Why I think aspergers should not be on the autism spectrum

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I am 15 years old and I have Asperger's Syndrome which has it advantages I can read and understand vocabulary up to a 12th grade and I am "gifted" in some ways I have some disadvantages as well though such Anxiety, Depression, and some bad social skills or just seeming awkward. But when I am out in the public and I say I have asperger's people seem to not have the slightest clue to what it is. They will often look at me for a second and say stuff like "Does that mean your ret*d?" or "do you wring or flap your hands?" It seems like people are not aware on what aspergers is and it is frustrating. As a person with aspergers I feel like I am stereotyped as stupid or "slow" and people tend to expect very little of me or just choose not to socialize with me. I also hate how aspergers is referred to as "High Funtioning Autism" now because most of people my age I am around picture autism as drooling and not being able to speak ( that is only low funtioning autism) and since the label includes the word "Autism" it seems like people assume that I am like that or close to being like that when that is not true. I really wish today's youth would be able to accurately tell the difference between autism and aspergers and it makes me angry when people can't.

Just stop telling people you have Asperger's.

I just think today's youth teenagers, kids, and everyone should be aware of the difference between the two conditions and not assume that people with asperger's are "ret*ds"

before trying to make a point about being the victim of other peoples ignorance it helps not to be just as ignorant and stereotypical as them about other people on the spectrum,those of us who are low functioning autistic are not droolers nor does it mean we automaticaly cannot speak at all,communication is only one part of autistic functioning.
we arent 'ret*d' either,we usualy have some level of intelectual disability though.

drooling is never caused by low functioning autism,but it can be caused by comorbid PMLD or over medication.

I understand your frustration. The ignorance is immense.

However, we are part of the spectrum - that's our reality; that's who we are. We can't distort ourselves because of the ignorant who make stigmatising comments.

One strategy you could perhaps use is linking Aspergers to someone they know of and don't negatively stereotype -- it could be Steve Jobs, for example - keep it brief and low key unless they are genuinely interested.

Be wary though of explaining it in a way that reinforces the disability stereotype; might be better to say that it gives you a different way of looking at things and experiencing things, that you process sound (or whatever) differently. In a nutshell, bring it down to their level, start where they are at, and educate them in tiny pieces if they are receptive. Most won't be, especially given the age group you are amongst.

Welcome to WP.

There is no difference between Asperger Syndrome and Autism. There never was any difference, even in the diagnostic criteria, except for a speech delay in early childhood, and that was such a minor distinction that Asperger Syndrome is falling out of use as a diagnosis anymore, because it's just another word for High Functioning Autism.

Every type of ASD on the spectrum is rooted in one essential issue: Sensory Hypersensitivity. I notice a lot of Aspies like to think of their disorder as being exclusively social, but it isn't. All those social impairments are the direct result of having a brain that is so busy juggling the flood of incoming sensory data, that it can't sort all that out and still keep up with nonverbal social signals as well. Latest research is proving that the Autistic Brain (including Aspies and HFAs) has more neural sensory receptors than an NT brain does. Your condition is essentially no different than that of someone with Classic Autism, except that you have more sophisticated coping mechanisms for dealing with it. You look more composed on the outside, but what's happening in your brain is exactly the same.

I am all too aware of just how ignorant the general public is on autism - before my diagnosis, I was almost as clueless myself - I sorta had an idea what it was, but nothing specific, because I just hadn't given it much thought (though the first time I saw autistic children on TV, I knew immediately what they were experiencing, because I had been stimming all my life).

Honestly, i don't know why you would WANT to tell people about your condition, not because it's something shameful, it certainly isn't - but because A) Few people know what it is, and B) Those who DO have some idea, tend to make all sorts of negative assumptions about you, based on stereotypes they've picked up in the media.

In the US, the News Media continually pronounces it "Ass Burgers Syndrome" and associates it with violent psychopaths, so telling people is a very risky thing to do socially.

I was gonna say, go read some posts by by the low functioning members here before you decide what low functioning means.

