We should keep the separate Asperger's category

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I would dislike having everyone being lumped into the same diagnosis because "autism" is frequently associated with mental retardation. I prefer calling myself an Aspie.

We need to get rid of the stigma around autism then. I think "Asperger's" is a stupid name, and besides that it is not scientifically accurate to regard them as separate conditions. Autism itself, if we wish to really be accurate, is not at all a distinct condition that can be separated from normal human functioning except by the intensity of certain traits.

Think of it like height. Humanity is not divided into "giants," "midgets," and "normal people." Likewise, we are not divided into NT, Aspie, and Autistic. There is a gradation of characteristics. At some point we subjectively draw the line and say that this person is short and that person is tall. But is there any fundamental difference? No. It is a difference of degree, not of kind.

So? Being black is frequently associated with being a criminal--- but only by people too small-minded and ignorant to see the bigger picture. Those people are not worth the worry.

i wonder if hans asperger thought it was a stupid name.

Perhaps you're not old enough to remember the time back before the 1960s, back when nonwhites actually faced very real and in some cases very harsh discrimination. For example, I remember my Chinese mother's luggage being searched every single time she went through customs while scores of white people walked through unmolested. I'd rather not see aspies become the next group to be harassed in ways like that.

I agree completely with the original poster. I also agree with Orwell that we need to get rid of the stigma about autism - but the time to drop the Asperger's diagnosis is after we've wiped out that stigma, not before.

When I see every neurotypical actually knowing exactly where they stand on the "spectrum", like everyone knows their height, I'll believe the stigma is gone. However, I'm skeptical that will ever happen.

Read Amada Bagg's blog 'Aspification Snobbery'.
Those 'aspies' that don't want to be lumped in with all autistics are snobs. Plan and simple.

And League Girl is right. You can still call yourself AS, it's just going to be diagnosed under a different name.


He didn't call it Asperger's, he called it autistic psychopathy. Lorna Wing was responsible for calling it Asperger's.
Lots of people hate their surnames too.
I can't wait to get as far way from Assburgers as possible.

Last edited by pensieve on 04 Mar 2010, 11:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm slightly autistic.

We can keep calling ourselves aspie.

Well, at this point it's not scientifically accurate to regard them as identical conditions, either. My understanding is that there is evidence that genetically they may very well be different enough to classify as distinct variants - different sets of causes that create similar symptoms.

IMO Its just too soon to start lumping a bunch of similar disorders into one bag and saying "Okay, this person's a Level 1, That one's a Level 2, You're a Level 5 so you don't qualify for any type of assistance" - and I have no doubt that's exactly what will start happening. I think the whole "Spectrum" concept is inaccurate science in the extreme and very misleading. Until all the research is in and the facts are established once and for all, I'd prefer to keep my label. I have no problem being labeled Autistic, but I'd rather have a distinct version, quantitatively identifiable, than just some vague 'High Functioning End of the Spectrum' classification.



Uhm...yes they are. That's why we have those words (and they prefer to be called Little People). We have many different ways of classifying and grouping different types of people. Yes, we are all still humans overall, but we are not all the same. Thus the signs that say: MUST BE THIS TALL TO RIDE.



Again, I will reserve judgment on that until the last puzzle piece is in place, but I don't believe there's enough known about Autism yet to say that with any certainty. The obvious differences in degree of severity may in fact indicate very different 'kinds' of Autism.

Last edited by Willard on 04 Mar 2010, 11:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The thing is, these people are often the ones doing the hiring or running the schools. Job discrimination may worsen when the changes to the DSM occur.

Just don't tell them of your DX. Problem solved.

If the higher-functioning among us refuse to associate ourselves with autism, the stigma will never be overcome.

I would never tell anyone of this in an interview or anything (would be too idiotic) but I am under the understanding that there are countries where it must be disclosed to an employer or school (although I would omit the information if that were the case no matter what the law stated). Discrimination against us is bad enough, I don't want it to worsen.

I agree they should be separated. AS does have some elements of Autism, but it is not what people think about when they think AUTISM.

I have 2 LFA brothers and a sister with AS. Compared to my brothers, my sister would not come close to being called Autistic, she shares very very few traits with them. My two brothers are also VERY different from each other, but both clearly Autisitic.

I know it bothers my sister that when people discover she has Autism, they think of the way my brothers are affected, people are anaware of the entire spectrum, and AS doesn't really fit on there as well as it should anyway.

But I also know there are certain Aspies who prefer that AS falls under the Autism umbrella for the EXACT SAME reason my sister hates it. So....go figure!!

Thank goodness this is the USA.

You are required to disclose your diagnosis if you are seeking accommodations under the ADA. I personally had some... issues... with my university's disability office where I ended up in the awkward position of having to disclose details of my diagnosis to several individual professors.

I'm glad we don't live in an entirely big brother state. I believe in the right to privacy over the employer's desire to know things that are none of his business.