This is strange to me.  Since people are generally more familiar with asperger's than  high functioning autism, on the fly I usually just say I  have Asperger's for simplicity's sake.  And it's been nothing but good things.  Before people thought I was antisocial or stupid, and now they just assume I am different in some way they don't quite understand-- so they ask, or are just extra nice to me to help me.

Maybe since it's a highly liberal  college campus they are more accepting.  I live in one of the most racially segregated states in the union,  but maybe about this kind of stuff they're better.

You can't have it both ways. You can't complain that Aspies are being elitist and not respecting people who are HFA. While at the same time, using the label of Asperger's Syndrome when you are HFA.

I mean this in the sense that in a past thread you were arguing about how people with Asperger's Syndrome should accept the label change to Autism. How can you argue that, when you  yourself are avoiding the stigma associated with Autism by claiming to have Asperger's Syndrome?

just out of curiosity, what state do you live in?

"You can't have it both ways. You can't complain that Aspies are being elitist and not respecting people who are HFA. While at the same time, using the label of Asperger's Syndrome when you are HFA.

I mean this in the sense that in a past thread you were arguing about how people with Asperger's Syndrome should accept the label change to Autism. How can you argue that, when you  yourself are avoiding the stigma associated with Autism by claiming to have Asperger's Syndrome? "

I am not avoiding stigma, I am avoiding confusion-- particularly since I believe the two are the same thing.   When I have literally a half second to make my point I don't have time to use a word that I know won't make sense to someone, I would rather either use a word that will confuse them less OR a word that will prompt them to ask me to explain later.  The divisive attitudes between aspergers and HFA is part of the reason this confusion is even an issue-- the layperson thinks that since Aspergers is a kind of mild autism, if you have autism and you DON'T have aspergers you must be really messed up.

I am not saying people thought I was stupid or antisocial because they knew I had autism and made assumptions I was trying to avoid by saying, "oh, no, I have asperger's!" I mean that when they observed some of my more neurodiverse behaviors and I pick up on the fact that they have realized I am different, sometimes they need some word to define it so that their imaginations don't run wild and they think the worst of me.  That is all I am going to say on the matter, I know you are not going to be satisfied until you have the last word and this is not the place to argue about it.


davo:  I live in Michigan.  You'd think we'd be in good shape in terms of racial issues given that we don't have a strong history in slavery like some of the southern states-- hell, we were one of the gateways to the promised land (and we are a blue state!), but the three cities neighboring my town:  one is almost exclusively black (and dirt poor), one is almost exclusively white (and pretty wealthy), and one is almost exclusively arabic.  I live in a huge suburban township, and while I think there is only one non-white family that lives on my street, I went to school with 6000 other students and there were at least 5-10 unique people of other races in each class I took, if not more.  But overall we have reported some of the highest levels of school segregation for decades.  It's more of an economic thing than an overt racial tension issue-- it's not like people are getting lynched or like hate crimes are of particular prevalence, but obviously there is a reason that almost ALL the kids in the crap inner city schools with 40% graduation rates and no textbooks are black kids.  

I have run into some discrimination issues about disabilities in terms  of accommodations and general attitudes, but when it comes to dealing with my peers at work or school it has been fine with regards to my autism.  People usually don't "get it," but they are willing to let me explain.

I'll just have to hide my diagnosis then...
I guess I got to a point where I was wondering if any of my friends had it and meh.
It all got a bit out of hand.


I am not sure how to reverse some diagnosis that I was so absorbed in what I was doing, to the extent I forgot to eat and so on. Other funny things too, which I haven't mentioned to the psychiatrists because they just haven't asked.

I guess how do you reverse that? lol?

Anyway, I didn't realise that Tony Attwood was just north in Queensland. o_O. I was reading his book thinking he was from the states.

This post was last modified: 05-06-2010 09:29 AM by clandy.

Despite the fact that of confusion as to why you were in the psychiatrist's office in the first place...

Clandy, will this whole experience cause you to redefine yourself?  And will you define yourself by 'stigma' that it seems you perceive?  

Possibly, if you've got such friends who feel comfortable with you (regardless of the latest [new?] self-definition), then maybe they are responding to a "trend" rather than to AS.  They were your friends before your new dx, and given a chance to accept the newness of it maybe they will; (sorry if it disappoints if there's any desire for a "new you" but you are still the same person regardless of any "expert's" dx - that is, unless you decide to redefine/change.)

Good Luck with your friends!  

If I were you I'd get it revoked. It just gives people an excuse to pathologise your differences and claim that you should change or have "therapy" to fit around what they want from you.

Maybe you should try to get an appointment there and discuss your feelings about revoking that dx.

Fnord thinks he has AS, but he does NOT have a diagnosis, and is unwilling to get one because he is worried about the stigma that may be attached.

I don't understand your statement. Fnord uses "my diagnosis" which implies, in my eyes, that he's got it for himself.
Even if you have a dx, noone can force you to disclose it.

Eta: I've seen now that his profile states "Other".

This post was last modified: 05-09-2010 11:31 PM by Shnoing.

If it prevailed, I'd prefer it that the bigots be reincarnated as NTs again, but in a world where AS was the dominant population group.  

I have a story that was posted here originally, and later professionally picked up by an Australian pulp SF/F publisher, about just that premise: the last NT man in a future world where the culture was wholly AS.  He was one lonely little NT!

In case anybody wants to have a read of it, it's in the literature section, under the title: "Aspies, Auties and Long-leggedy Beasties."

Alison

This post was last modified: 05-09-2010 11:38 PM by Alison.

Fnord, this doesn't exactly add up though. Of course it is your right to disclose or not as suits yourself. But I think what ZodRau is getting at is that you are not disclosing the nature of your diagnosis on here. Just that you are diagnosed. I would have thought that a diagnosis would be by someone suitably qualified. Otherwise it would be a self-diagnosis.

And you do the rest of us a gross injustice, to say nothing of make unsupportable statements when you suggest that you would be called a spaz or whatever. Nobody here would use that terminology against you ... they'd get banned, and if they didn't I'd be starting a poll for just that very thing. So there should be no reason for you not to disclose on this forum. Instead you are using the structure of one argument to keep up the conclusion of another.

Which is it? Diagnosed or self diagnosed. I can't see any value in not telling us this. Plenty other people on here quite freely admit to their self diagnosed status and nobody thinks any the worse of them. In fact some of them are the most thought provoking and intelligent people I have ever met (virtually )

I just had a check of the title, and on this site it's listed under:  "Majority Rules".  

Alison (sheepish over her prediliction to give many different names to the same story... )

This post was last modified: 05-09-2010 11:49 PM by Alison.

I agree its nice to think about making them know what it is like to walk in our shoes by giving them an Aspie brain, but do you really want to bless them this much after they were so harsh to you I'm not that nice. I'd give them oozing warts and force them to watch Sarah Palin day and night. Just her voice... they'd repent in a week. Be better in the next life!

Well, the American Psychiatic Association doesn't get the stigma, fusing it into the autism category.  Besides, if we all change our course, this would not happen.  After all, might DEFINITELY makes right, and knowledge is power.