For Aspies: Do You Refer To Yourself As "Autistic"

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To most people, it's obvious that I'm weird; and they're going to assume something, so I prefer to set them straight before they assume something incorrect. Often times, they assume OCD because of my tendency toward perfectionism (this is because I have a hard time judging how well something needs to be done and focus almost exclusively on detail). Plus, it's kind of nice to smash the myth that autistic people can't talk--most can, even classic autism. That I'm either PDD-NOS or Asperger's depending on the doctor, and if the criteria are taken strictly can technically be diagnosed classic autism, makes me not all that firmly in the Aspie category anyway.

I figure sooner or later they're going to figure out just how crappy those diagnostic criteria are, and call it all "autism" anyway. I'm just being pre-emptive. Besides, "pervasive developmental disorder" is a mouthful and nobody but the autism community knows what it means anyway.

Well, my mother said i had autistic tendencies for years (28 to be exact) but it wasnt until i did some diggng into it that i came across AS and PDD-NOS . . . the descriptions fit me perfectly. Now, given all the issues and reading about it, i generally mention some of my tendencies and sensitivities. Do i accept the title autism, yes, do i fully disclose it to everyone, no.

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I think I scare people when I tell them I am autistic.

Hans did call it Autistic Psychopathy after all. It can still be referred as that if it floats your boat.

I don't tell people I'm autistic. But I use "autism" as a catagory for the whole spectrum. I say I have a form of it.

Hans actually called it "autistic personality"

I don't use that particular term.

My son is diagnosed classic autism, in my diagnosis- based on how I am now - I'm diagnosed AS (although language delayed, so the specialist was somewhat Potayto/potatoh about using the terms HFA and AS when dealing with me, and was fully of the "spectrum" school of thought) and my mother describes both me and my son as Autistic (actulally she gets exasperated and describes me and my son as being "both the bl***y same").

I don't tend to go around telling strangers anything much that is personal, so I don't know what I'd say.

For anything official, I have my letter of diagnosis. So I'm not personally choosing any terminology to "present" myself

Longstanding friends just think i'm odd in my own way, most of them have a neuroscience/psychology background so know I'm officially, untreatably and continually going to be odd .The only overt reference I can think of was being described as "on the spectrum", and a few Rainman jokes (these were from a friend with MS who had lost the ability to walk, who was calling herself Dr Strangelove and "cripple" at the same time) And no, I'm not an excellent driver

I haven't been diagnosed but I know I'm on the spectrum, so I just consider myself to be autistic.

Even tho I haven't tried this, I wouldn't mind saying I'm slightly autistic at certain times. I think I could handle saying something like that, tho I might confuse some people who don't know what autism is or risk censor by people who know one autistic person who did this or that and compare me to him or her. Still, it would get the point across about why it is so difficult for me to deal with them.

I have so far said that I have Asperger's, "the lightest form of Autism". So I guess I say both. I'm not bothered by either term but being suddenly treated different is annoying.

I've thought of myself as autistic before but I don't act like the classic autism. I act almost NT, because I hide a lot of symptoms. I know my limits of how much I can handle (noise, time around people, etc). If I did more than I could handle I would act more autistic, which is how I usually feel.

Such a contrast. I act almost NT in some ways. I feel closer to autistic so think of myself that way.

Yet I also don't call myself autistic because I don't think it would be fair to those who have been diagnosed with that. (comments from any one with Autism diagnosis on that?)

But NTs seem to think that since my AS is 'mild' (using my behavior not how I feel) , it doesn't frustrate us. They seem to think it has to be severe for us to be frustrated with it.

Sometimes I call myself an Aspie, sometimes I refer to myself as neurodiverse.

I don't apply an autism label to myself, although I do acknowledge AS as being on the autism spectrum.

Sometimes I refer to myself as autistic, but it depends on who I'm talking to.