs in common when we don't necessarily have these in common.

Lots of different causes, lots of different neurological styles and currently they're all put into the same categories called 'Asperger's or 'classical' or 'PDD-NOS' because either behavioural symptoms look similar or because treatments and supports are the same for the groups.