Is Aspergers trendy?

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That's very true rascal. A large number of AS people don't even post on these forums. I've met HFA people in real life who live in accommodation, are unemployed, and some who work in disability work shops.

Why isn't this side of HFA represented?


I'm going to reply to other posters, but atm busy, just posting this small post.

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There seems to be an invisible line. If you're on the low functioning side of the invisible line, you're supposed to look at what you can do and so is everyone else.

And if you're on the high functioning side of the invisible line, you face prejudice from the world of typical people who generally don't really want you around as well as from some people with ASD. And a constant question whether or not this is just pretend.

What I have noticed is that our members who seem to perhaps be most impacted by autism/AS are among our most accepting.

I don't think there should be a competition for whether people are severely enough impacted. There is enough prejudice against us without our dividing into camps. Neurodiversity as a concept offends me, but I see the possible benefits to bringing people together rather than separating based on not being autistic enough.

You only have to visit youtube to see that people really do think it's trendy. It makes sense. People like to be different. It's a form of attention seeking that mostly appeals to the young.

In my country we don't have the stigma attached because people here don't either know about or think about the murders in America associated with Asperger's Syndrome. All people think about when they hear "Asperger's Syndrome" here in Australia is someone who has average to above average intelligence. They think it's fascinating at most and then lose interest in it very quickly. There's no incentive to fake it here because no one cares and people only fake it or flaunt it if they get something out of it. Attention and benefits mainly.

Looking at the rest of these comments I agree in the US its is viewed very differently. Here in the UK not loads of people now about AS and many more view it as debilitating etc or at-least out of my own personal experience, It's not very well spoke of and the NHS well it dose not really provide the tools for AS, over all I'd say Britain is very ill-informed about the condition and looks to the stereotypes and traits of AS, only way to prove them wrong is to actually be an AS person who is not ticking all the boxes.

I think you have it the other way around. The people who are most affected are more offended by these broader autistic phenotypes trivializing their condition by saying its just a difference. I personally am not accepting of these people and they are starting to piss me off.

It depends what you mean by "trendy". If you mean that news medias tend to point it out when a murderer (like Adam Lanza) might have (or have had) Aspergers (or autism in general), then yeah it seems it is "trendy".

On the other hand, if you talk with people in general, you realise that most of them don't know much at all about Aspergers nor Autism, and that there is still a whole lot of misconceptions and prejudices.

I don't see any signs that it is trendy, but I probably wouldn't know a trend if it bit me in the ass.

Ah, the "is asd trendy" question. The "are you autistic enough" topic. There are very good points made here; if one isn't disabled, then one doesn't have a disability. That is clearly truth.

I must admit, this is a very emotionally tumultuous thread. Under most circumstances, I would say emotion attached to topics are of no importance, but for this one, I wish to share to illustrate at least that we must tread softly on this.

First of all, those ignorant of the Spectrum are definitely seeing this as a new fad. My ablest, racist SIL actually gave a very hateful diatribe to explain that: If you're not rocking in the corner unable to do anything else, you aren't autistic. Even my awesome MIL thinks it's trendy; people on TV like Sheldon from Big Bang Theory are portraying it, so it must be popular is what she believes. Hearing these things from them was a huge source of anxiety: at that time, I was not diagnosed but aware that problems I had throughout my life could be explained by HFA. With those words spoken by my family, now I felt if I shared with anyone my suspicions I would only be viewed as a hypochondriac (despite that isn't the real definition of it. Pet peeve of mine.).

On the autistic enough bit, you gotta be real careful about that as well. It's bad enough when you think you may have been having problems all your life because of a condition that will never go away, but then to hear upset from both sides aimed at those who may or may not be upon the Spectrum, especially if someone's like me- who has been told repeatedly that I don't have difficulties because I got good grades and I can get employment- may scare them away from ever finding out what's been troubling them. This is not a good thing. Despite how much I burned to really know if autism is what is wrong with me, I waited over a year because of opposition I faced. I admit to a learned apathy towards myself because of those who refused to acknowledge I could have problems. It was my husband who convinced me to go: said if something is bothering me, I should find out the truth no matter how stupid it may sound.

Please, please tread lightly with these things. I'd hate to think of people like us driving others like us away.

Yeah, I think WP is a skewed sample of people with ASD (skewed toward the milder or borderline end). *This does not mean that there aren't more severe cases here (I know there are) just that, I think, on average, ASDers here tend to be less impaired than ASDers in the general population.

I also agree that autism is a disorder and a disability rather than only a difference.

That's rather presumptuous of you. No one knows what goes on in other people's lives especially from a few scratchings they make on a website.

I will try to explain my point of view about Autism being a "difference" versus a "disability" as clearly as I can (at least at the moment). Myself I call it a "difference", and here is why:

I think that no matter where you are on the spectrum, from low functioning to high functioning, there is always issues, there is always some type of disability, more or less severe, depending on each person. But myself, despite these areas where I have issues that may sometimes be debilitating, I do prefer to see Autism as a difference, rather than a disability by itself and as a whole. In other words, I see only some of the issues associated with autism as "disabilities", not Autism itself, and not everything nor every trait associated with autism.

Also because I think society needs both, people who are more on the Autistic "side", and people who are more on the Neurotypical "side" (since we are all more or less on the spectrum, and no one is 100% autistic nor 100% NT, or at least I have never met someone who was 100% either). Also because I think that numerous creators, inventors, artists, scientists, computer programmers, etc, are more autistic than NT (I don't mean that there is no NTs who are all those things as well of course). So that's why for me it is a "difference" rather than a "disability" as a whole.

Just to give a simple example: some people have difficulty holding and using a hammer correctly, but are awsome artists (or anything else they can do, even just by writing messages here on WP they participate and often help others so much more than they might think), while others can hold and use a hammer correctly and are very good at construction work, but not necessarily very good at other things ... well my point is we need both.

Also no one is good at everything, whether they are autistic or neurotypical, and NTs also struggle with some things, just like there is some things you will struggle with as an Aspie (or autism in general).

Anyway, (somewhat) briefly, that's why I call it a "difference" rather than a "disability". I do respect your opinion as well tho.

P.S. one of my friends is a scientist, who works with other scientists, and he told me that the majority of them were more or less autistic/Aspies (diagnosed or not).

I completely agree and that's a valid assumption. Don't listen to the carebears trying to explain away your post.

And with autism the line needs to be drawn somewhere or the term becomes ambiguous and trivial especially for mild cases. I do not believe someone can be borderline autistic...it could be perhaps their personality matches closely with some autistic traits but as far as physical brain changes unique to autism (overgrowth of neurons in key areas of the brain that are also much smaller causing all sorts of sensory/communication issues). they have no such thing.

It's certainly not a wide spectrum that includes everyone...it's a developmental disorder and a disability with characteristic symptomatology.

This NT/AS thing is a irritating cultural label made by the community to encourage people to associate with the idea of "neurological difference"

Last edited by Dreycrux on 25 May 2014, 2:49 am, edited 6 times in total.

Yes.
I can not stand the "proud to be autistic" trend, as others mentioned. Don't hate them or anything, just don't agree... and truly think most of them don't have a diagnosis.

But hey, if you think it's cool to be depressed/autistic/whatever other disability... well, more power to you.

Myself, I'd be free of it all in a heartbeat, if possible.

I am a social cripple, I truly don't understand what motivates most other people and I truly don't understand "normal" everyday human existence. I've observed that I have a lot in common with those with autism, so that's why I chose to come here instead of a depression forum. That being said, I don't think autism is "trendy," if anything just the opposite. In my experience, those with autism are looked upon by "normal"
people as freaks and weirdos, easy targets for harassment and bullying. Why anyone would choose that treatment, just to be "trendy" is beyond me. I also give people the benefit of the doubt if they're undiagnosed but suspect they're autistic, because, as an adult, support is simply non-existent. I do not have the social skills needed to function independently and likely never will, not until I get help, help that simply isn't out there.

To be honest, I AM proud to be an Aspie. Not because of the difficulties it brings me every day but because of the gifts it's brought me. I have the ability to retain vast amounts of knowledge. I can learn something just by listening, reading or watching someone do it, unlike NT people who are usually one of the three. My overthinking interovertedness and strong sense of impartial justice has led many of my friends to turn to me to help logically deduce things or fairly close an argument. And my awkwardness has helped me figure out who my true friends are vs my fake friends (who's gonna stand by your side when you're spouting off embarrassing things you don't mean to say but your true friends?). To me, it's about what you choose to focus on. Yeah, if you look at the negative traits it brings you, you won't be proud of yourself. But if you look at it in a different light. an optimistic way, you'll see that ASD has it's share of blessings too and IS something to be proud of.

And as far as disability/difference goes, the way I look at it is "disabled" means you CAN'T do something. Someone who lost their legs is disabled, cause they can't walk. Someone who is blind in one eye is disabled cause they can't use it. With ASD, you can still do everything an NT can do, though you'll face obstacles along the way. But you can still do it (though I really don't care if you call me disabled or different, those are just my views).

Back on track, I self diagnosed myself a couple years ago and I was right. OP, don't let other people influence your decision to get diagnosed because ultimately it's about helping yourself. It will help you understand yourself better when you finally know whether or not you have it and you can start to make adjustments later if you choose to do so. And in my experience, the doctor wasn't a "check here" kinda guy but rather interviewed me for possible signs and wrote down my answers to interpret later. And from what I've read, any psych worth their salt will do the same.

And no, I don't think Aspergers is trendy. Like the previous posters mentioned, it's kind of a stigma and not socially accepted quite yet.

people who are proud to be aspie or autistic usualy just have a stronger connection to their autistic identity,in own view the majority dont use it as a tool to look 'special', they may have felt they never belonged in this world their whole lives until they got given their label.

will never understand the concept of conditions being 'cool' or 'trendy',without actual proof of people stating they think this way-am not a believer of it.
of course some conditions have more awareness than others and some are overdiagnosed in specific age groups like ADHD,and some have more exposure in the celebrity world like bipolar but it doesnt make it trendy,it just means people who feel they dont fit in-want to fit in somewhere rather than feel disconnected to the entire world.