AS being a "Type of Autism" ruins my self esteem.

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Perhaps you can sought out your own personal self esteem issues without casting elitist slurs on other autistic folk who have done nothing to deserve your remarks about them being "ret*d".

Perhaps another way of looking at this would be to improve the way you perceive people with classic autism?
It seems to me like you have a negative view of autism and so don't like being associated with people who you view as less than yourself. I guess I can understand that as a few years ago I would probably have had a negative view of autistic people myself. But I think trying to disassociate aspergers from classic autism is the wrong way to go about improving your own self image. Instead perhaps work on how you perceive people with classic and / or "high functioning"* autism. Once you understand that there is no shame in being associated with these people then your own sense of self worth will improve.


* I really am beginning to hate the the term high functioning as it divides autism into good and bad autism.

Well, that's a demeaning way of seeing autistic people in general. Has anyone ever called you a "mild ret*d"?

Surely you must know that your comments here would be hurtful and sound degrading and dehumanizing to some very valuable and much loved members of this forum.

Since it is nearing Easter I think a good egg hunt is in order.

Who can tell me why in @ 183days &13hours from this post any conversation about the DSM and its inclusion of Aspergers with autism is a thread wasted.

Since it is Easter I want to know how long it will be after the thread dies it will rise from the dead(necrobumped)

Off Topic Post

Now you are getting into my special interest. Not any old T-storm can get the severe designation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severe_thunderstorm_warning

Could always start a pool.

The overabundance of sensory neuroreceptors in the brain is shared by everybody on the spectrum - we all have the same issues with sensory stimuli overwhelming the brain's ability to process incoming data, causing hyperanxiety and a withdrawal from the external world, into our own minds, and inhibiting abilities to navigate social interactions.

The "spectrum" is the sliding scale of how functionally we are able to handle those problems and live in some degree of normalcy.

The common misconception that autism is synonymous with mental retardation comes from the simple fact that that's what the media reported on, exclusively, for years. Mainstream media depends on ratings, so they always go with the most dramatic example of anything. When Hans Asperger identified this condition in 1947, he called it Autism. The term "Asperger's Syndrome" wasn't coined until after he died in 1980. So AS has never been anything but autism.

So there really was never any reason to call it anything else.

As for people who call themselves "superior" to neurotypicals because of their autism, I don't think most of them actually believe that, anyone who suffers from this knows its a handicap, but sometimes it makes a person feel better to pretend its a superpower. What the hell, we take enough abuse from the neurotypical world for not being able to keep up, I think we deserve to take a little pride in the strengths that we have. Let people have their harmless delusions, if it keeps them from being chronically depressed. The last thing we need is bickering, name-calling and infighting among our own.

It sounds like you're just succumbing to the notion that autism = ret*d, and that's insulting to everybody on the spectrum. Don't get suckered by the stereotypes of the ignorant and the bullies. You don't need to change your designation to avoid embarrassment, they need to change their thinking, because its pathetically uninformed.

If you have Asperger's Syndrome, you basically have the brain of a cat. NTs have the brain of a dog.

Cats are far more badass than dogs. Dogs are p*****s compared to cats....really!

No need to feel of less worth than NTs.

Good and bad are subjective to the individual. The irony is that when my daughter was diagnosed some years ago she was referred to by the psychologist as "High functioning" on the autism scale. Now that people with Aspergers and their parents are getting used to being part of the "autism family" her condition relative to people formerly diagnosed with Aspergers has moved down the scale to moderate or intermediate (mostly in relation to her social/communication functionality). I don't particularly care as these labels make no difference to her (or for that matter) other folk on the spectrum.

Newbies on WP might not be aware but the vast majority of Aspies on WP never referred to themselves as autistic (this includes Alex) prior to recent changes in DSM. I am speculating but there are more than a few here (and their families) who don't like being associated with classic Kanner's autism in the perception of the wider community. That's the way life is.

While labelling High Vs low function is an unpleasant aspect of being part of the autistic community (if such a community actually exists? at least online) lets not kid ourselves there is always going to be a divide between those who are independent and those who will rely on social/family support to survive for the rest of their lives.

The OP sees himself in the context of being a member of mainstream society and is allowing his identity to be dictated by others and having difficulty establishing his own sense of identity. Of course this will impact on his self-esteem. I think this is an ongoing issue for most on the spectrum. Not unlike young people coming to terms with identity/self-esteem being part of other minority groups relating to disability, ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual orientation etc etc...

Good post. However I think many of us (such as the OP) are still subject to public perception and it's influence on our self-esteem. I think (as you have alluded to) the remedy for the OP is to address his own personal views on what stereotypes he believes his self-identity is characterized by. I think it's possible to inoculate yourself against negative stereotypes by working on your own self-esteem and building it up. This seems to be the real solution for the OP rather than (unrealistically) wanting labels to return to the "good old days" which is externalizing his personal problems and not addressing them.

Face it. When you're a kid, still in school. Anything that makes you stand out as different will attack and destroy your self esteem. Not just autism. You need to just get over it.

Personally, I would have preferred they had kept the separate designations simply because of the simplicity and clarity. The more words we have with different shades of meaning the better. But it has nothing to do with my self-esteem. I actually have pretty high self-esteem contrary to outward appearances.

It doesn't bother me much that AS is seen as autism. I don't like the stigma attached to AS, but I don't see it as having much to do with it being associated with autism.

I try to remain reasonably arrogant and unapologetic about my condition. I'm more likely to consider cleansing my environment of judgemental people than internalising their judgements. Most people out there seem to prop themselves up with irrational, egocentric ideas, they rarely seem to admit there's anything wrong with their chosen careers and general behaviour, and they tend to blame others for their unhappiness.

I just posted about doubts to my diagnosis, but YOU affect your self-esteem. You can choose to think positively or negatively. If you feel it is inaccurate, get a 2nd opinion. But if you feel that it is accurate, you need to learn how to deal with it (or if you had a 2nd opinion and esp a 3rd opinion tell you that you have it).

I kind of wish they would combine NLD / SCD / Asperger's / PDD-NOS under one umbrella if the VIQ > PIQ by a large margin and Asperger's / PDD-NOS / HFA under ASD if the PIQ > VIQ. Both are communication issues, but it's whether you have the obsessive interests and/or repetitive behaviors associated with autism that determines if you are on the spectrum or not.

By the way, arrogant is different than positive. You really don't want to be arrogant about your condition.