Why would someone pretend to have aspergers?

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Attention? To make fun of it? for sympathy?

I can never comprehend this. You cannot benefit from having a diagnosis of "aspergers" unless you are really out there. I would not be able to benefit from it at all, and neither will most aspies. Besides the peace of mind you may receive for actually knowing what is wrong with you.

I don't understand it for sympathy either. If I were trying to gain sympathy for something, I would choose cancer, or the like. not aspergers, which is a disorder, but not one that prevents one from living the life they desire.

Then I hear of people who say they have it for money. as if they will get disability if they had it... NOT! At least not in america.

I just don't understand why people would pretend to be this way...

as someone who currently is somewhat hopeful but questions...

My reason for wanting to be AS, is because it feels so close to home... I am somewhere on the spectrum sure... at the very least I share behaviors... but there isn't a definition for someone who just shares behaviors and some life experiences but seems to be operating comfortably (for now) in society...

If I were to stop questioning things and just say I am 100% self diagnosed as Aspergers I would feel that there are many other people who deal with all these issues that I deal with and that it made me less strange... Of course, since it's one of my current obsessions and I am a skeptic before defining my identity and I happen to be in a situation where I seem to fit in, I am not willing to do that

So my answer, based on a bit of sympathy for why someone might... is perhaps they are less affected by the spectrum and are desperate to belong to the definition of "why"?

I hope those who pretend at least have that sort of motivation... I would hate to imagine that it is for pity or to take advantage of the system... :\

How does someone even fake a disorder like Asperger's?

Thank you iceveela.

It felt really odd for me, at 45 years old, to say to my parents, I think I am on the Autism spectrum.
The last thing I want from my family is pity - actually, not even last, I don't want any pity at all.

Oh, if only I was faking it.... I could have shaken this depression a lot faster.

*sigh*

Is it really happening or are other people just saying that it happens? Maybe people are just imagining it.

The story about "for the money" makes little sense and sounds like something that people who think that the disability-beneft system is generous and easy and that lots of people are scamming it would make up because they don't actually know how it works.

bad joke alert... please brace yourself... this is the first time I've told one of my bad jokes

[cheezy=voice]I fake it for the Ladies[/cheezy]

I think maybe, it's not so much that it can be "faked", as it is that AS is not always obviously apparent (especially if the AS person learned to control their stims and can fake some eye contact). I guess AS is one of those things that someone could "say they have", even if they don't.

Somebody on a Second Life related forum recently claimed that people use AS as a convenient excuse for rudeness and trolling, similar to people who claim dyslexia to excuse their sloppiness. I found the implication that aspies are inconsiderate trolls quite insulting. This board is a lot more civil and polite than any other internet forum I've visited, and I don't think of myself as rude either. But perhaps there really are some people who excuse deliberate antisocial behavior by claiming to be autistic.

There are. I knew a narcissist that claimed he had autism. He knew perfectly well how to read & manipulate people, though.

The comfort here is great, the only time I ever felt anything less than comfortable here was when I first joined and it was mainly because I was sort of nervous so I projected tense feelings on the things I read (common for me)

I like being here much less rude than other places.

Some people consider aspergers to be the trendy diagnoses.

Now people diagnose themselves because they are too lazy to be social.
This is very unfortunate for us people that really do have aspergers.

The answer is social laziness and sympathy.

The term BAP ("Broad Autism Phenotype") actually covers people who have some or all of the traits of Asperger's, but don't have a clinical level of impairment. You are certainly at least BAP with your test scores.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if you qualified for a diagnosis anyway. I have lower scores than you have on the various tests for AS, and I was diagnosed by a psychologist specialising in ASDs. Personally, I don't see any problem if you want to call yourself a self-diagnosed Aspie. You have the scores for it, and you know whether or not you have experienced significant difficulties during your life as a result of your Aspie-like traits. Given that autism is a spectrum, there is no specific "line in the sand" where people are Aspie on one side of it, and NT on the other. You have significantly Aspie traits - a diagnosis or a lack of diagnosis won't change that.

I get accused of this all the time by a jealous neighbour who is upset because I have the support and care of people which they do not have I constantly get accused of pretending or faking being Aspergers just because they are not able to see it or that I don't show the signs or react the way that someone with Aspergers should do when they do such things as delibrately starting a fire alarm or car alarm or beep a horn just to see whether I will have a autistic meltdown, abuse a neighbour or as they put have a spack to prove to them that I have Aspergers which is sick its wrong that people should constantly harass people who genuinely have Aspergers and that have to goto such lengths to try and make that persons life a living hell just because they don't like someone who is different or they just don't like the person. Its wrong that people should go out of their way to imitate or fake Aspergers to seek Attention or for whatever they wish to use to I quote fake being Aspergers, its an insult to us who do have Aspergers but to NTs out there who assume just because you cannot see the disability or that I quote that we are incapable of turning a computer on or even smile or ride a skateboard 208 doesn't mean we are faking Aspergers because you cannot see it and we act in some ways like NTs doesn't mean we are faking it, it is an insult its wrong and that is why I am going out and talking to the public more about Aspergers its the lack of education and understanding most people I know don't even know what Aspergers is and have never heard of it. With abit more education and awareness there would not be any of this misunderstanding and people insulting us for who we are, we are special, unique and have talents that NTs don't have I'm proud of who I am if people don't like who I am thats their problem not mine.

I wonder the same thing, its a crappy lifestyle, I don't see why anyone would want to pretend to have a disability.

I've never known anyone who pretends they have AS but I'm guessing they would do it for attention. A faking Aspie would use excuses like "I'm an Aspie, you should pity me" type stuff in order to get other people to do things for them. People who are diagnosed with AS don't often use it as a way to gain sympathy. It seems like most of try hide it or keep it secret from most people. Some people will do anything to fish for attention and sympathy.

Sometimes you can get away with certain things by faking a disability, or at least people think that.