Is Autism/Asperger a defect?

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I sure think so, it disorder with all kinds of problems, social problems, sensory issues, and other things. I know many aspies seem to think it is just a difference, but to me that is denial of the truth.

It's a disability, yes. But I would like to challenge what we mean by "disability". When I say that word, I mean that there are skills we don't have that are expected of the average person in our society. That's a plain, simple fact--and it does not need to carry any other ideas along with it.

People with disabilities can be talented. They can live happy lives. They can help others. They can be successful at work and at school. They are not tragedies and they are not "heroic" for just living their lives. They have problems that range from annoying to overwhelming--but so do non-disabled people, and the problems that disabled people have don't have to be put in some special, scary category all by themselves. Disabled people have friends and romantic relationships. They have and raise children. They find ways to do things that non-disabled people do, sometimes by hiring help, sometimes by doing things in a different way.

Autism is a disability. But a disability is just another form of difference. It's not something that should be associated with fear or pity. Disability is a normal part of human life. If you don't count women, disabled people are the single largest minority in the US, and probably in most other places as well. We're as human as anyone else--in fact, being disabled is just one possible part of the experience of being human, just like being female or being from China or being born in 1956.

Rather than lying and saying I am not disabled, I would prefer to try to clarify exactly what disability is and isn't.

Pluses and minuses. I can remember facts very well, thus allowing me to get straight a's without studying. I can remember sounds and other things better than most people, this is more helpful than people with average memory would think. Socially, I've been referred to as "creepy", "strange", "obsessive", "weird", and "awkward". So it is a disability on some fronts, and something desirable from another perspective.

Not remotely. It's an enhancement. We notice every sound around us. We can talk with animals and imitate them well. We can hear bats for goodness's sake. In previous times, we were the expert hunters and scouts. The only negative aspects we experience in modern society are constructed of modern society itself. I, for one, don't need people to like me per se. I've figured out most of their games so I can hold a job, but it's all artifice. When the powers fall, they will look to US for our explicit detailed fact storage and tenacious honesty. Better thank your lucky stars you're one of us!

Perhaps the minor disadvantages do not leave us crying - because we either don't care AT ALL about what people think about us, or maybe because we truly aren't as negatively affected as others. Yeah, I was teased as a kid. I was a total nerd and straight arrow, a tattle-tale and a loner. That was just how my callouses were built up. As an adult, I'm happy alone, nerdy, honest, etc.

I doubt it is only 2 overall. It would probably be more if we weren't taught from a young age to be ashamed and try to erase our differences. My point still stands, just because an individual sees it as a disability (whatever the reasons are that is isn't for someone else) does not allow that person to claim it is so for everyone.

it's a double-sided medal; several things about aspergers i also see as an enhancement, but other aspects are clearly a disability.

actually, the other day i had a guest speaker in class that was talking about 'new' training methods and medication to make workers and soldiers function more 'efficiently'.
while describing the effects to the class, i could not help but to stop remarking "aspie, aspie, aspie". effectively, the speaker wanted to drug soldiers into becoming aspies...

What people sometimes forget when approaching this question is that autism/aspergers can vary hugely in presentation and severity. Really, the only good answer is 'in some cases'.

I see it as a disability and a gift. Having a disability is nothing to be ashamed of, because disability is natural. I see it as a gift, because I have a bunch of little quirks that I find to be adorable. I also have a cute cat face and I know not to hurt people because I've been hurt by many people, even my parents and I know how it feels to be hurt by people both physically and emotionally.

I feel it's just a condition to me. It doesn't make me unable to do certain things, but it doesn't make me different either. It just makes me feel more anxious than the average person, and makes me very shy, timid and nervous with people. I think I have become very obsessive aswell.

Just to be clear when I say it is a defect that doesn't mean it can't have positive aspects, because maybe for some it does have positive aspects, but it also has negative aspects for them too.