"Asperger syndrome is a severe handicap"

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I don't consider it a severe handicap in my case, but it HAS made my life far more difficult than it would have been otherwise, and has thus far prevented me from achieving some of the things that I want most out of life.

I think that the author may be half-right, but I feel that it is highly inappropriate to compare disabilities with one another, the way that he is comparing losing legs with Aspergers and being blind. I don't agree with him whatsoever on that part.

I actually just read this article today, and was going to post about it. So, do you think this guy is right, Asperger's is essentially like being blind or missing two legs? I have yet to be diagnosed but I score pretty high and likely have Asperger's, but I only figured this out a few days ago. So for me I'd have to sorta say no because, well, ignorance is bliss.

If I was blind or missing two legs, I'd obviously know. Not knowing my condition, I blamed myself, but I would always keep hope that I'd somehow overcome the obviously laziness, lack of lateness, etc. that I must clearly have. Now that I know I can make adjustments, and I have new hope. On the other hand, if this just proves to be false hope, and I find things don't improve, this guy might have a point.

Also, when he discussed how the general population tends to abuse folks with Asperger's (actually, he used the term torture), he seemed to get kind of emotional and lose his objectivity. Does this guy have Asperger's himself?

I think it is apples and oranges, to compare an obvious, visible physical disability, with a neurological disability that may not be so obvious or visible. It really isn't fair to make the comparison. I'm not a fan of comparing the severity of disabilities anyway, each one is different and has its own set of challenges. And even comparing two people with the same disability, such as blindness, one may be more practically disabled than the other if they haven't received as much support or education.

Having an unseen disability, or even a visible one that is so rare people just aren't familiar with, brings an extra dimension of challenge and difficulty.

Those who constantly live in the realm of nihilistic solipsism, actually do very well and derive great benefit from studying Advaita Vedanta (as I did, to try and make some sense of it all):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaita_Vedanta

This isn't the purpose for my posting here though.

How Asperger's affects an individual varies from sufferer to sufferer.

Some are 'high functioning' which means that Asperger's, at worst, is just an annoying inconvenience that is easily overcome and creates no handicap or life-quality loss at all (and in some cases, actually enhances it).

Others, like myself are 'low functioning' meaning that the condition impacts our lives immensely, terribly and with much devastation...everything from total cognitive dysfunction (cannot judge distance from one's own body to any nearby object), hyper sensitivity to any external stimuli, resulting in rocking, hand flapping and humming...always saying the 'wrong thing at the wrong time', always being in the 'wrong place at the wrong time', not being able to laugh, smile, find joy in anything (because the circumstances just don't exist for that to ever happen), not being able to make friends, socialise and just to be alike or similar to the rest of those 'social animals' called Human Beings.

That is the worst...the WORST disability out there!

Take away my arms and legs...box me...at least that way, people can see that I am actually bloody disabled because they don't take 'Sorry, I am Autistic' as any 'excuse' for a behavioural faux-pas.

*cool, I am a 'butterfly' now.

I don't really have an opinion on this. However, I don't think it's a good argument that you're ''relatively happy/doing okay-ish'' to conclude that AS isn't a severe handicap. Extremely physically, emotionally or intellectually impaired people can do 'relatively well' within their own framework or just because they're strong people. It doesn't mean that their handicap is any less significant, only that it doesn't get them down.

And in my case... I can't really compare. Besides, what is 'severe'? How does it constitute? Who am I to judge? And yes, some people are undergoing significant suffering due to AS, we see them on this site. Even if my handicap isn't that severe, who am I to say that that goes for AS in general, thereby implying that these people just need to grow a pair?

Agreed. I tend to think I am doing okay-ish, but I realize the condition actually is hindering me, giving severe challenges I would not otherwise have had.

There is a reason so many with AS have suicial thoughts and depression so often. They are suffering.

I think it has to be considered in a context.

Guys, there's no need to argue--everybody's right. AS can be a severe handicap, a moderate one, or a mild one. It's a spectrum.

