Is AS actually trendy?

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I've read posts on this site in which people refer to AS as "trendy". Some even claim that some people fake AS or seek out a diagnosis because it's a popular thing to do. I've also read news and opinion articles that refer to its popularity. I think a recent one called it "the affliction du jour among geeks" or something like that.

This puzzles me because in my real life, I have never heard anyone even mention AS. I hear the occasional, brief reference to autism, which is usually along the lines of "My cousin's son is autistic. It's so sad. He has some serious problems, but he's a real interesting kid and I like spending time with him." And then the topic of conversation shifts to something of more immediate concern such as hot rods or record collecting.

So I'm really curious:

Have you found AS to be trendy or popular or just interesting to a lot of people these days?

If so, is this true among most people you know or just in certain circles?

If not, why do you think AS is thought to be trendy?

Any interesting experiences or thoughts on the subject you might like to share?

I don't think people see it as trendy, but rather gravitate to it because of its subculture gives people a higher sense of belonging than being simply in a "geeky" or "nerdy" club.

Just my two cents.

If it was trendy, I would be a social god!!

well it's not that trendy because most people don't know about it but many people like geeks or nerds that research about stuff and bump into Asperger's find a way to say "Oh it's not that I'm weird, I have Asperger's"
So yeah, I think its trendy but like in a deep underground subculture way.
And by the way I am a geek but that's a whole different story

I have never heard anyone mention it in real life. I am with socialfantom on this one, if AS is trendy then i must be as cool as starbucks.

My Art History teacher in high school once talked about "fashionable" diseases. At the time (89 or 90) it was Cancer, and it was AIDS for a while, and then there was all this talk about ADD, ADHD, but I think there's an argument to make that it's the Autistic Spectrum now. Every day there is a new article on AS or autism on CNN or MSNBC's website, and I don't expect it will be long before the Lifetime Movies start rolling out en masse.

As far as being fashionable to have it, I imagine that, with all the attention it's getting now, it's probably not uncommon for emotionally underdeveloped misfits to latch onto Autism as an explanation. Within the off-class community, the notion that there is an actual answer to "What the hell is wrong with you?" can take a lot of pressure off.

What I'm wondering is what will happen as the diagnoses keep rolling in. I mean culturally-- what supplies and services will spring up to aid us? My dream is a restaurant with soundproof booths.

Awww yeah! We da BOMB!

Or we get bombed, I forget...

Maybe. Activist groups are appearing in the media more and more these days, and celebs are lending their starpower to the cause.

I think it's trendy among people (especially young people) who like to see themselves as smart, misunderstood, free-thinkers. People who maybe didn't quite fit in during school, and proudly sneer at "NTs" as being "sheep." They see AS as a badge of intelligent non-compliance without having a true understanding of the skill deficits involved.

There are a few WP users who fit this description. You should ask around and find out who they are. There are a few buzzwords to look for

thought-box
indoctrination
sheeple

The last one is my favourite.

About that, I've always thought of NT's as insects myself. Well, not always, I'm just feeling a little angry right now.

This isn't going to be a popular opinion, but if I could take away my AS and all of the things that come with it, I would. I hope it's not "trendy".

If I could take away the disadvantages, I would... but not if it meant giving up my basic personality.

But "trendy" can be two things.... it provides the afflicted (or the allegedly afflicted) with attention, and there are a number of folks who need, or think they need, such attention and sympathy. Or, it can just be the fashionable topic, in which case we want it to be trendy because it promotes understanding.

Nothing wrong with that. We all want to be accepted by someone. I don't begrudge you a bit Breanne.

So does anyone have any idea why it is considered trendy by some people and media outlets? As in what evidence indicates that it is trendy? Is it because of this site's rate of growth? Or similar sites and blogs? Or the girl on America's Next Top Model? Or a movie or book? I'm really clueless about this.

If it is trendy then it's pure ignorance. If you've experienced the deficits yourself then you know that they don't feel very nice . I think the media is fascinated with it because it's somewhat interesting. And if it's fake how would you be able to tell if an infant has it or not?