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livingwithautism
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01 Oct 2017, 10:01 am

raw83472 wrote:
I have no need to tell people I have "aspergers". If you look at it from a high-level perspective... aspergers is basically people that are "different". So going around telling people I have "aspergers" would be like going around telling people "I'm different", which is socially strange.

There's nothing wrong with having aspergers... It just means you're probably not going to be the neuro-typical man or woman, which is a bit of a blessing... Most people are okay with (or even prefer) "different" people as long as they're not rude or do immature things.


I don't have Aspergers, I have classic autism.



naturalplastic
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01 Oct 2017, 11:06 am

livingwithautism wrote:
raw83472 wrote:
I have no need to tell people I have "aspergers". If you look at it from a high-level perspective... aspergers is basically people that are "different". So going around telling people I have "aspergers" would be like going around telling people "I'm different", which is socially strange.

There's nothing wrong with having aspergers... It just means you're probably not going to be the neuro-typical man or woman, which is a bit of a blessing... Most people are okay with (or even prefer) "different" people as long as they're not rude or do immature things.


I don't have Aspergers, I have classic autism.


Aspies, and HFAs (what are now called type I autistics) hold down jobs, and go to school, with NTs, mix freely with NTs, and are "different" from NTs in only subtle ways.

In contrast if you are a classic autistic (aka "low functioning", and now called "type three autistic") you probably don't even mix with NTs very much on a daily basis (you're not coworkers with them for example), and your differences with NTs are quite out there and obvious. So its a different situation. Probably you would not have much choice about "identifying" as "autistic" because everyone else is gonna stick that label on you from the get go. So you have no choice but to go along with it.



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01 Oct 2017, 11:21 am

Implicitly, yes. I get away with my set of 'traits and symptoms' in more ways than one. :lol: And take advantage of all positive points. Although, sometimes I kinda wish certain people realize my weaknesses and why (seriously) is that... :|

Explicitly, no. It's no one else's business, and they do not need to know. :twisted: I don't care if people thought if I'm just some weirdo with an attitude, or fully knowing that I have asperger's as a diagnosis then go 'person first' on me. :roll:


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ASPartOfMe
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01 Oct 2017, 11:37 am

You can identify as you please and identify several different ways. People might identify as American and Christian and as liberal for example.

An identity label means the person feels that identity partially or totally defines who they are as a person. People who do not feel thier autism defines them in any way but is a bunch of symptoms/impairments/traits often say “I have Autism”.


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01 Oct 2017, 12:25 pm

Yes. More and more so as I've begun to come to terms with my diagnosis and getting to know a lot of people on the spectrum from local meetups. But it has not always been so. For many years I though I had been wrongly diagnosed as I did not know there where a spectrum nor believe it. And those few I did know at the time with the same diagnosis as me but at the more or less same degree at the spectrum, I though they too was wrongly diagnosed. I had a theory as well, that I was just a highly sensitive person with social phobia and some other quirks, and that I was just being overwhelmed by other peoples emotions and that "true Aspergers" could not possibly be overwhelmed by emotions like that, because they would have trouble reading them and nonverbal communication. But in the years since I have met so many others that are like me, high functional individuals on the spectrum. And I might have been overestimating my ability to read peoples emotions and non verbal communication. At least that is what other people tell me now. That I'm not as good as I think I am at reading people, that I in fact can be quite terrible at it :lol:

But I still have doubt's now and then, when I think I'm soooo very functional in my life compared with the other not so functional people I spend most of my time with. But then reality always comes crashing down on me when I try to interact with everyday society and NTs at things that are supposed to be really easy for most people. And I just crash and burn and fail terribly.



Last edited by Enceladus on 01 Oct 2017, 2:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

livingwithautism
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01 Oct 2017, 2:10 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
livingwithautism wrote:
raw83472 wrote:
I have no need to tell people I have "aspergers". If you look at it from a high-level perspective... aspergers is basically people that are "different". So going around telling people I have "aspergers" would be like going around telling people "I'm different", which is socially strange.

