Page 1 of 2 [ 18 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

Kitty4670
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 Nov 2014
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,940
Location: California,USA

20 May 2018, 9:20 pm

Is Aspergers a disability?



Exuvian
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 16 Aug 2016
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Posts: 822

20 May 2018, 10:00 pm

Short answer: Yes
Longer answer: It's defined as a developmental disorder. Generally there are characteristics of it that can be disability/disadvantages in one way or another. It's generally recognized as meriting additional resources in school (at least in the US), so they recognize it as a disability in that regard (which is not always the case) as well.



EyeDash
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

User avatar

Joined: 14 Nov 2013
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 328
Location: Colorado

20 May 2018, 10:11 pm

Autism spectrum disorder is also one of the criteria for disability in the US. The description distinguishes between children and adults with autism. I got mainstreamed in school from the start a long time ago and I did well scholastically, but it would have been very helpful to have had some help with social interaction and social anxiety. There's a description at: https://www.disabilitysecrets.com/condi ... -2-53.html



Arganger
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Apr 2018
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,707
Location: Colorado

20 May 2018, 10:35 pm

Yes, but it's not bad.

If that makes enough sense.


_________________
Diagnosed autistic level 2, ODD, anxiety, dyspraxic, essential tremors, depression (Doubted), CAPD, hyper mobility syndrome
Suspected; PTSD (Treated, as my counselor did notice), possible PCOS, PMDD, Learning disabilities (Sure of it, unknown what they are), possibly something wrong with immune system (Sick about as much as I'm not) Possible EDS- hyper mobility type (Will be getting tested, suggested by doctor) dysautonomia


The_Walrus
Forum Moderator
Forum Moderator

User avatar

Joined: 27 Jan 2010
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,789
Location: London

21 May 2018, 8:26 am

Arganger wrote:
Yes, but it's not bad.

If that makes enough sense.

It makes sense, but that's because disabilities aren't bad.



Arganger
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Apr 2018
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,707
Location: Colorado

21 May 2018, 10:22 am

The_Walrus wrote:
Arganger wrote:
Yes, but it's not bad.

If that makes enough sense.

It makes sense, but that's because disabilities aren't bad.


What I meant is some people require a longer explanation after that.


_________________
Diagnosed autistic level 2, ODD, anxiety, dyspraxic, essential tremors, depression (Doubted), CAPD, hyper mobility syndrome
Suspected; PTSD (Treated, as my counselor did notice), possible PCOS, PMDD, Learning disabilities (Sure of it, unknown what they are), possibly something wrong with immune system (Sick about as much as I'm not) Possible EDS- hyper mobility type (Will be getting tested, suggested by doctor) dysautonomia


Lonehiker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 7 May 2014
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 68
Location: UK

21 May 2018, 12:55 pm

There is no simple answer as there are many definitions of what it means to have a ‘disability’
This is set by different laws, policies and regulations. Therefore it depends.

If you want my opinion I think Asperger’s is a disability. Asperger’s carries many impairments that are long term and have adverse effect on one’s daily lives leaving us at a disadvantage.



SplendidSnail
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Jul 2017
Age: 43
Gender: Male
Posts: 887
Location: Canada

21 May 2018, 1:09 pm

At work I recently had to do an anonymous employee survey. Most of the questions on it were to do things like rate how well I trust my manager, rate how well I understand the company vision, rate how likely I would be to recommend the company as an employer to others, recommend how likely I would be to recommend the company's products to others, etc..

But there were also questions in there about myself - how long I'd been with the company etc.. One of the questions was whether I consider myself to have a disability. The last time I'd done a survey like this was before my diagnosis, so I'd always said "No" to that question.

This time, I hesitated on that question, and eventually answered "Prefer not to say". But I think I probably should have said "Yes". The job has changed over the last few years, and I am not doing as well as I used to be doing. I do think that this is at least partly related to changes in the job not being as compatible with ASD (much more multitasking etc.).

