Aspies-- does it bother you to be called autistic?

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It bothers me a little because when most people think about autism, they think of an unaware child, lost in daydream, banging his head, not talking, making odd noises, not being able to be in school, needing intense, demeaning, simple and intelligence-insulting therapy, etc.

Doesn’t bother me. I can’t help what other people think of when they think of autism, so I just don’t let it get to me. If they try to use it as an insult instead of a state of fact, I just laugh because they probably don’t even know what it means.

No, it doesn't bother me.

I like being called autistic. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because my family has used it to defend me when people have treated me badly.

I find it's a little easier saying that than to say something like "I've got Asperger's syndrome which is pretty identical to high functioning autism".. I mean, the criteria for diagnosis are based on behaviour as a toddler, which may or may not predict functionality as an adult. Still, I wouldn't want to be associated with mentally ret*d people of course - it would be nice for identity purposes if science could break the autistic spectrum down into truly seperate entities and explain how they relate to one another, or perhaps find what other factors such as intelligence that can affect the outcome.

Naturally if I would exclaim I'm autistic, people would claim that I'm not though, since they expect autistic people to be mute and unable to take care of themselves. If science solved the autism spectrum riddle, it would be easier knowing how to describe your condition.

I work in a college research office and when we have people doing autistim research they leave the aspies out. Too high functioning. I still wonder if AS is in ASD. I wonder if ASD people are opposite brained like AS, or something completely different. Everyone here sure seems normal to me with the exception of reactions to other people. NTs just let rudeness and bullying roll of their back while AS tend to dwell. It must be the hyperfocusing on things NTs don’t care about while NTs hyperfocus on things AS don’t care about. Autism seems a world apart. I would love to do some sort of awareness campaign and recruit adults who suspect they have AS in for a diagnosis and brain scan. Compare to NTs and compare to Autism. I think because NTs are so unaware of AS that there is no understanding when someone is different but the same. Awareness would sure cut down on the rudeness and bullying, and would help at work. Imagine a world where you got to do what you are good at and not have to do the things you are not good at? Develop a product but not have to network and market the product. There is a place in this world for both, and it sure would be grim without all the AS minds out there!!

I don't like being labeled autistic. I've been told I'm not by my parents.

I don't know. I've never been called that.

No it does not bother me to be called autistic, it would only bother me to be called "autistic ret*d"

I wouldn't want to live at the extreme level of dependency faced by individuals with classic (Kanner's) autism, but the classification of Asperger's doesn't bother me.

It's a misconception that states those who're "classically autistic" are always mute and always melting.

We're more aloof, but that's not always a "bad" thing.

To be perfectly honest, I'm really not sure what it is that people think when they hear "autism" or "autistic". Many people are still unfamiliar with this condition in my experience. Of those who are familiar with it, opinions vary widely as to what exactly it means. Many people who are familiar with autism have on token example who they are particularly familiar with. Me for example; when I think of "autism", it is largely in terms of my own 10 year old LFA/MFA son. His language skills are "broken", he has sensory issues, and is subject to strange behaviors and sometimes meltdowns. He's physically perfectly normal, is apparently highly intelligent, and is very loving, particularly when it comes to hugs. I just briefly describe his particular point on what is really a multi-dimensional coordinate space. If I ran into someone else on the street, and he or she had a child that was "autistic", even "medium functioning autistic", I really would not have any clear idea about what this child might be like. 'Tis a wily condition.

That said, I do not accept "autistic" as anywhere near being pejorative. I have a whiteboard in my office at work, which has been intricately scrawled over by my son; all of this little things he sees, donuts, tie fighters, number, etc., etc., etc.; whatever pops into his mind. And at the top of this whiteboard I've written, "A Glimpse into the Mind of an Autistic". I've taken this whiteboard and placed it the hall outside of my office; people often stop and gawk at it in wonder, but I have no idea what they think; nobody has ever asked me about it except my teammates, and most of them have met my son more than once (particularly since he gets loose in my building sometimes if I take my eyes off of him for more than zero seconds ).

Now, getting all the way back to myself with probable AS... I'd have no trouble placing myself in the autism spectrum somewhere; I'm not really near where my son is, but I'm in the same state I think, so to speak. I really couldn't even do a good job differentiating between AS and so-called HFA; I know some draw a careful line, but sort of use them interchangeably, preferring AS over HFA simply because AS feels more distinct and defined, but that might just be my impression. If someone asked me if I was "autistic", I'd say "yes" without a moments hesitation, then go into the many varying gradients of the condition, and probably contrast myself with my son like I just did here.

My workplace has two special support e-mail lists in this area. One is for "Parents of Children with Autism"; the other is "Employees with an Autism Spectrum Disorder"; I am a member of both distribution lists. The former list tends to be more about autism than AS, but AS is often mentioned; the later list tends to be much more about AS.

Call me whatever you like, except for human.

Good fortune,

- Icarus is an autistic aspie...

No one has ever called me autistic.

why be offended.....

just do your part to raise the bar... set the example

I don't mind it.

i was called that when i was younger cos that is what they thought i was. now it does not worry me much.