We are *NOT* autistic

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I read somewhere that difference between an aspie and an autie is aspies are of this world and auties are kind of in their own; however, we have the same traits and characteristics. That's not necessarily an opinion of mine but it helped me understand a little better where I am with it. Even though we're all on the spectrum, I do wish they had more support out there for those who have AS but not as severe as others.

"What is Asperger Syndrome?
Asperger Syndrome (AS) is generally considered to be a form of autism."

the rest can be found here..

http://www.grasp.org/lrn_def.htm

I hadn't heard of AS being connected with autism at all until I came here. None of the doctors ever told me that. They never told my mom that either. Well, either way, I was re-diagnosed with NVLD, so I guess my opinion doesn't really count too much.

everybody's opinion counts my son was originally diagnosed with NVLD a year ago. They just re-diagnosed him with Aspergers last week (all though I had known it all along). There are many similarities between the two...

I was originally diagnosed with AS back in 2003. But the only signs I show of it are the obsessions and the meltdowns. Otherwise, I can easily pass as a 'normal' person. I don't do any of the stims, I don't speak in monotone (not that everyone does or anything), and I'm very social and outgoing.

not everybody with AS is a textbook definition of it. my son has obsessions but is very social as well (although sometimes it can be on his terms). he has no social boundries, so he will talk to most anybody. he's just kinda akward when it comes to starting and maintaining conversations (they can be one-sided). he's not really monotone, but he does stim and have sensory issues when it comes to certain things.

I had some sensory issues when I was little, but I can't recall having any after age eight. As for conversations, I've never really had any problems with them. But like your son, I will talk to about anybody. I actually get a little bit annoyed if there are people talking to each other right next to me, but not to me.

Not to say necessarily everyone with NLD has AS and vice versa, but NLD traits, according to one psychologist I spoke with who has studied AS/HFA/NLD for the past 20 or so years, stated that NLD occurs in about 40% of those with AS.

So I always have some hesitation in professionals who undx someone with AS and give them the NLD label instead, when it may be more likely their AS is just a less typical presentation.

NLD traits definitely don't undo an AS dx.

Well, the obsessions, vocabulary, knowledge, and some social issues were all anyone would have noticed when I was younger. MOST social issues were just because I should have been taught harder material, and were things that someone with NVLD would have. The meltdowns were always subtle and somewhat hidden. Some other things were just avoided, or mitigated.

The SPD things were ALSO subtle. I can stand much colder temperatures, and don't like some hot temperatures, but can handle things like HOT water pretty well. Noise was ok unless it was LOUD, like an alarm, or hit certain frequencies. I called tech support just yesterday for a company and every couple minutes their music hit a note that caused me great pain. I felt like STRANGLING someone. It didn't even add to the music. For some reason, FIVE companies I have called in the past 6 months have added these kinds of sounds to the music the use on hold. Normally, I can go for DECADES without hearing cacophonies like that!

Nobody accused ME of being autistic. I was in a normal school all the time.

As for stims, I never considered them as such. As for monotone? That happens only sometimes, and it is more towards a lack of emotion.

If we ever met IRL, you would probably wonder why I am on a site like this.

Anyway, NVLD DOES have a number of autistic traits, and even wikipedia seems to have a hard time distinguishing between NVLD and AS.

I call myself an Asperger's autistic. Most autism advocates, whether with Kanner's or Aspergers, call ourselves autistics. As an adult aspie, I am grateful for my high level of functioning. As a child, I was a very low-functioning aspie. However, high- or low-functioning, I am still autistic.

If autism is only a small part of the autistic spectrum, and all the other conditions are NOT autism, then why is it named after it? It's like calling the spectrum of light 'spectrum of green'..

On the other hand, it's just words, used to describe the world in neat little distinct categories which in fact do not exist..

The severity differs. They're still very much related conditions.

Don't you dare go nominalist on us. I would have to push this little button to the right of my hallucination machine, which is something that you really really don't want me to do.

Words, IMO, are simply linguistic conveniences for organizing categories of attributes in different entities. For instance, if I observe a certain configuration of attributes in the bloods of many people, I can then, for purposes of classification, designate them according to types.

The spectrum of autisms (or autism spectrum), as the term is commonly used by researchers, includes Kanner's Autism, Asperger's Autism, and PDD-NOS. As long as that term continues to have a pragmatic value in describing variance, it will likely continue to be used (and many writers predict it will be incorporated into the DSM-V). If more attributes are discovered, which do not fit into this present-day construct, then the term will either be redefined or replaced with something else.

An interesting conundrum that's only confounding for people see what they want to see:

I'm "officially" diagnosed with autism and Asperger's; I received both within the same 6 months at the "old" age of 25. Is one a misdiagnosis, are both of them such; or are both correct?

They're both correct as people see what they want to see.

They are actually very close to be the same but there is a borderline between Autism and Asperger's Syndrome.

Thats whatI've been trying to explain. But people don't get that there is a line between the two.