There's nothing wrong with having aspergers... It just means you're probably not going to be the neuro-typical man or woman, which is a bit of a blessing... Most people are okay with (or even prefer) "different" people as long as they're not rude or do immature things.


I don't have Aspergers, I have classic autism.


Aspies, and HFAs (what are now called type I autistics) hold down jobs, and go to school, with NTs, mix freely with NTs, and are "different" from NTs in only subtle ways.

In contrast if you are a classic autistic (aka "low functioning", and now called "type three autistic") you probably don't even mix with NTs very much on a daily basis (you're not coworkers with them for example), and your differences with NTs are quite out there and obvious. So its a different situation. Probably you would not have much choice about "identifying" as "autistic" because everyone else is gonna stick that label on you from the get go. So you have no choice but to go along with it.


I don't work or go to school at all. And you are right, I can't hide my autism to any degree. Does that mean I have to identify with it just because of how much it affects me? Certainly, I accept it, but autism isn't my whole identity.



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01 Oct 2017, 2:43 pm

I agree with that. Autism certainly is not my whole identity.



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01 Oct 2017, 9:42 pm

I identify as autistic, but I also identify as other things like an artist and a bank worker.


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01 Oct 2017, 11:02 pm

I identify as Mia Khalifa




















































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EzraS
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01 Oct 2017, 11:10 pm

I think it's one of those social constructs that don't seem logical.

A white Irish male could be asked,
Do you identify as Irish?
Do you identify as male?
Do you identify as white?

Or maybe one of those plays on words. Someone saying they don't identify as autistic, but rather as "neurologically different" or whatever.



old_comedywriter
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01 Oct 2017, 11:19 pm

I don't identify myself to others as autistic, and I only tell people I've known for a while (like 30 years or so) that I have Asperger's. Some of them already knew before I did; and some who have known me the longest (parents) are in complete denial. "Yeah, you were just a normal kid who read newspapers at age 4."


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02 Oct 2017, 4:33 pm

Voxish wrote:
That’s not what it means. Lots of people indentify as autistic rather than as someone living on the autistic spectrum or to “have” autism. To have autism implies for many the autism is undesirable, makes the person less in some way and needs be cured or eradicated. I identify as autistic, here and to other autistic people I am happy to be called an aspie.
That's how I interpret it too.


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02 Oct 2017, 11:17 pm

It's had an unbelievably profound effect on the way my life has turned out and it's the reason it's been so bloody hard and bleeds through the core of who I have developed into and why I have such depths and shades and quirks so yes I certainly do identify as autistic. I acknowledge the rough with the rush, I have began to think of it as sliding down a tree when most would be content from staying at the top, you get all the scrapes but it's a hell of an improvement.



livingwithautism
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03 Oct 2017, 8:57 pm

EzraS wrote:
I think it's one of those social constructs that don't seem logical.

A white Irish male could be asked,
Do you identify as Irish?
Do you identify as male?
Do you identify as white?

Or maybe one of those plays on words. Someone saying they don't identify as autistic, but rather as "neurologically different" or whatever.


Maybe that's why I was confused about it. That word "identify" can mean different things to different people. Or do you mean it's just two ways of saying the same thing?



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04 Oct 2017, 11:41 pm

I do not openly identify as autistic, bi, or anything that will greatly influence anyone's opinion of me when I shouldn't. Some days, I have the inability to speak (sometimes I fake losing my voice :wink: ).
With most autistics I know IRL, the topic of it rarely comes up. We take the time to describe or individual experiences on subjects most definitely related, like social help, disability issues, etc, but nothing beyond labelling ourselves. I only ask the same of those who aren't.


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05 Oct 2017, 7:03 am

I don't think my ASD diagnosis has any bearing on who I am as an individual. To tell you the truth, I forget that I have it until I'm reminded, and when I am, I merely shrug. I have no illusions.