Why do so many posts only mention aspies/Asperger's?

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So many of the posts are only directed to "aspies" or mention only Asperger's as a diagnosis, and yet talk about autism things that are not specific to Asperger's....I wonder why.

Maybe people assume everyone on here is an aspie?

Maybe people only want to hear from those who share their diagnosis?

Maybe it's that people diagnosed with Asperger's don't realize that people with PDD-NOS and Autistic Disorder (aka Atypical Autism and Childhood Autism) might have some of the same experiences they do?

Maybe it's just some kind of language-thing or habit?

Maybe it's like how heterosexuals tend to talk about love and relationships and sex as though everybody is heterosexual (heterosexuals being the majority in society, and aspies being the majority on this site as far as I know)?

If you mention only aspies and Asperger's in your posts, feel free to pick a poll choice based on yourself only -- you don't have to guess about why others might do so unless you want to.

I see it as an inclusive phrase. The terminology may not be exact, but the experiences are similar.

Because it's part of their identity. We all see things through the lens of who we are and from where we stand.
That's what humans do, especially so on a special focus website like this.

My purpose in joining WrongPlanet was not so much to be social as it was to gain understanding about the diagnosis that I've received. So I'm here for mostly self-centered Aspie purposes; I have other forums where I go to be inclusive of others.*





*Not entirely serious

I see it all as autism...but I still sometimes use the term aspie or aspergers syndrome, like in threads specifically discussing that. I suppose sometimes it could be more of a habitual thing but I never would use those terms to try and exclude people with autism who aren't specifically diagnosed as having aspergers.

I dont even understand the question.

Is your question "why the autism spectrum as opposed to non autism spectrum diagnosies?"

Or is your question "why just one part of the autism spectrum (aspies) as opposed to other parts (auties)?"

It is a site for people on the autism spectrum (though they do invite folks with other dx's as an afterthought). So thats why everyone talks about the autism spectrum here. But there is a subforum for the rest (tourettes, dyslexia, psychosis, etc) you can go to if you need to.

Folks speak from their own experience. Since aspies are probably both the biggest group, and the biggest subset of autism spectrumites its logical that they would make the most posts about their own situation in life. Why would folks talk about conditions they dont have? They dont have need to learn about what they dont have, and they dont have any way of informing others about conditions they dont have and dont know about either.

I use the term AS or Aspergers or aspie etc. when referencing myself in particular because I "officially" have Aspergers Syndrome and I guess I kinda want to avoid all the recent politics and such about the "differences" between autism and AS and that they are not the same thing etc. etc. Especially because of all the recent controversy(I'm not sure if controversy's quite the right word to describe it...) surrounding the recent changes with the DSM V.

PERSONALLY I actually prefer to use the term "autism" when describing myself, and I identify more as being autistic than as being an aspie. I think the reason that I feel more like an autistic that an aspie might have to do with the fact that I diagnosed myself with autism(though I didn't know what type) several years before i finally got a diagnosis of Aspergers, so for many years I knew I had "autism."

I'm going to be brave now and say that I am actually glad with some of the change with the DSM V because I can finally say truthfully that "I am autistic."

(I'm not sure if my ramblings are actually are intelligible. My brain is in the end of semester slumps!)

I use it because it's what describes me. And when I write a post I write it from my own personal identity and perspective. But there are many times when I say those on the Spectum or Spectrumites when I want to specifically say that I am talking about everyone on the Spectrum. But it might be more of just a habit in speech thing.