"Asperger's is not a disease"

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I feel like this is something that only aspies seem to understand. It really bothers me how many people don't seem to understand this. It's not like schizophrenia, where it just hits you suddenly at some point in time in your life, and every day after that is a challenge to be back were you were before. It's not like a sinus infection, where you take some antibiotics and it's gone. It's not like cancer, where every day spent alive is a painfully challenging accomplishment.

And yet, so frequently are aspies and other autistic people perceived as "unfortunate" or "suffering".

Asperger's syndrome isn't just a "mental disorder". It's part of who we are. It's part of our personalities and our souls. It's something that deserves understanding and respect, but not pity or remorse.

Asperger's syndrome is the reason I cry, but it's also the reason I laugh with the joy of being blessed with the ability to see things in such the incredible light that I can.

I want respect for who I am and the dignity I hold, but I'm tired pity, and I'm tired of being the one who's "unfortunate" and "suffering," because that just isn't true for me any more than it is true for any NT.

Well, unless we enlighten the misinformed people ourselves, we're not likely to change their views, even though I entirely agree with you.

When I told my mother about AS, the first question she asked me was, "Is there a cure?"

Since then, I have explained how I experience everything and how my experiences are different from her experiences, so she has come to understand that I am not diseased.

I think it's important to take the DSM criteria of external behavior and match it up to internal thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, so other people can understand that suddenly swaying back and forth when a rerun of your favorite TV show comes on means "happy", not "crazy".

I agree with you. Asperger's is not a disease or an illness. I don't suffer from AS and I don't wish for a cure. AS is a developmental disorder that we're born with. I hope that there's never a cure.

Well considering mental illnesses/problems effect every individual differently.......I do not think any generalizations can accuratly be made about the quality of life one with a specific mental disorder has or what their goal is. I mean I am sure there are people who think I must want a cure for my depression because of how horrible it must be......but honestly the idea of being cured is rather frightening considering I've had depression for most of my life so it feels like a part of my personality. I don't know what it felt like 'before' the depression and I dont know if I would like it.

Also your personal experiance of aspergers may not reflect everyone elses.......I am sure there are some who hate it and would like to be rid of it.

Yeah, I don't really ever tell people I'm an aspie unless it's someone I know really well, but when it does come up I do try to explain this to them. I think it's important to explain this because I think the big ol' media hype that surrounds simply the bad aspects of it really needs to be dispelled.

Asperger's may not be a disease but I am pretty sure humanity is a disease.

According to some NT's, AS doesn't even exist.

So true. ASDs are there from birth so it's not like you ever get accustomed to any other way.

In an abstract way, and if one was to be technically correct, a genetic disorder is a kind of disease that becomes embedded in the DNA and passed on.

Both my parents inherited recessive traits and then poisoned their bodies further with poor dietary choices, unsafe or unhealthy work and living conditions. I'm in McDonalds right now....

The sins of the father are visited upon the son?

Dis ease or unease within the spirit body mind can be lessened and behaviour improved.

Its a bit like saying someone is African American or Negro, they are just terms that come and go with time.

Wow nice one.

The problem I have with this idea is that people who are on the higher-functioning end of the spectrum (I'll go ahead and throw myself in that camp) tend to live in the day-to-day NT world and have to deal with its problems. They usually have jobs and possibly families and go about their lives acting like everyone else, but they can't ever truly be a full-participant in that world. They are frauds and actors. I know because I'm one of them.

I sometimes wish that I could either just be "neurotypical" or be more seriously afflicted with Autism. Having AS is like being able to taste the juice of the sweetest fruit, but never actually eat it. Like an octagon-shaped peg trying to fit into a nonagon-shaped hole... almost but not quite. Having Asperger's may not be like catching the Flu, but it's a disorder that traps minds behind an impenetrable plexiglass wall. You can see what's out there, but can't touch it. It's maddening.

I think I just met someone like that on FB and wouldn't even be surprised if he thinks AS isn't real and it's just an excuse. He thinks ADHD doesn't exist nor sensory issues and said I was just making excuses for behaviors that don't even exist. He probably thinks acid reflux doesn't exist either since I also mentioned it and probably doesn't believe food can make anyone sick because it's too rich for them.

correct, humanity is a virus that plagues this world. I sometimes liken ourselves to the Flood from halo to be honest XD

I can see where you are coming from, and feelings of loneliness/isolation/alienation do seem to be huge issues for a lot of people on WP. Personally, I do not feel trapped in my mind, and I do not feel that I want to eat the fruit. I used to believe that there was something deeply wrong with me, because I did not feel much of a need to connect with people or to participate in their world. Growing up, I never played with the other kids or had any friends until high school, but I never felt lonely, and I was perfectly happy being alone. It was only when people told me that I was a psycho freak for being this way that I felt bad about myself. Beyond the practicalities of making a living in the mainstream world, I do not feel the need to participate in it. I do not feel that I am missing out on anything. What I do feel is the need to be my genuine self and to participate in the world of my interests, my values, my family and friends, and any other people whom I should meet and connect with in the future. I guess there is a plexiglas wall, but the wall is old and dirty, so while I can see what is out there, what I see is blurry and murky, and I don't really understand it, and I don't really want to touch it. For the people I can connect with, the wall rotates around me, so the dirty half goes to the back, and the clean half comes to the front. There is still a wall, but it is no different from the wall that every person has around his or her mind.

Unfortunately the medical establishment regards Autism as a disease. The medical establishment makes no exceptions even for Einstein. It is a known fact that the Albert Einstein School of Medicine would never have even considered admitting Albert Einstein because they are looking for straight A students and Einstein is only a C student so he does not cut the mustard. Also Einstein has a bad memory and in order to be a
Doctor you have to have aqgood memory.