cyberdad wrote:
I'm new here and notice everyone here is an "Aspie" (or claims to have been diagnosed with Aspergers).
Just wondering how many of you are high functioning autistics? - i.e. you had a speech delay early in life.
A fair number of you (not all) seem to assoicate Aspergers with high function and genius in contrast to ASD and classical Kanners autism which you associate (rightly or wrongly?) with severe impairment.
Our local chapter of the Aspergers Society in Melbourne invited a prominent speaker on autism to give a talk in Melbourne Australia. The talk was on High Functioning Autism (HFA) and Aspergers and surviving school. The ticket was $90 (Aust) but members of the Asperger society recieved a 50% discount. To be a member you or your child must be diagnosed with Aspergers.
I emailed a rather irate letter to the organiser asking why parents of ASD children were not eligible for the discount - surely they should aslo be encouraged to attend given half the talk was on HFAs?. The rather terse response I recieved indicated that since the Aspergers society organised the talk only their members were eligible for the discount (end of matter). So why are HFA's not really considered Aspies? Isn't Temple Grandin an HFA?
Given in 2012 the DSM V will amalgamate Aspergers and HFA in the upper end of the autism spectrum (ASD) and Aspergers may vanish as a label are these societies and their members hanging on to this label as it bestows some sort of vestigal prestige?
I'd like to hear some views for any HFA's on this forum (if there are actually any on this forum)
This just mean their members can have the discount. Their members may have those with HFA. Other people with AS but aren't members may not have a discount.
HFA is not 'aspie' because aspie is short for Asperger's. Yeah I know, I'm a very literal person.
Anyway, I'm HFA and don't feel like I'm like those with AS. There are similarities but there are differences too. I can't really explain it but I can just tell. Usually all the seminars I want to go to about AS/ autism I can't because they are aimed at kids and their parents.