And for that matter, a severe handicap can cause no suffering, and a mild handicap can cause major suffering. The level of disability is actually not a predictor of subjective quality of life (i. e., self-reported life satisfaction). How many people have we met here on WP whose AS is objectively mild, but who are having a really hard time of it regardless? Their suffering isn't trivial and shouldn't be ignored just because they're relatively less impaired than the person with the severe AS who's just happy the way they are, thanks.

It's weird, but true--disability doesn't make people unhappy, and more disability doesn't make them more unhappy. There are many things that do make people unhappy--lack of meaning, mistreatment, clinical depression, lack of purposeful activity, discouragement. They can be associated with disability.

Lesson one: Don't discount someone's distress just because their disability is mild. It's real, and it's significant.

Lesson two: It's possible to help someone, or help yourself, achieve a more satisfactory life without having to magically cure the disability.

Lesson three: If you could cure the disability, happiness isn't guaranteed.

Lesson four: "I'm more disabled than you" pissing contests are just silly.

qawer, this thread died six months ago. Bumping it is not cool.

Maybe it's time you chilled on the cats/dogs analogy too. Your message has been received, loud and clear. If you want to keep going with it, you need to add some substance to it to interest people, or persuade people that it is a good analogy.

Sometimes, I'd rather have cancer than to be autistic and depressive. A person with cancer gets sympathy, encouragement, and love when people find out about their illness. With autism and depression, you're "crazy", "ret*d", "slow", and people will tell you to your face how they'd never trust a "coo-coo" person like you with their children when you mention you want to be a school teacher.

And when you try to get professional help and SSI, you're seen as not suffering enough or exaggerating by everyone. It's other people that make having mental health issues a living hell and this is why I wish I could disappear into some wilderness and make it on my own never to see "civilized" humans again.

I think that a blanket statement such as "Aspergers is a severe handicap" is incorrect. Aspergers effects every individual differently, some people are effected more profoundly then others.

I am lucky, I am very high functioning ASD and I have typical female traits, so I can adapt easier to the world around me.

What is and is not a handicap is also subject to how one views them self. I have never thought of my self as handicapped or disabled, simply different. If one goes through life focusing on everything they can't do or everything that's difficult, then yes they are handicapped... it's a matter of perspective. I prefer to focus on what I can do and what I have been successful in.

I've always considered my AS to be a mild disability. I mean, If this person thinks AS is severe, I'd hate to know what they'd think of low functioning autistics.

I do agree with the part that the actual severity of AS symptoms is often undermined, but it ain't a 'severe handicap'. What a ridiculous think to say.

Oh, and I really resent comparing physical disabilities with cognitive ones. Being autistic and being an amputee are two completely different disabilities with their own challenges and its not fair to compare them, even if it is just to illustrate a point.

Most if the time even though it causes issues it dose nit seem like that to me and why thier are allot of people with AS that are happy and get on fine. Logically it is not really a handicap though it may weak or impair certain ability it dose not make us handicapped NT's also have issues with simular AS things to after all we are all humans.

Still said however on bad days or when im really down and depressive AS can feel like a handicap and I addmit to saying that sometimes I think maybe it woikd be better as NT psyicaly disabled but I know that is not true we have to think our selves lucky just cause I have dose not stop me from doing things it just makes thrm harder and I should know since im stuck thier right now and actually going to see a therapist today so im way scared, point is we can do it just itcan be harder but noto tge extent I'd say of being handicapped yet I addmit as I said it can feel this way

Please let this thread die and stop generating hits for the stupid self-described eugenicist with his proud membership in his itty-bitty Internet SmartNazi club that he founded himself.

Please?? Dipshits like this guy thrive on publicity. PLEASE DON'T GIVE HIM MORE. PLEASE?????

well put as usual,callista.

aspies cannot be low functioning by default,its part of the criteria to have a IQ outside of the intelectual disability range.
low functioning-in terms of autism refers to autism with intelectual disability,the ID gives us a very different presentation of autism to HFAs.
those of us under the LFA category [mine is severe autism with mild ID] do not have the level of environmental,social and self awareness nor the comparison abilities to recognise the impact of our impairments and we view it more as life than disabling.

^^^^^yes this!! So very much this! I couldn't have said this any better^^*