I get easily angered when someone calls me autistic. Normal?

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When I was a little kid, I was diagnosed with aspergers syndrome. Of course back then I had no idea what that was, but when I got older, my parents explained to me what it was, and i how i had bad social skills, etc...

Well my friends found out about it, and they are saying I have full blown autism.

They will occasionally crack jokes about my “autism” and it will make me so mad I want to punch them or beat the crap out of them.

I tried explaining to them multiple times that I am not autistic and that I just have aspergers. Has anyone else went through this?

I don't differentiate between Asperger's and autism; the only difference is an arbitrary one not based on any science and invented by NTs. Think about why you're so angry when people call you autistic - is it because you have negative associations with autism? That autism is "worse" that AS? By your use of the phrases "full blown autism" and "I just have Asperger's" it does indicate you do have a negative view of autism which maybe you should address.

On the other hand, if you're just annoyed that you're being labelled incorrectly then that's understandable. And if you're angry because they're making jokes about you in the first place, maybe you should take them aside one by one and tell them you don't appreciate the jokes.

Are you angry because they are specifically calling you Autistic or are you angry because they are bullying you? Being called or thought of as Autistic is not an insult if it is not meant to be an insult. Being bullied is always an insult. Being called anything at all can be insulting if the intent behind is if mean. If people are bullying you, that needs to be dealt with no matter what words they are using.

My official diagnosis is also Asperger's Syndrome, but I usually speak about autism because people take that more seriously and because Asperger's Syndrome is one form of autism (or so I've understood.) So no, I have no similiar problem.

What exactly makes you angry? The fact that they call you autistic while you'd like them to understand that the official diagnosis is called Asperger's and you don't want to be called autistic because of that? Or is it that you feel like they use the word autistic as an insult and don't like to be insulted?

I wear my Autistic badge proudly because it is a major part of who I am.

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*** High Functioning Autism - Asperger's Syndrome ***

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They called you "autistic"?

And....you really ARE autistic?????

And THAT upset you?



I envy you. The kids I went to school with all called me "ret*d".

I had very little in common with the downs syndrome kid who lived across the street from me, but even in grade school I was already somewhat aware of autism (autism was a new thing to the public back then, and only the extreme low functioning kind was recognized as autism back then), and though I wouldn't be officially diagnosed with aspergers until decades later as an adult I already felt that I had traits in common with these autistic kids I was starting to hear about in the media. So if my peers had called me "autistic" at least they would've been hating me for what I felt that I was (something like autistic), and not for what I was not (being like that downs syndrome kid across the street).

The fact that they called you autistic is absolutely irrelevant.
The context in which they did it is much more relevant.
If they were taunting and mobbing and bullying you, then you have all the right to be super pi**sed or traumatized or whatever. You could as well be not autistic, have red hair, and be called a ginger, and you would be exactly as much pi**ed. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact or the word autism, or it's usage, or whatever.

I suppose you wouldn't be pi**ed if you heard a loved one or a doctor calling you autistic. would you?

Something I finally realized in my 30's (because I'm stupid as f**k), is that people are sometimes out there to hurt you, willingly, because for some sick reason they feel superior if they make you feel inferior, small, useless or like like s**t. They don't care what "fact" they use against you. It might be anything. You could as well be fat, or short, or a ginger, or a scaredy cat, or whatever.

As I've finally found out, there are much more sadists out there that you could imagine. This is not paranoia, this is just a fact. NT's know that themselves and know how to act against it, but obviously we don't because we lack the insight that "evil" actually exists.

Go figure.

EDIT:

This whole situation doesn't even make that much sense. So they keep telling you you are autistic. WHATS THE SENSE IN THAT? You know you have asperger's, they obviously know it too. So what's the f-ing sense in reminding you?
If you had a black friend, would you tell him every other day that he is black?
a:"hey carl, wanna go out, I wanna get pizza"
b:"yes sure! that'd be fun!"
a:"yeah lets do it. btw, you are black. bye!".

If you had an schizophrenic brother, would you tell him every once in a while that he is schizophrenic? would that make sense?

If you had a jewish friend, would you let him know every once in a while, that you still know he is a jew? just without any reason? I mean he knows that himself.

If someone does this stuff, he is probably trying to hurt the other party. Or he is a racist. or and antisemitic. I can't see any positive motive in doing stuff like this.

In my psychological examination report is high functional autism and my psychologist told me that I have probably Aspergers syndrome.
Some therapist who read this report corrected me because I told that I have AS. And he didn't know difference when I asked him. If experts are not clear about it, someone who know nothing about it does not have to distinguish.

If they often make fun of you then is question if really they are your friends.

Aspergers is really on the autism spectrum so...if someone just called me autistic I wouldn't care. I think a lot of people don't know what to do with 'aspergers', and are more familiar with the term autism, even if they don't know much about it. That being said, it sounds like they are just making fun of you, they don't sound like the best friends. It almost seems like the context in which it was brought up bothered you, not just being called autistic. But if you don't like it, they shouldn't call you it, it's that simple. And they shouldn't make jokes about it, unless you are the type of person to like joking about others in that kind of way; but it seems like you aren't. I would reevaluate those friendships, tell them it bothers you, if they don't stop,they aren't good friends. If they tell you chill out they are just joking, they are as*holes. Real friends would feel bad they upset you.

Aspergers is a sub-type of Autism, so it would be entirely accurate to say you have Autism, that you're Autistic, if you have Aspergers. Succinctly speaking, if you have Aspergers, you have Autism. In fact, Aspergers is no longer a clinically accurate diagnosis as it's just now part of the ASD.

It's part of who you are and nothing you have to feel bad about. You're not going to apologize for having blue eyes or green eyes, so you don't have to do it for having Autism (being Autistic, whichever one you prefer). It is what it is.

You can explain that it bothers you when they joke about it, but it'll help make the point that you don't joke about it. However, I'd recommend coming to terms with it and realize it is not a negative, it is just a difference.

As normal as human subjectivity could get.

Once upon a time, of course I had. I had no real idea of what autism was save for the classic description.
On near daily-teasing basis during childhood -- Yet, instead of ret*d or nerd, which is easy for me to refute. Peers would called me crazy which is even less accurate, yet even more subjectively offensive.

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It seems to be pretty normal to be offended by the truth, but I'd still avoid it if I were you. Better focus on how you respond to the bullying itself. If it's not physical, the less seriously you take it, the better; just be aware they're only talking nonsense and don't waste your time on explanations, since they're not interested in understanding them. If it becomes physical, defend yourself. Better be prepared for it.

Einstein was autistic.
OK, we're not all Einstein, but you get my point: there's no need to be ashamed of it.