Asperger's Syndrome: Just Different or Fundamentally Better?

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I know that I do not acknowledge AS as only being a disability. However, I do have to accept the fact that 4 doctors, the US government and the state in which I live all agree that I am "severely disabled by AS." I also have to live with the implications of these determinations as do those around me. Despite being disabled by AS, I do have abilities which I use, even if only for my own enjoyment. In a way I feel like the disability aspect of my condition has helped to provide me with a little more water, making it easier for me to focus on my abilities instead of wasting my time trying to compensate for my inabilities. In that way I feel blessed, as do those who had to support me prior to my receiving benefits, I am certain.

Neant, may I reword this for you to perhaps your intended meaning?

Translation: Certain positive characteristics/talents which allow for better functioning in various environments which are associated with Asperger's Syndrome. (Correct me, Neant, if this isn't it exactly.)

But I would like to point out that the vast majority of "talents" which were described in the first post are more common throughout the entire spectrum than in the general population and not just Aspergers. And, as has been mentioned prior, not every autty has each of these because-- since we are human-- every autty is different.

But rather than being ultimately proud that I am an Aspie, I am proud of the various things I can do. And I hopefully try and work on those things which I cannot or have difficulty in doing. This is common to every single person, autty or not.

I am amazed. Also overstimulated.

I'll have to look Holy cow up. Probably as incomprehensible as "the apple of his eye."
I have been diagnosed with Apserger's. My health insurance company thinks this cannot be, possible because I have a PhD in psychology and my job is doing psychiatric crisis evaluations.
They don't know about my small victory on Friday - I took a shower! Last one was aound June 20.
They don't know my IQ: 140.
They don't know that I am in danger of losing my job because I can't decode simple conversations.

Am I superior? There are a lot of people who'd like to say no. Others would like me to say no.
I have a pattern or behavior that corresponds with the diagnosis. I don't consider it a disability, any more than I consider having brown skin a disability. However, the people with the most power in the world consider these things to be so.

I don't have much investment in being superior. I do have an investment in staying out of the control of other people, and that means keeping my job. Unfortunately, that involves some social skills I don't have. The diagnosis of Aspergers will help me find a better job (I hope).

This discussion kind of amazed me. I realized I still have stereotypical ideas about Aspergers. I know there are some common denominators, but now I am thinking about them differently. I have always thought that NDs had no investment in the society of NTs. But here are people heavily invested in same. I am ambivalent. I wish I could have relationships, but when I experience the chaos of NT communication, I am glad to retreat back to my apartment, where no one can come without my permission. My almost safe place.

I would rather people didn't know I have Aspergers. Its hard enough them thinking I'm wierd. As most of my colleagues are in mental health and have amazingly simple ideas about diagnoses, and have an investment in thinking of me as impaired (overheard conversation between two supervisors about me: He didn't make any mistakes. What do you mean? There must be something), it is quite likely that learning about my having this diagnosis will allow them to think that I am impaired.

I guess it is all a matter of how whomever looks at it.

My opinion is that neurodiversity has any number of etiologies. I don't think I would wonder about the superiority of a long nose vs a short nose (unless I was in a climate where I had the wrong one). I wish I could find a place where my unique brain worked most of the time. Hm. Think I'll go online and look.

Hm.

To someone else the question might be "inferior, different, or superior?"

It all depends on what everyone decides are indicators of judgement.

If you and another(or many others) decide that certain capabilities of people have value then perhaps you can judge NT's versus AS on that.

More than likely you will come up with a pro and con battle between book smarts and social smarts.

To someone who has reached the conclusion that all judgements on "goodness" are arbitrary you will recieve the answer that we and NTs are different.

To someone whose life has been a great deal of success, who observes the confusion and pain of NT's you will probabally recieve the answer that AS' are superior.

You ask a very interesting question, unfortunately you ask a question that has no logical answer. Only opinions. I hope that you will find your question better answered by all of the opinionated responses.

Some of you are having some confusion, I think, about my usage of the word superior, which I had only used in relation to intelligence because that's the phrase psychometricians use to describe intelligence greater than one standard deviation above the norm. I never meant to imply we are better than anyone else, only that we have traits we excel at that others might not.

I was specifically referring to Asperger's syndrome rather than autism more generally because autism can include cases of profound mental retardation, which is a whole other kettle of fish. By referring only to Asperger's syndrome, I was showing how many of us aspies can do what most NTs can and more. If that seems to imply a claim of aspie superiority, let it be an uncomplemented superiority. We aspies are not, then, superior to certain other people but rather superior per se for who we are. Here superiority is merely a vote of confidence in the Asperger's condition and not a means of devaluing greater society (NeuroTypicality and the rest of autism alike). It is synonymous with pride. We are proud to be us, proud to be aspies, and proud to be autistic!

I think it is both because we have a problem interacting socially, yet it makes our intellect more useful. Who would have thought anyone would be so inquisitive about misinterpretation?

Fundumentally, the arguement over whether AS or NT is better, is, IMHO, the same as argueing over whether a fork or a spoon is superior. (no spork jokes, please!)

What are the citerea?

How do you decide what the citeriea are?

the decision of what citeria is not pointless. . . .

Is a fork superior to a spoon b/c it is pointy ended? Or is a spoon superior to a fork b/c it can hold water?

The answer is, "It depends".

It depends on what you need to be done.

Some AS folk can clearly do better than some NT folk at certain activities, and the opposite is true.

Declaring that one is inherrently superior in all things is not a logical exersize. NT folk tend to communicate far better than AS, and this is a boon to them, although this information communicated may not be important/accurate. AS folk tend to not be able to communicate effetivly, although their information "may" be more accurate/important.

Speaking wholly for me, me, me....I have difficulty with the concept of superior/inferior people. Most folk just do what they think is best with the hand they get in life. The Platonic idea that there can be some sort of superiority is nonsense to me, Would the idea that we are better than NT's not be self contradicory? If NT's are considered to be the norm, then woudn't we have to be better NTs than they are to be superior? I just like people, albeit from a distance. They don't have to have "go faster stripes" or amazing talents or anything else.

Being a pregnet male would NOT be a problem! He could sell the story for millions!