Published on 12, July, 2020
https://www.autism.org.uk/about/adult-life/resources/asperger-united/new-name.aspx
If the folk at the NAS are so easily swayed by some whiny emoting from a tiny minority of folk that seek to deny history, I don't know that I can be bothered to read the thing any more.
There was nothing wrong with the old name. It matched my diagnosis.
To avoid a load of pointless arguing, no, I really don't care what Asperger did, or whether he ate peeled, salted babies for his breakfast.
On a balance scale between logic and fact, versus the emotional burden of the entire human race throughout history, logic and facts must tip the scales every single time, or humanity is lost.
Yes, some people won't like it. So what?
"I can deal with my condition being named after a guy who has been disgraced, if it doesn't have any adverse effects on the Autistic community." Completely agree with this. As has been said by others before me, I care what Asperger did. But I am most concerned about how anything like a terminology change affects neurodiverse people in the here and now.
On balance, I believe the outcome would be negative; there is already so much bureaucracy involved in getting support, and we have already had to fight so hard to get NTs to recognise what the kind of autism that is easily generalised (for those who don't have the inclination to do deep research, which is most of them- I have mentioned in other places the electricity-like tendency of humans to choose paths of low resistance) as "Asperger's syndrome" means for us and how it influences our behaviour and thought processes. We are still fighting, but we have that aforementioned momentum and awareness is increasing.Altering terminology would throw a massive proverbial spanner in the works in both cases. I for one place more value on what happens to people now; what we can change, than trying in vain to right the unrightable wrongs of the past in abstract fashion. We can't help the victims of then (by erasing the names of perpetrators or by any other means. They are dead and gone). We can help autistic people now (by continuing to raise awareness and attempting to make accessing support as easy as possible). That takes priority.
Emma said:"I can deal with my condition being named after a guy who has been disgraced, if it doesn't have any adverse effects on the Autistic community." Completely agree with this.
Thank you. It's all about now. I had a conversation with my mother, my aunt, and two of my cousins today. I also spoke to my second cousin in New York about it too, she sent me a link that I will post in another part of this thread just for practicality. All of them were more concerned with the practical implications also. My cousin in the US was also worried with the stigma this debate seems to be opening.
Emma said:We can't help the victims of then (by erasing the names of perpetrators or by any other means. They are dead and gone). We can help autistic people now (by continuing to raise awareness and attempting to make accessing support as easy as possible).
I've expressed this too but people don't seem as receptive to my opinion. I guess I rub some people up the wrong way. Oh well.
The NAS and Autistic research communtity can devote time and resources to this debate but......
There are children right now going through ABA. Which is something that in my opinion is like something from one of Mengele's fever dreams.
In less developed countries Autism awareness is so low that it is believed Autistic children are cursed, possessed and sometimes chained up.
People with Autism have been actively encouraged in countries such as Belgium to partake in euthanasia, rather than giving them support that might give them a less suicidal mindframe.
These are just a few examples. I think you and I are reading from the same page. Momentum needs to be kept and redefining everything constantly regardless of whether it is Asperger's past or on the whim of the AMA just confuses the layman, even an alarming amount of so called professionals.