• Replies 53 replies
  • Subscribers 25 subscribers
  • Views 13120 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Asperger Syndrome should the label stay?

David

My family and I refused to believe that I was Autistic until we were told in family therapy in 1990 that I had Asperger Syndrome.

 

In 1966 aged nine a Psychiatrist wanted to send me to a special school for Autistic children.

She looked up Autism in the dictionary and it said that Autistic children cannot speak.

By the age of nine I could speak fluently so she thought I could not possible be Autistic so I went to main stream schools.

In 1976 a Psychiatrist who visited us said that I was mildly Autistic.

We did not believe him either and his successor also said that I was not Autistic.

 

In 1990 my Father asked in family therapy when I was not in the room if I had been more strictly brought up whether I would have turned out better.

The family therapist said that the way I am has nothing to do with up bringing but because I have Asperger Syndrome.

After that we could believe that I have Asperger Syndrome and my Father stopped blaming my Mother for how I am.

As a matter of fact the only thing on my records is the Psychiatrist in 1976 who said that I was mildly Autistic

The question must be asked is how are we going to describe people who are not really Autistic at all.

We could describe Asperger people as just having Autistic traits.

The difference between an Asperger person and a so calle.d NT person can be very slight and the difference between an Asperger person and an Autistic person is often great.

We should not lump Asperger people with Autistic people.

The NAS leaflets would have to be changed if the Asperger label disappeared.

It could be a step back removing the Asperger label which I understand they are going to do next year in the USA.

David

Parents

  • The question is whether it is better to call Asperger High Functioning Autism or Mild Autism.

    The trouble is that most people with the label Asperger are far from Autistic and have many other co-existing conditions.

    The label mildly Autistic is not helpful if a person has a few Autistic traits but is disturbed because of a mental illness.

    That confuses people.

    The word Asperger had the advantage that people were prepared to accept their disablity but  the word sounds funny to  people who have not got it.

    It was also difficult to explain to people what Asperger Syndrome is.

    We were trying hard all these years to get people to hear of this label now it is going to disappear in America and probably all over the world.

    May be Asperger should be replaced with the term Autistic traits.

    I expect with the label Asperger a community might disappear when the label goes

    as they will not want to join the Autistic community.

    May be high functioning Autistic people will still club together.

    Doctors will still have to decide whether their co-existing conditions such as Mental Illess are more important than their Autistic traits.

    David

Reply

  • The question is whether it is better to call Asperger High Functioning Autism or Mild Autism.

    The trouble is that most people with the label Asperger are far from Autistic and have many other co-existing conditions.

    The label mildly Autistic is not helpful if a person has a few Autistic traits but is disturbed because of a mental illness.

    That confuses people.

    The word Asperger had the advantage that people were prepared to accept their disablity but  the word sounds funny to  people who have not got it.

    It was also difficult to explain to people what Asperger Syndrome is.

    We were trying hard all these years to get people to hear of this label now it is going to disappear in America and probably all over the world.

    May be Asperger should be replaced with the term Autistic traits.

    I expect with the label Asperger a community might disappear when the label goes

    as they will not want to join the Autistic community.

    May be high functioning Autistic people will still club together.

    Doctors will still have to decide whether their co-existing conditions such as Mental Illess are more important than their Autistic traits.

    David

Children
No Data