Are we no longer to call ourselves & each other Aspies?

Post Reply New Topic

I don't pay nearly as much attention to psychology and current issues regarding autism, as most here do. But I have heard the new version of the DSM (which I haven't spent much time with), the DSM V, has eliminated Aspergers and is now just calling early speech development autistics, High Functioning Autistics, the same as they've been calling late speech development high functioning autistics HFA.

So, should we high functioning early speech development autistics keep calling ourselves and each other Aspies? Or should we abandon that and just call ourselves Auties? Or do you dislike either term?

I personally never liked writing Apsie/Autie and always preferred to call myself an Autie or autistic or HFA anyways.

In the NT world, people not only don't worry about such fine distinctions, but popular names really don't go away.

Many people with rare neurological disorders similar to MS just say they have MS, even though they have been diagnosed beyond a reasonable doubt with something else! Some of these disorders can only be differentiated by DNA testing or tracking over a long period of time.

honestly, i'm not a big fan of labels period.

i've had symptoms of autism/aspergers my whole life, though over the past few years, they are much more subdued. i can pass for a nuerotypical in social situations without trying too hard, and i'm pretty good socially.

but i'm not a big fan of labels, period. whether it's autism or aspergers. i like being judged on who i am - not a collective label of all aspies averaged together.

We can call ourselves whatever we we damn well please.

Our existance was still discovered by Hans Asperger right? therefore its still Asperger's syndrome. I think the name will live on to discribe the higher functioning autistics.

I dont call myself anything. Since I am self-diagnosed I also dont dare to say that I have Asperger. I just have many properties that correlate with that condition.

I could maybe have been diagnosed with autism, I think. In any case I was extreme Asperger when I was young. But my mother didnt want that. She thought I live better not knowing that something is wrong. Also she forced me to write with my right hand and more or less at the same time I stuttered for some months. I dont know if she was right, but for many years I was an alcoholic because I lacked social skills and would have preferred to be dead than alive. I wasnt able to be the people person that my mother expected me to be. So I killed myself slowly for many years when I was in my early 20s.

That was back then. Now my mother can friendly hug herself...

But hey, does it really matter what tag it is? Aspie/Autie

Call yourself whatever you like. It's a personal thing. Me--I've been saying "autistic" for a while now. But then I've never been firmly in the Asperger's category to begin with.

I don't call myself "aspie" or "autie".
I just call myself with my real name.

Well it seems like the DSM-V and the whole DSM classification system has been rejected by the NIMH so why does it matter what it says or not? Let's just call ourselves what we want.

Before someone interjects re: "existance", Asperger was the first one to document what is now established as "Asperger's". Most of the earlier research completely missed inviduals who would now meet the description of AS. Heck, the current DSM-5 definition could possible miss Asperger's clients.

Since there's any number of problems with the DSM-5 terms (ie, poor quality control, non-public discussions, major supporters dropping out, etc.), I don't see DSM-5 as having any legitmacy when it comes to terms (it would still have some on items that are documented and supported by outside research).

In short, DSM-5 is useless and I'm still using "Aspie".

Oh, and since the DSM is changing the names, I guess we can drop "Syndrome" .

Screw the DSM. I'm an Aspie, and I'm proud of it.

The Lab Pet will not indulge the DSM V and will remain an Aspie. But of course, we can call ourselves whatever we like. The DSM V is not the gold standard Bible necessarily (OK, it might be but we can ignore it too). Screw the DSM V.

I know, the Wrong Planet could have a séance, summoning Hans Asperger back to vouch for us! I'm going with that option

Hans loved Aspies, but I would be his favourite

I understand what you're saying. I was really only thinking along the lines of us communicating amongst ourselves and how we refer to ourselves to one another in discussion groups like these.

I personally feel in the particular situation of communicating here on WP, labels help us understand our difficulties better. There are many here, who like me, have difficulties in other areas than socialization.

Since I've been here, I've learned more about and have been able to readily identify other difficulties I have such as; Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD), dyspraxia, dyscalculia and executive dysfunction.

It's satisfying to me to know and understand what's wrong with me, rather than having to ponder, "what the hell is wrong with me?"
Outside of my own head, and discussions that take place here, I don't really consider any of those labels to be of much value. Outside of here and my head, those labels and $1.98 will get me a cup of coffee at Denny's
.

Well, ironically some say Hans Asperger may have been on the spectrum himself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Asperger

This is Wikipedia so I do not know how true this is.

Yes, I guess I always suspected Asperger's was an inside job (re: Hans was one of us)......Wikipedia is right up there with the DSM V, you know.

Personally still banking on the séance. <Lets all join the circle and take hands - Wrong Planet, Victorian séance style>

Factoid: Before Hans Asperger, Russian (female) neurologist, Dr. Ewa Ssucharewa identified the population of high-functioning autistics. However, until Hans, her publications went unnoticed. That and she was behind the Iron Curtain in occupied Europe. The Kremlin was not keen on social science research.

So, we could always call ourselves "Ssucharewaians." And you thought it was bad when NTs mis-pronounce Aspergers! Hah. Try saying Ssucharewaians 3X fast.

I am Bunny, and I was, am, and will be autistic.

My catatar is Smuggy, and she is neurotypical.