Are you ILL with Asperger's?

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Sorry I was sarcastic, Dean. Let's just agree to disagree and drop it.

Serafina, what she said is written in my first post, she didn't say anything else.

I think it's because some things/characteristics of autism is opposite to a NT so they assume that anybody who is autistic is ill or suffering.

Example: Autism has problems with social things (by their definition) and since NTs are social they'll think that autistics (who have problems with social things) must be ill or suffering because they (NTs) would be.

By NTs and they I mean non-autistic.

Last edited by Sarafina7 on 31 Aug 2009, 9:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

And so much for Theory of Mind??

I've given a charming smile and said, doing my darndest to hide the sarcasm, "Yes, and it's contagious, you might want to wear a mask. But the bird flu vacine will help keep you from getting it."

It's only unthinking conformity to the herd that makes me ill.

Last edited by southwestforests on 31 Aug 2009, 9:22 am, edited 2 times in total.

I was going to type something like that in my post but decided not to.

But you're right. NTs say that autistcs have no Theory of Mind but non-autistic also don't have Theory of Mind in some cases.

Perhaps she was only following instructions.
Government agencies are notorious for being ignorant but even higher up, there is some body of uneducated, self-serving idiots making decisions about policy. Maybe whoever sources their funding has a stipulation that they only serve clients suffering from an illness, which would indicate an urgency or priority over someone with a disorder. ret*d, I know, but most likely that's the mentality behind it. Insurance companies work the same way. You can mostly blame them for setting the precedents that prevent people on the spectrum from getting the resources they need. So get mad at society, the government, insurance companies and even your spouse. That woman was just following instructions, probably doesn't like her job and was just going through the motions.

I don't get why some of you are so angry about claiming AS as a disorder. If I look back on my life honestly, I can say with 100% certainty that most of my problems with relationships, jobs and communication originated with me, not with others. Sure, AS has many positive benefits but the negative ones are distressing and debilitating, preventing me from really showing off those benefits.

South, you made me smile, first time today

I find it interesting that this person was so hung up on a single word..... "ill". She probably has some sort of flow chart of something that says an individual must be "ill" for services. Without consideration for any words that might be synonyms for "ill" or any broadened definition for the word, she feels that one must actually use the word "ill" in a sentence to qualify. It is as if she is either extremely uneducated or maybe also "ill" with some manner of ASD. No? I mean..... she is taking the word "ill" so literally.... after all. If she is not, then she is suffering from poor logic and/or language skills.

I would have smacked that line of reasoning at her! It would be fun to mess with someone like that..... because people like that really tick me off. Of course you are ill, affected, impacted, etc....... or you would not have been referred to the office in the first place! What sort of stupid question was that anyhow? Are you "ill"...... what a moron!

mseclectic, I can see your point of view, even though I'd be tempted to ask you if you really are a hurtful person due to your AS, because I doubt it.

In my case, however, it's not because I'm hurtful. It's discrimination of those who don't look in the eye, don't smalltalk, don't grasp the unsaid, the hinted, don't whitelie, don't manipulate, don't play the politics well enough and only discovered at age 40 that there's a pecking order in every social interaction that must be obeyed and respected. I usually set out with the kindest of intentions with people, only to discover later that they hate my guts. So no, not all Aspies are clearly disordered like you claim to be. Many are just different. Although this would require a lot more discussion, of course, but that's my personal experience in a nutshell. Why should I say that I'm disordered and hurtful when I'm not? I don't get it.

Sorry if this is a duplicate .....

I'm confused (and wanting to run and hide). What does hurtful have to do with what I posted?

Whip, she's only hung up on the idea that AS is an illness, because you suffer discrimination for it". As if discrimination could only be the product of the discriminated being ill.

Or the clerk could just have been following a standard question procedure, much like a medical triage. After a while, that kind of thing can become repetitive habit, so that you're not really thinking when you say it. After hearing the same information input several times a day in the same format, having it come in differently can be confusing to some. Sometimes, it causes problems for the customer. Sometimes, too, the results are very funny, as in the following, which actually happened some years ago between a parent and a medical appointment clerk.

Parent: I'd like to make an appointment for my two-week-old son.
Clerk: Is he an infant?

If you really want to confuse some (but definitely not all) fast-food cashiers, too, give them the information of your food order in a sequence different from what they're used to. You'll find that, at best, they'll seem to ask you questions that you think you've already answered. At worst, some of the not-so-well-trained ones might not be able to wrap their minds around the differences.

P.S. I don't consider myself "ill," either. That's me, though: I figure that anyone else is entitled to their opinion.

LOL those stupid questions happen a lot. I wonder why?

A friend of mine, an NT, once lost a job for something similar to this. The doctor simply asked her, "Are you in good health?" and she answered yes. He didn't ask her any other questions. When it was discovered that she had Epilepsy, they fired her for lying on her job application. She didn't consider epilepsy to be cause for considering oneself to be in poor health. Now she always mentions it up front, even though she doesn't consider it an illness, other folks seem to.

Last edited by willmark on 31 Aug 2009, 12:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Why should we have to say we are ill--mentally or physically? This thread brings me close to tears... and mad enough to spit nails.

Ever since AS became recognized, it seems there has been an established movement toward pretending AS is a mental illness.....thus, "Are you ill", as in---are you mentally ill or mentally incompetent? Many of us would be tempted to reply, "No, I'm not. Are you?" <-- That kind of blunt aspie reply would, of course, be counterproductive. But it would salvage some of our hard-earned dignity.

NT people being much stupider than they need be---would that qualify as an illness? [Obviously a type of mental incompetence or personality disorder..heh..What about BPD? Bureaucratic Personality Disorder.]

Seriously though, is there an equitable and diplomatic way to indicate--while society may label us "ill", we don't feel particularly ill...but still we (desperately) need resources and accommodation, and absolutely demand to be treated as equals? It is so hard to be patient with inaccurate and rude, or insensitive, appraisals of the problems we face.


Correct. But if we want services, there may--until the necessary changes are brought about--have to be some bowing and scraping before our bureaucratic masters. Otherwise they may simply decide we aren't worthy of assistance. The discrimination, however, must cease. Whatever we are forced to do or say to compromise our integrity, is only a temporary measure...in order to receive the services we require. Basically, in order to survive.


I could be wrong here. But I honestly believe the condescending and patronizing behavior of NTs in a position to help us---is a phase they will eventually outgrow.. when it becomes exposed as the type of approach that is neither helpful nor accurate. And it only serves to make us less equal in their eyes. We need be very clear about refusing to tolerate discrimination.

Last edited by alba on 31 Aug 2009, 11:46 am, edited 1 time in total.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ill

In most senses that this gives, I wouldn't say it's possible to be "ill with Asperger's". However, there is one that partly fits: "Not normal, as a condition; unsound". I will fully admit that I'm not normal, but I wouldn't consider myself "unsound" due to my AS. Also, this definition seems to be unpopular and low down in the list. The general idea seems to be that it means unhealthy, whether physically, mentally, or both. Certainly AS can leave people more vulnerable to mental health issues, and I do believe I am ill when I get overwhelmed by sensory input and/or social contact, but in general life, by itself, I wouldn't say AS can mean someone is ill.