It seems to me that there are too many Aspies out there who separate themselves from Auties. They think, "I'm not autistic, I have Aspergers." Maybe they even think that they are better than autistic people. I'm not presuming that all aspies who say things similar to the comment above think this, but that's what it says to me. FTR, I have AS, not Kanner's autism, but I refer to myself as autistic because Asperger's is a form of autism. Until further research confirms that Asperger's is not on the autism spectrum, that is how I will refer to myself. I realize not all Aspies are comfortable with referring to themselves as autistic, mostly because of the stigma, and that's fine. I understand that. The "I'm an Aspie so I am better than that autie over there" mentality is much too pervasive. Why can't we all just be autistics, the aspies and auties, and others on the spectrum? We're all on the same spectrum. I don't see how one classification is inherently better than the other because one might have less stims, a better ability to blend into society, and little to no verbal delay. One person isn't better than another just because he can talk. I personally couldn't picture how it would be to be non-verbal because I can talk, and I'm sure it would be quite inconvenient for me because that's my main form of expression in the outside world, but if someone else can communicate in a way that doesn't require spoken word, how does that make me better than that person? I just don't understand the mentality, that's all. I know I'm probably going to get yelled at for posting this thread, but I don't care. I want to bring this out into the open because it bothers me to see it.