What is your opinion on Asperger’s and autism?
I personally consider Asperger’s and high functioning autism different ways of being, though I’d say that low functioning is disabled.
I personally consider Asperger’s and high functioning autism different ways of being, though I’d say that low functioning is disabled.
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I should hope having aspergers or autism should not stop a person from living as normal a life as possible. I do not consider them run of the mill, for the severity varies from person to person. I have a high functioning autistic 3yr old and all I care about is him having an independent life and bright future. We all have opinions and if this is how you feel then okay.
There is currently a move underway that is reclassifying Asperger’s and autism under the general heading of “Autism Spectrum Disorder”. All new diagnoses will be under this general heading for the purposes of social and educational services. While Asperger’s is on the mildest side of the spectrum, there is still a considerable range of symptoms that can appear with any autism spectral disorder and they may overlap.
Actually, asperger’s is no longer going to be considered separate from autism. The new DSM-V would classify autism on severity and eliminate asperger’s as a diagnosis. It’s a debatable situation whether asperger’s is autism without cognitive delays, or if it’s mild enough to be separate.
I think it should all be classified on the autism spectrum, though some are against this. I am not. To me, asperger’s and high-functioning autism are the same thing. As to the labeling a person with autism disabled or not, that is on a case by case basis. Just because a person has diabetes, for instance, does not automatically qualify them as disabled. Now, if they lose a foot to the disease, they fall into the disabled category. Many autistic people are not disabled.
It is a different way of being and should be respected as such, just like any other life-long condition. The differentiation between high and low functioning, though, is problematic. Any individual can do very well in some aspects and poorly in others. I, for example, can live a fairly normal life, and interact functionally, though people will generally notice immediately that something is different. But if I was to live completely on my own, I’d for sure totally let myself go, and possibly even starve. Just to share my living space with random people prevents that. Is that a disability?
I ‘d say that autism on a large scale is a “legitimate”, i.e. useful condition in evolutionary/economical terms, in that it provides particular strengths and skills, for which society has to “pay” by greater amounts of support. On an individual level, though, the discrepancy between required support and possible contribution can be enormous.
But then again, I think that anyone should be accepted as they are by nature, and not categorized in economical terms. And that’s what the term “disability” ultimately means: that society has to put in more than they get out of the person.
Hi Magic Dance,
I have Asperger Syndrome. Asperger Syndrome atm is considered to be at the high end of the Autism Spectrum. I don’t know enough about the “standard” lower functioning Autism (Kanner Autism), so I shall comment on my opinions for Asperger Syndrome.
Having Asperger Syndrome gives me both advantages and disadvantages.
You must note that some of the disadvantages are only there because us Aspies are in the minority, and we have trouble “fitting in” with the majority whom are Neurotypicals because we have trouble understanding and expressing their sort of body language and non-verbal cues. Especially in school and maybe Uni and even the workplace, this will make us very prone to ostracism and bullying by the Neurotypicals who are cruel and ignorant because it makes us look “weird”/”stupid”in their eyes.
Other disadvantages include sensory issues, especially loud sounds, bright lights, certain smells and textures. We have to adjust our home environment to minimize these stimuli.
We also have a few advantages over many Neurotypicals, like:
- being able to work for a long time without feeling the need to engage in distracting chitchat/smalltalk, ie higher efficiency
- being able to be isolated for a very long time before feeling the need to communicate to others
- being very honest and straight to the point, trustworthy and not hiding anything
- having a special interest, which can strongly focused on for employment if that interest is needed in society, eg computer programming
Overall I think that Asperger Syndrome is a disability mainly coz Aspies are in the minority, and therefore they think very differently to Neurotypicals. If Aspies weren’t in the minority, or if they were better treated by Neurotypicals, then I’d say it’s more of a different personality style.
However in the current society, it is possible for Aspies (with great effort) to modify their lifestyle and work environment so the negative consequences are much less noticeable, and they can therefore lead a productive and enjoyable life.