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The use of the word "aspie"

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MathGirl
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10 Feb 2010, 10:16 pm

PunkyKat wrote:
But what really irks me is when an NT uses the word "aspie". To me it's like how African Americans get offended if a white person calls them "n****r" but they call eachother that. I have no problem with other people with Asperger's using the term but I get extremly offended when NT's do. The mental image I get when someone says "aspie" is of an obese, cross eyed child with buck teeth. The term aspie is a pejorative. The mental image I get with "Asperger's" is of a distuinguished college professor. I wish NT's would simply say "Asperger's" or "autistic".
I agree with this. Also, some people here on this board argued about how someone can have Asperger's, and they said how they actually preferred using the word "aspie" over Asperger's, and that made sense to me, so I started using it again. I tried not to use it for a while before that because many people seemed to dislike it.
I guess just saying "Asperger's person" makes sense.

Tracedumas wrote:
I guess this is why I like the word, and I understand where you are comming from too, but after all that I went through as a child, and I have just found out about AS, Aspie kind of softens it, and makes it seem like something not so bad or harsh for me, for me finding out was a relief, gave everything a reason, and I guess I want that to be a soft thing. Hope you understand me, I am not good at putting feelings to words,
Trace
I also agree with this.


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glider18
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10 Feb 2010, 10:35 pm

I don't have a problem with the term Aspie. But, even though I sometimes use it in posts, etc., I realize that some people don't like it---so I try to avoid it for that reason. By the looks of things, Asperger's as a name will be done away with anyway in the psychology world---but I am sure we will still use the name Asperger's around here. I know that Asperger's is part of the autism spectrum, so many times I just say I have autism. Though I kind of hate to see the term Asperger's done away with in the new diagnostic manual, I am also kind of happy too---because it shows the recognition of Asperger's as part of what it truly belongs too---the autism spectrum.


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11 Feb 2010, 3:23 am

There's no need to use the word Asperger's or Aspergerian or whatever.....using the term Autistic ( or if you HAVE to shorten it,Autie) is not just more correct but less offensive.But than again,i don't make the rules...sadly :D



AppleCat
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11 Feb 2010, 5:18 am

I don't like the term "aspie" and wouldn't use it in reference to myself or anybody else on the spectrum, because some of them might not like it either. It isn't that I find the word "aspie" offensive, however, I do see it as a label. I prefer to say I have a form of autism.

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion though, and I don't mind if other people on the spectrum call themselves "aspies".


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