mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:
iliketrees wrote:
mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:
iliketrees wrote:
mr_bigmouth_502 wrote:
iliketrees wrote:
Nope, I'm diagnosed Asperger's but I'm not at all extroverted. Even wrongplanet gets too much and I keep taking breaks from here. I really just prefer being by myself. I don't seek people out like I assume your roommate does.
I'll be honest, I'm tired of people talking about "Asperger's" being a different condition than autism. "Asperger's" IS autism
I agree. Some people here keep insisting it's different though which I don't get. I wonder if the diagnostic labels on our profiles will ever change, especially when the ICD 11 comes out, removing "other autism spectrum disorder" and having "ASD" instead of "Aspergers".
I think part of the reason people try to insist that it's different is because they don't want to face the stigma of being "autistic". Like I mentioned before, the only real difference seems to be a lesser (apparent) degree of severity, with people diagnosed with "Aspergers" often not experiencing the language delays associated with "classic" autism.
I guess "Aspergers" could be used as a label for people on the higher-functioning end of the spectrum, but really, isn't it kind of redundant? Autism is a spectrum disorder, and people on the spectrum tend to have different challenges in different areas. Some people have more significant language issues, some people have more significant sensory issues, etc.
That could explain people diagnosed with AS who say they're different, but what about people like OP who are diagnosed with HFA and say they're different?
No two people on the spectrum are the same, but I think defining "Asperger's Syndrome" as a separate condition is kind of pointless. It really just means mild autism without a language delay.
Of course, what really pisses me off about it is when people use it to draw a line in the sand, saying things like "I'm not autistic, I just have Asperger's". Umm, you ARE autistic, and there's nothing wrong with admitting it. Then you also have people who say "I have Asperger's, therefore I'm superior to people with autism." You're NOT superior, and frankly no one is. We're all human here. We may have different neurotypes, but we're all still the same species.
I blame in part the DSM for creating the Aspie Supremacy problem (and indirectly the false perception that it is widespread or that all people that identify as "Aspie" do that to seperate themselves from the "lesser" autistics). By making it a totally seperate diagnosis instead of a subcategory of Autism they gave licence to this type of thinking.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
It is Autism Acceptance Month
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
16 Jan 2017, 9:41 am
