2 Questions Regarding Ableism

Post Reply New Topic

1) Even though Asperger's is no longer in the DSM, does "Asperger's" have a better connotation than "autism" or "high-functioning autism," or is there an equal chance people will treat you like a crazy "ret*d" if you say you have Asperger's rather than autism?
2) Can people legally get away with ableism if they are unaware (or lie that they were unaware) that the target has autism?

I think taking "Asperger syndrome" off the DSM was a bad idea. If somebody sees the word "autism," unfortunately they will think of people on the very low end of the spectrum automatically, those with very severe disabilities and accompanying medical problems. There are people on this board who do have some of these problems, but are very articulate in describing their difficulties. People seeing "autism" written on a piece of paper would automatically assume such people can't do anything.

Wasn't Aspergers replaced with ASD ? IMO I don't think saying I have ASD is any different from Aspergers but bear in mind I am a member here and suspect I have ASD so I may be biased

With some of the unfortunate media attention and awful You Tube videos, when people hear Asperger syndrome, they assume someone with AS is either a complete jerk or a potential active shooter.

I think the general population is fairly ignorant of mental health issues, and that any label at all can cause people to make false assumptions about you, based on stereotypes and horror stories they've heard about the condition.

I've learned to just do my best to behave respectfully toward others, and if they judge me for being 'weird' or 'uncool' or whatever, I'm okay with that. *I* understand the reason for my weirdness, and I'm okay with being misunderstood by the ignorant masses.

(I will only answer part 1)

I dont think that the connotation is worse, its just different.

This is just my personal experience but i would say that saying that you're autistic/have autism gives an idea that you need constant care, dont understand stuff and need help with "simple" things, expect you to semi- or nonverbal. In the other hand if you say that you have aspergers people will assume that you are "perfectly normal" but choose to be an a**hole to everyone and dont care about others.

I personally prefer using ASD (autism spectrum disorder) as i think that it is the best solution, however i do think that the "levels" (1-3) are a must have because a "high functioning" persons needs will be vastly different to a "low functioning" persons.

Obviously the system isn't perfect but i do think that a difference is essential, even if some special snowflakes might get their panties in a twist over it.

I wish the term "ableism" was taken out of our vocabulary. There is nothing wrong with being "able."

I'm confused by 'ableism' as well. OP is asking about whether people can legally get away with ableism, and I think the legal term is 'discrimination', and it only applies to businesses and government agencies. There is no law against ordinary people calling you names, or making derogatory judgments about you.

I'm not sure what the term "ableism" means.

As for the term "Asperger's" -- the problem is, that word is actually still very much used in the British Isles. Even by some professionals, though they now add "ASD" on the end of it as officially Asperger's is now defined by that term and it's not supposed to be called Asperger's anymore.

But there is time-lag with public usage. Many regular members of the British public have now heard of Asperger's but are yet to catch up on the fact that it's now called ASD. . . .

There is even a current TV show which is hosted by a British man who announces throughout the show not just that he is autistic but that he "has Asperger's."

I gather that in the US the term has been dropped.

I think it is a useful term because because it does indicate a different form of autism that, while not so severe that 24/7 care is needed, carries it's own set of impairments that satisfy the diagnostic criteria yet indicates another area of the spectrum, as it is of course established that there is a spectrum, not just one autism.

Ableism, at least in some contexts, means a situation where non-disabled people "lord it over" disabled people, feel superior to them, and think that disabled people "don't try hard enough," and think that at least some disabled people are lazy and don't want to try to be more "able." There is a notion that "able" people want to shunt disabled people aside.

Disabled people hate this attitude, and believe that non-disabled people should learn more about the struggles of disabled people.

Maybe it's best to say very mild, mild, moderate, moderate to severe, severe, very severe. When I see descriptions like that it gives me an understanding of where that person is at on the spectrum.

I've known of people who were diagnosed as Aspergers because they didn't have language delay, but still had moderate autism.

Like sexism, ableism is a variation of the word racism.

Mirriam-Webster defines it as "discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities"

Internalized ableism is when disabled people as a result of descrimination and prejudice believe the negative stereotypes about the disabled or believe they are inferior people to non disabled people or both. I believe internalized ableism is one of the major problems many and probably most autistic people are having.