Changing the term (ASD) to Autism Spectrum Difference

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Disorder works:

Disordered social development, disordered cognitive development, disordered sensory system, disordered motor ability, disordered communication development, disordered adaptive functioning compared to one's peers, disordered whatever, etcetera.

If you aren't too disabled and you skirt the border between AS/PDD-NOS and "normal", lucky you. I ain't sticking my head in the sand; people with run-of-the-mill AS and worst do have a disorder, and the sooner they know that the sooner they can help themselves in regards to focusing on their strengths rather than trying to be what they aren't and failing time after time.

Well I don't.

I don't engage in disorderly behaviour: I'm a human being.
Having a different brain doesn't always mean having a "bad" brain.

It's probably one of the reasons why I'm frightened to ask for help because I'm afraid that I'll be treated as "broken" like I was in the past. This is why I've chosen to struggle alone and not seek formal assistance, even if my struggling alone with little understanding from others, has been to my detriment.

Even though I have extreme weaknesses with social situations I would much rather if was called a "difference" or a "condition" anything that would stop people ganging up against me with condescending negativity that I don't need.

I've never felt that there was anything "wrong" with me in-spite of what some professionals have said, neither have my friends and family. Any negative labeling of any kind has just been counter-productive and made me feel depressed or deficient in some way. This is nonsense, bar the social issues, there are lots of things that I can do. I just don't fit a nice neat little box, that's all.

I just find it incredibly sad and disconcerting that such a disparaging term such as "disordered" is required to get any disability benefits.

I also find that the criteria don't tell the whole story, are too vague, too broad and can be misleading to others.
If anyone ever asks, I'll say it's a difference and not a disorder.

That's been my experience anyway.
Perhaps the term is more helpful to others than it has been for me.

I don't see any mention of "bad" in the definition of "disorder." Methinks you're adding the negative connotation yourself. The definition seems to indicate a "difference from order" or inability of the observer to determine order. This seems logical since the causes of ASD have not been determined.

homosexuals were able to remove their condition from a 'mental disorder' though

(well that was part of the reason)

Chicken McNuggets or Chicken Tenders?

Purse or Pocketbook?

Bathroom or Watercloset?

Shopping Cart or Shopping Trolley?




Take your pick. Let the pedantry begin.

OK, fair enough.

Who here doesn't have sensory integration disorder? Then why the insistence "I'm not disordered"? Sensory problems certainly are a disorder.

I hate the term "condition." It's probably the worst euphemism I've heard for various psychological diagnoses.

Eventually you'll encounter the condescending negativity associated with the the word "difference." That's owing to two things: human nature and the nature of language.

I think referring to it as a "difference" is just stupid, and haven't promoted that.

After having many years of being called "broken" myself, I completely agree with this sentiment. I am just me. Apparently some people aren't comfortable with this notion.

Like it or not, lay-people are going to attach negative value judgments to the word "disorder".

This negativity is one of the main reasons why I desperately wanted to ditch my dx in the first place. I wanted to be treated like a human being, not a list of negative criteria.

No matter what a rose is called, it's still a rose.

And no matter what we are, we Aspies are still different from the other NTs and hence some nasty NTs can call us in any name they deem fit. So it doesn't really matter to me.

My sentiments exactly.