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Bring Back Aspie

JT

So I really feel that the term Asperger's, although dropped for valid reasons, served a very real function within the community.

I of course understand why the grouping exists. But from a social stigma pov, I find it limiting to consider myself, who is fortunate to be a very adept and able high-functioning person, in the same category of autism as those who sadly are much less well functioning.

I'm sure it won't be popular to say it, but I feel I would certainly benefit from being considered an Aspie instead.

I'm interested to here why other people think about this?

Parents

  • The issue to my mind is services for aspies / high functioning autistic people look quite different to services for low functioning autistic people. It is useful to have a separate term because the services for each needs to be set up and run differently with an emphasis on different needs.

    As it is the one size fits all terminology hides the fact that people with 'Aspergers' type autism are not being well served and having their needs met. It also makes the services that are set up for them harder to find.

  • in reply to Peter

    Low functioning needs / issues: Issues with mental capacity and issues with independent living, accessing healthcare and welfare services.

    High functioning autism needs issues: Issues with social isolation, discrimination (especially in the workplace / education). exclusion from education / labour market unrelated to ability.

  • in reply to Peter
    Peter said:

    Low functioning needs / issues: Issues with mental capacity and issues with independent living, accessing healthcare and welfare services.

    High functioning autism needs issues: Issues with social isolation, discrimination (especially in the workplace / education). exclusion from education / labour market unrelated to ability.

     But I have "HFA" but my needs are also "low funtioning" needs. Where do I turn if those support services get split in half and people doing triage only read "HFA" on a decades out of date document? That's a problem, because I'm not the only one in that boat either.
    Because if my reality isn't that I'm always or mostly "High functioning" then having "HFA" is just a meaningless wild stab in the dark made by some shrink with a clipboard and outdated notions of what autism is back when it was thought that it was caused by vaccines.
    What would you propose to remedy that issue for those who would fall through the gaps?

  • in reply to BeckyThump

    I had actually thought of that before, and this is where overlaps may come back into it because we can't be the only ones with issues of isolation, and actually a lot of things that affect autists also affect people with ADHD, etc, hopefully You see where I am going with this and I won't need to make a full list. haha. So what if it wasn't only Autism specifc but opened it's doors to various kinds of neurodivergent folks? That would be okay by me, more people to get to know and hopefully find friends in. Anyway something for the next thread on it. Maybe we shuld copy paste a few points from this discussion to save us all typing things out quite so much if we need to refer back to this chat.

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  • in reply to BeckyThump

    I had actually thought of that before, and this is where overlaps may come back into it because we can't be the only ones with issues of isolation, and actually a lot of things that affect autists also affect people with ADHD, etc, hopefully You see where I am going with this and I won't need to make a full list. haha. So what if it wasn't only Autism specifc but opened it's doors to various kinds of neurodivergent folks? That would be okay by me, more people to get to know and hopefully find friends in. Anyway something for the next thread on it. Maybe we shuld copy paste a few points from this discussion to save us all typing things out quite so much if we need to refer back to this chat.

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