Am I just chicken for not being willing to say "Yes" to that question?


_________________
Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder / Asperger's Syndrome.


Exuvian
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 16 Aug 2016
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Posts: 822

21 May 2018, 7:44 pm

SplendidSnail wrote:
At work I recently had to do an anonymous employee survey. Most of the questions on it were to do things like rate how well I trust my manager, rate how well I understand the company vision, rate how likely I would be to recommend the company as an employer to others, recommend how likely I would be to recommend the company's products to others, etc..

But there were also questions in there about myself - how long I'd been with the company etc.. One of the questions was whether I consider myself to have a disability. The last time I'd done a survey like this was before my diagnosis, so I'd always said "No" to that question.

This time, I hesitated on that question, and eventually answered "Prefer not to say". But I think I probably should have said "Yes". The job has changed over the last few years, and I am not doing as well as I used to be doing. I do think that this is at least partly related to changes in the job not being as compatible with ASD (much more multitasking etc.).

Am I just chicken for not being willing to say "Yes" to that question?

I don't know what things you have to deal with at work or how it affects you, but if you don't feel a definite "no" or "yes", (or just don't care to disclose) you chose the perfect response given the options. :)



Kitty4670
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 Nov 2014
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,940
Location: California,USA

21 May 2018, 10:00 pm

Aspergers/Autism is Disabled cuz of mental health?



Exuvian
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 16 Aug 2016
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Posts: 822

22 May 2018, 6:18 am

Kitty4670 wrote:
Aspergers/Autism is Disabled cuz of mental health?

Mental health problems like depression & anxiety (which often go along with autism) are. Being depressed & anxious are disadvantages and thus disability.



rowan_nichol
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 28 Jul 2016
Age: 60
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 769
Location: England

22 May 2018, 9:27 am

Kitty4670 wrote:
Aspergers/Autism is Disabled cuz of mental health?


Not strictly because of mental health.

Autism / aspergers is disabling because it makes a difficult a number of activities the population as a whole can do easily.
Examples include
communication, especially when not directly connected to exchange of important information.
Multi tasking - being able to switch attention and focus rapidly
Experiencing discomfort, sometimes severe, with sensory inputs (light, sounds, touch, smell ) which do not bother the typical population
Executive function issues.

Mental health can also come in quite significantly. Being autistic can seriously increase stress levels, for example through greater tiredness and fatigue from the extra energy needed to do the things which are not easy to do with an autistic profile, from negative reactions in other people to our style of communicaiton or exectuive function mistakes. The profile can cause greater difficulty in finding and keeping jobs, in turn leading to the stresses from being poorly housed or at risk of being homeless.



green0star
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 5 Apr 2016
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,415
Location: blah

22 May 2018, 9:34 am

As far as I know it is for the simple fact that many of us aren't cut out to actually work for a living.



Joe90
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 26,492
Location: UK

22 May 2018, 3:27 pm

I call it a disability, or disorder. I hate when some Aspies get offended by it and want it to be called a 'difference'. I believe 'disorder' is the right word because it says so in the name: Autism Spectrum Disorder.


_________________
Female


Biskit69
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 19 May 2018
Gender: Male
Posts: 139

22 May 2018, 10:35 pm

It's a developmental disorder. Some people call it a disability some don't. It depends how you define disability. For me, it's not.


_________________
I say what I want to say and do what I want to do. There's no in between. People will either love you for it or hate you for it. - Eminem


Child of the Universe
Deinonychus
Deinonychus

Joined: 8 May 2018
Gender: Female
Posts: 366

24 May 2018, 10:11 pm

Yes, autism / Aspergers is a disability. However, it is also just a different brain type. But since autistic people are in the minority, we are a disability because we struggle to fit in with the majority and live in an NT society. However, if everyone was autistic except a few NTs, then being neurotypical would be the disability. Really, disability is a social construct, but that doesn't make it any less real.


_________________
"Don't mind me. I come from another planet. I see horizons where you see borders." - Frida Kahlo