I never said that is what I think it seems like that's what other people my age think

People being ignorant of what Asperger's is is not a reason for it to not be part of the Spectrum. Asperger's is what it is by definition regardless of what uneducated people might think. I always use the opportunity to educate people about Autism and Asperger's. That seems like the better option to me. I can't tell you how to think about the Spectrum. Your opinions are your own and you are entitled to them. But Personally, I think that it is very disrespectful to our low functioning Spectrumites to not want to be associated as being on the same Spectrum as they are. So what if some of them drool or have difficulty moving around. And like Kingdomof rats said, that is not because of the Autism. Some of the people on the lower functioning end of the Spectrum are much more intelligent, eloquent and capable of many things than I am. Just because I am high functioning does not make be better than they are and I am honored to share a place on the Spectrum with them. Our Kingomofrats, for instance has LFA and she is one of my favorite posters here. I have learned so much from her and the work that she does in the Autistic community is amazing. It is more than I could ever do. It kind of makes me sad that you would not see how wonderful these people are and that you would not wish to be associated with them. But like I said, you are entitled to feel how you feel and I can respect that.

And I know you said that this is how your peers think but your original post makes it sound like you feel like that too. Perhaps you are not aware that you are coming across like that.

Maybe the best thing would be not to tell people until they know you better. Because then they'd realize that people with asperger's really isn't that "ret*d", and they wouldn't choose to not to get to know you. (since they already do)

And I don't agree that you shouldn't tell them. Actually, the more knows the better, because then you can "educate" people what asperger's really is about. I mean, that they'd see that people with asperger's really are among them and that in reality they are much less "ret*d" than thay've been thinking they are, just by knowing you.

The problem here is that people are making the mistake in thinking autism automatically means you're stupid.

Just ignore people. Think of them as the ignorant ones, because they are.

You know who you are, so what should it matter what anyone says or thinks about you?

Kids, youths and adults are all so ignorant in so many ways. I wouldn't waste time on getting them all to change. I do autism adovacy and you reach a few people but there will always remain ignorant people who refuse to listen.

I disagree that naming aspergers as part of the spectrum somehow leads to ignorant people thinking people with asperger are "ret*ds."

I also disagree that the problem is that people are making the mistake of thinking autism automatically means you're stupid.

People don't think or know that much.

"ret*d" is a nearly generic term of abuse, much like "fag" and while it has a specific meaning, the sense that it is generally used in means something more like "you are different and therefore vulnerable, so let make take this opportunity to abuse you and call your attention to the fact that I am abusing you, because then we all understand the power game, loser."

The real problem is that a significant number of people are typically @$$holes.

What you wrote sounds like it could be people who feel like making fun of you, Heisenburg. And if that's what they are doing, that isn't about your diagnosis. It's about who they are.

Anyway, I wasn't there, I'm not saying they were making fun of you. I just think asking that sort of thing is not very nice, and if they want a real answer, they should just ask.

Try not to internalize people's negative attitudes about people with ASD. You have it doesn't make you or anyone else less of a person. It's easy to feel like it does when being treated like you don't matter, barely exist.

But I think what we have in common here is we are all angry when we are treated like we don't matter and aren't real.

I don't think that applies in this situation. If the people the OP spoke to are asking about hand-flapping along with questions about being "ret*d," they are most likely thinking about intellectual disability rather than "ret*d" as a generic insult.

I think the line gets blurred sometimes. I read ignorant comments with people calling people actually with intellectual disability "ret*d" as an insult many times before.

Heisenburg, I just reread your original post and I can sense how frustrated you are. Like others have said, I really think your best approach when people talk to you the way they do is simply to educate them. Explain to them that the Autism Spectrum is indeed a Spectrum and a very large one and that some of the greatest talents the world has even known were Aspies. I would tell people that yes, there are some who are very low functioning and who have very low IQ's and who might drool from medications as well but there are those who are so high functioning that you would have to really get to know them well to know that they are on the Spectrum at all. And there are some with IQs so high that you can't even relate to them. You can very briefly explain to them what Willard said and that there are certain criteria that if met, put you on the Spectrum whether you are high functioning or low. This is what I tell people and they are very glad to learn about it. Hopefully this will help you.