Abolishing the Asperger Word

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Do you think everyone diagnosed with AS can attend college and get a degree and a job? Or that no one diagnosed with autism can do these things?

I had so much trouble trying to get anywhere in college. I don't know what I needed to get me through, but whatever it was I clearly didn't have it as I dropped out three times. Holding a job has been equally problematic, let alone getting one.

As for government regulations - they don't define what conditions we have. They simply define how they interact with the diagnoses we get. A government regulation can distinguish between you and I - you diagnosed with autism, myself diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome - but it cannot determine whether Asperger's Syndrome is really something verifiably separate from the autistic spectrum, and it cannot guarantee that I won't be rediagnosed with something else if SSA wants me to go through testing with someone they approved.



I think an article was quoted here once where someone asked how to distinguish between HFA and Asperger's Syndrome and was told something that boiled down to "You can't."

And yes so much to no one being a textbook case.

I'm sure I'll get crap for saying that, but there it is. if you can't laugh at yourself then who and what can you laugh at?

if you want someone to keep teasing you or making fun of you then the best thing you can do is get defensive. however, if you want to take away their power to harass you, then laugh along with them. They will eventually stop because it's not any fun making fun of someone who is making fun of themselves.

As I said should be based on NEED. A label is a label even if it sounds like burgers from the bum!

I probably wouldn't have any trouble getting diagnosed with autism based on the current guidelines. however, based on the proposed changes I'm not sure the same could be said if/when the changes take place. it's late so I might just be misreading it, but it seem's that the new guidelines are more narrow then the old ones.

I looked at that I cannot figure it out. The PHD Harvard Autism Specialist I have said I have autism.

So the labels shouldn't matter, only need? I agree with that.

MooCow,

The new criteria seem more narrow to me, but I think the severity scales may mitigate that. There are issues I have with it (like requiring all of the symptoms in one category to qualify for a diagnosis). I kind of worry where a lot of people diagnosed PDD-NOS might fall with these criteria.

I don't see a problem with the word, only the label. A diagnosis can be helpful in getting the aid one might need. The label has connotations and pre-conceived ideas attached and often limit or hurt your chances (ie "but you don't look like an autistic!").

I don't see the big deal either, I find it funny. You've got a good sense of humour!

When I hear people say it on the news I do not know why they are allowed to curse or realize it. Do they not realize what words it sounds like. Ok so here is a news piece about a person with A.S who also went on to get a PHD in psychology. He has a book about anxiety and is also very confident. That is why I wonder why it is considered a disability at all. However I think those with substantial disability who need help should be diagnosed ASD. I just think people who are that high functioning should be helping instead of what ASAN does which is create bad public relations with the public. They are hurting mroe then helping with inclusion and even if they do screw up public relations it's not like it will effect their lives (the leaders of it that are visible) because they do not depend on community support for adaptive supportive inclusion and otherwise succeed at college and self-inclusion reasonably.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZuAt_hcxI4[/youtube]

The word wasn't "created" for us, either out of spite or good humour. It's a surname-- Hans Asperger, the man who first researched the symptoms which are now known collectively as AS. From doing a good bit of research on the subject, it seems likely that the name is somehow related to a town in Germany named Asperg, about 15 kilometers north of Stuttgart. I'm not completely sure about the exact etymology of the town's name, but I turned up some sources which suggest this may come either from the same source as the word "aspen", as in the tree, or from the Latin "aspergere", meaning "to sprinkle" (for example, an aspergilium is an instrument used in Roman Catholic and Anglican ceremonies to sprinkle holy water).

Personally, I've got no problems using the term. Maybe it puts off some immature or ignorant anglophones. Fine-- who cares about the opinions of people who lack the maturity to see the term for what it is, beyond the puerile jokes? Dr. Asperger himself certainly didn't seem to have a problem making an illustrious living whilst tagged with the name.

So far as the new diagnostic structure of the DSM-V is concerned-- I do worry that the change will have some drawbacks, such as making the specialized care needed for Aspies in particular that much more difficult to find. I recognize that the spectrum is likely a closer representation of the range of diversity of the human brain... but for practical purposes, I'm concerned that lumping the clinical definition of Asperger's together with the rest of the ASDs will create the mistaken impression that AS is totally indistinct from HFA. It's already hard enough to diagnose, and to explain to neurotypicals what Asperger's syndrome is, without being faced with the conspicuous lack of a concrete clinical distinction. And unfortunately, the word "autism" itself already has so many public misconceptions attached that a person like me-- someone who, externally, appears virtually no different than any NT-- may never be afforded the opportunity to discover his or her place on the spectrum.

The reality of the word is however that of the clear spoken similarity. Someone tried to call me of that word in the past. Since the first time I heard that word I have rejected it and the official diagnoses autism due to speech delay and need of help applied instead. It's more then about maturity. I think laughing about it can be a social coping mechanism. It is appropriate to me to call Asperger's Syndrome simply Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) when someone when the new DSM still qualifying for a diagnoses. Otherwise people seem least to me to have a foul mouth. I know very well about Dr. Asperger's yet I don't think he thought about the english language to much and what his name he centered on patients developmental differences would entail. People have the right to laugh and make funnies out of small things. It does not make them inferior (immature) to someone that has a stick up their metaphoric butts whether or not they eat hamburgers.

Takes being really smart to outsmart ignorance claiming others are ignorant. Sums up some kinds of advocacy. Nuff said, going to chill with my new support worker homey soon and make some candles. Chill and peace out duder.

Well sorry but I think the ret*d police man is hilarous based on the other two videos I saw the other day, so what if aspergers sounds like ass burgers?....its not that big of a deal.

In America, and only amongst the humour-impaired, where "ass" apparently means so much more than it does in the rest of the world.
Disliking the word because of its overall sound alone is something entirely different.

As Chevand says, "Asperger" is a surname and I assume there are relatives of Hans still around. So you want to ban a surname?
Parochial at best, pointless semantics at worst.
How many other words should be banned on the basis of their sound similarity to others - should people be discouraged from describing a punt?
How about a male chicken? That's clearly disgusting.

Sorry ci. I simply cannot take your stance seriously.

I think it's funny in the right context as well. Think about it. People with Asperger's can be REAL BIG ass holes. It is an amusing quirk of alliteration that so easily switches between Asperger's and ass burgers.

I am also a bit amused how you have made the poll so binary. No middle ground. That's a great example of aspergian/autistic thinking.

Personally, I don't have much stake in the word. I have much more invested in the symptomology and how I can adjust to a world that operates on a set of rules to which I am blind.

The reason I dislike the sound of the word "Asperger's" is because the word is pronounced like "ass-burgers". Yes it sounds funny just saying it, but as those of us with AS know, the condition is no laughing matter.

I don't know why anyone pronounces it that way. It's German.

I usually say "Ahs-pehr-gehrz"

I think in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, etc, they say "Ahs-pehr-jehrz."