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Is Aspergers a disease?
Yes 6%  6%  [ 10 ]
No 94%  94%  [ 163 ]
Total votes : 173

ShadesOfMe
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11 Mar 2009, 10:51 pm

I've noticed a lot of people here believe that Aspergers and Autism are the same, or that Aspergers is a form of Autism. But a lot of those same poeple also believe Autism is a disease. So, i'm looking for more info about this.



Liresse
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11 Mar 2009, 10:53 pm

"disease" is a term of the medical perspective. someone is "sick" with a "disease," which is proposed to be "cured" with some sort of "curing agent."

broken leg.
influenza.
AIDS.

(in the medical paradigm, regardless of whether a cure exists or not, it is still a sensible concept to search for a cure.)

Historically, psychological conditions, including schizophrenia, depression and perhaps autism, have fitted poorly with the medical perspective.


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protest_the_hero
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11 Mar 2009, 10:56 pm

Ever scrolled all the way down on wp?



2ukenkerl
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11 Mar 2009, 11:07 pm

protest_the_hero wrote:
Ever scrolled all the way down on wp?


In any event, I see AS as a whole kind of like my perception of temperature. SOME might think I am handicapped because I can't stand hot air and a LOT of sunlight. Well, I CAN stand the cold better than they can! Maybe I can't catch, but I can understand a lot of technical things better. So who knows? I don't consider it a disease though because, on the whole, it isn't debilitating for me.



ShadesOfMe
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11 Mar 2009, 11:09 pm

protest_the_hero wrote:
Ever scrolled all the way down on wp?
Yes. But that is Alex's opinion. I want the opinion of the masses. it happens to be my opinion too, but I want to know how the rest of you feel.



FieryGatoh
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11 Mar 2009, 11:10 pm

Hell no :wink:



Ixtli
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11 Mar 2009, 11:57 pm

Nope.



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12 Mar 2009, 12:21 am

It's neither a disease nor a disorder. The only "D" that appropriately categorizes it is "difference".


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Dark_Red_Beloved
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12 Mar 2009, 1:28 am

Asperger's and autism are both on the spectrum...

but an autistic person and someone with Aspergers can experience severe pain due to their condition--be it due to sensory difficulties,physical ailments, or social rejection. I think the question here is not is autism a disease, but what is other people's impression of spectrumites and how do they respond ?

Many people use the word disease because they don't know a more fitting way to describe the person in front of them or their behavior. Often accompanied by fear and indifference , "disease" is an easy way to simplify something that looks complicated and scary.

As Orson Scott Card put it, "The difference between ramen and varelse is not in the creature judged, but in the creature judging. When we declare an alien species to be ramen, it does not mean that they have passed a threshold of moral maturity. It means that we have."



dougn
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12 Mar 2009, 1:55 am

I believe Asperger's is a type of autism.

I do not believe any type of autism is a disease.



ghostpawn
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12 Mar 2009, 1:57 am

Is dyslexia a disease?

It's not contagious, you can't die from it, it doesn't even get worse over time.

It might be a disability, but I wouldn't call it a disease.


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hale_bopp
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12 Mar 2009, 2:04 am

I don't see it that way. I call it a disorder, because a lot of us have other problems too.. such as OCD.



phil777
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12 Mar 2009, 2:13 am

I agree with all of the above. :)



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12 Mar 2009, 2:45 am

Neither autism (classic autism), aspergers (apsperger's autism) or any other related form of autism are diseases. They are only differences which in some cases can make life very hard, while in other cases they allow people to follow professions which the average NT has no hope being able to cope with.


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Diagnosed under the DSM5 rules with autism spectrum disorder, under DSM4 psychologist said would have been AS (299.80) but I suspect that I am somewhere between 299.80 and 299.00 (Autism) under DSM4.


DentArthurDent
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12 Mar 2009, 2:58 am

I firmly believe that Aspergers is a Disorder.

The Oxford definition of a medical disorder
: a disruption of normal physical or mental functions.

My inability to read facial expressions IMO fits this definition, not to mention the ridiculous nature of meltdowns and other traits that define our condition


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Danielismyname
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12 Mar 2009, 3:05 am

It's a neurological disorder, per the National Institutes of Health in the US.

As is Autism.

Quote:
AS is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), one of a distinct group of neurological conditions characterized by a greater or lesser degree of impairment in language and communication skills, as well as repetitive or restrictive patterns of thought and behavior. Other ASDs include: classic autism, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS).