Is it possible to be half aspie?

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my late father told me that a lot of my predecessors were "crazy."

That would have been interesting!

My family is verry merry berry BAP, such that most autistic traits are regarded as normal and neurotypical traits are regarded as weird.

an example he gave, was how when they were all in a restaurant one time, his cousins were sitting at a table and suddenly one jumped up and slapped one of the others so hard that he was knocked of his chair onto the floor, and when this happened the others laughed uproariously. so the slappee eventually got up off the floor and back into his chair, and bided his time, and when the other wasn't looking slapped the slapper so hard that HE was knocked out of his chair, and once more uproariously laughter filled the place. after a few more slap rounds, they were thrown out of the place.

Well the general consensus of abnormal psychology seems to be that most (perhaps all) disorders involve a combination of nature and nurture. So while someone may inherit the genetic tendency to develop a disorder, environment also tends play in a role in the actual development of the disorder. With so much variation in the autism spectrum, it definitely seems like this is the case.

Sure, some people have autistic traits, but if the person is Aspergers, it's not exactly uncommon to be diagnosed after their child is diagnosed. So it may not be BAP at all.

Abnormal is a very loaded word when you apply it to people on the spectrum. I really don't think it is helpful in any way.

Well I'm not sure what else you can call the area of study without implying abnormality. By definition, autism is abnormal, like it or not. It's listed in the DSM for a reason, just like all other disorders of psychopathology.

And there's more than one "spectrum" anyway. Every disorder - and physical diseases as well - has a spectrum because no two patients are exactly alike. There is an OCD spectrum, schizophrenia spectrum, bipolar spectrum, etc... I'm not sure why people seem to think (or imply that) autism is the only disorder where people present variations in symptoms and is on a spectrum. (That's not aimed just at you. A lot of people on here seem to think that.)

Perhaps consider using atypical as an alternative? Clinical language has to be applied in clinical settings and the exams you may be studying for, but is rarely necessary on a support site to make the same points you want to make.

There is some interesting literature, if you are interested, on stigma, labelling theory and the inter-relationship - studies that are part of the broad field of social science.

I like "atypical"

Aytpical is actually a synonym of abnormal (so PDD-NOS, which used to be "atypical autism" could also be called "abnormal autism"). It's not called "atypical psychology" though, so you can't exactly get upset if someone refers to something's actual name. I've personally never liked the term "normal" used colloquially, but it's completely different when being used in a diagnostic setting - you're dealing with two completely different definitions of "abnormal."

Yeah, if you could link me to that, I'd love to read it.

You could start with Wikipedia re labelling theory et al.

Gays used to be labelled "abnormal" by the clinical world. Try that now, and you risk a punch in the face...

A lot of people feel very down at this time of the year, so if you can be sensitive to how they might feel about being described as abnormal, on top of everything else, I would appreciate it a lot. People don't need semantics, they need respect as people.

Will do.

Yes, I'm aware. I know that you do not like the DSM and partly because of its previous inclusion of homosexuality. But that was the past - we're talking about the present. Yet again, now the clinical definition of abnormal differs from what our cultures teach us is abnormal. It is more than just doing something that isn't typically done. (I suppose it depends on where you live too. Here in the U.S., being gay is actually still considered abnormal by most people.)

I agree people don't need semantics, but you're the one that brought it up in the first place. If you had of mentioned originally - because you were a little vague - that some people on here are upset at this time of the year (how am I supposed to know that if I'm not told first? I may have joined years ago, but if you look at my posts, this is the first time I've ever been active), and that that would be one reason for not using the word abnormal, then it would've been a completely different story. (Because obviously, I'm not trying to offend someone if I'm merely referencing a branch of psychology. I personally still don't see how that is offensive though. If you think that autism being label as abnormal means you're abnormal, then you're misunderstanding the clinical definition of abnormality. You are who you are. Who cares if you're "normal"? Just be yourself.) But even so, atypical does mean the same thing as abnormal. So if a person prefers "atypical" and disagrees with "abnormal", then they should at least be aware that they mean the same thing. If they're not corrected on here, someone - perhaps an NT - may end up correcting them (and rather rudely at that) in real life. And I don't think anyone wants that, because I know I've had similar experiences with NTs (feeling as though I was attacked) and it's not a fun thing to experience.

Good for you.

I dislike the DSM for a number of reasons, a discussion for another time. Hope your Christmas rocks.

@Jezebel,

I think this would be of interest given your current course of studies and interests.

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2 ... id=2&uid=4

You can pay to download it or sign up to read it online for free. A search using Google scholar will also bring up a lot of different views on the subject if you are interested. It's also a great resource for reading what the current definitions and fields of interest/study are in B.A.P.

You can pm me if you have questions. I don't mind "clinical" speak and prefer it.

It's definitely not perfect, I'll agree with you on that. Merry Christmas to you as well.


Cool thanks, I'll definitely PM you - sadly, the link is cut off.

Link 2.0

Hopefully that will work.