Am I autistic ?

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It's only last night that I started actually truly 100% believing that I am autistic. Yes. OK. It was about a month after I got diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome that I admitted YES I do have AS, but never though that I'm actually autistic. I don't even know if you can say having Asperger's does mean that you're autistic, can you ? I mean it's an autistic spectrum disorder so it should do but I only realized and thought of this last night.

I have these weird thoughts and then an urge to share it with people - which usually gets me into a lot of trouble!

If you are diagnosed with having Asperger's Syndrome then you are autistic. DSM-V will clear this up for you in May 2013.

Just last night someone was telling my that AS and autism are different, but I disagree. I suppose it's one of those things many people are divided on.
Just look at how similar high functioning autism and AS are.
I also hate those with AS that feel superior to the LFA. Not saying that you are, but some people in here are like that.

I've got AS but I do consider myself autistic, and usually that's the word I use when I tell people about my condition (it seems simpler to. If we get talking in more detail about it I'll clarify the different types of autism and which one I have).

Does anyone with AS tell people they have autism, or would that be an inaccuracy?

It's not an inaccuracy. Asperger's is a kind of autism, just like classical autism and PDD-NOS or "atypical" autism are.

The confusion about AS being a kind of autism probably comes from two sources: One, the incorrect stereotype of autism always being a rare, extremely severe condition; and two, the fact that another type of autism is called Autistic Disorder.

It's just naming confusion. Asperger's is a kind of pervasive developmental disorder, which means it is a kind of autism.

And yes, I've told people I'm "autistic"; it's just easier for them to understand than explaining Asperger's, though usually I say it as "I'm a little autistic," so that they won't think I'm flat-out lying if they still have the "rare, severe condition" stereotype about autism.

I usually say, "I have a form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome," and go from there. It just feels so much easier to explain it that way for me. Yeah. I include the word autism in there. I don't really care though...to me it is a gift given so that I may look at the world in a defferent way than everyone else.

I pretty much always the word autistic to describe myself to people in general. People are more familiar with it, and if they have stereotypes about it, then I try to get them to understand.

HFA and Asperger's syndrome are the same thing.

Asperger's Syndrome will likely be taken out of the DSM-V; possible PDD-NOS as well.

See "Relationship between Asperger Syndrome and High-functioning Ausitm" by Myers, Susan and Calhoun, Susan in " Learning and Behavior Problems in Asperger's Syndrome" ed. Margaret Prior. This is an overview of the debate and comes to the conclusion that there is no difference.

Yes, I'll be glad when they are all called "autism spectrum disorder". It should eliminate a lot of the confusion. Trying to explain Asperger's repeatedly, without running into ass burger jokes before you get halfway, is getting way too annoying!

It's a shock but there are a lot of shocks in life that suddenly change your view of the world.
Yeah, you're 'autistic', according to the criteria doctors have created. But you're still you, and the same you you always were.

You'll get this shock again when you realize you're 40.
When you realize you are, actually, mortal.
When you realize you aren't going to be rich and famous.
When you realize your family is full of fallible, regular people and not heroes and saviours.

It's just part of life. Everyone has something, this is your thing. Great! You have a label. Now move on.