Asperger's and Autism - What has changed in getting a diagnosis?

What is the difference between Asperger's and Autism? Asperger’s was considered to be a type of autism alongside other types of autism. However, we are in a period of autism acceptance where there is still a lot of stigma, and we’re still slowly transitioning from an entirely deficit based model to the kind of autism that you can actually be proud of. For a lot of people embracing that Aspie identity was a really positive thing and people can’t just change their identity overnight just because psychologists decided to change the terminology in the diagnostic process. So, in this video, I will share what has happened and why Asperger’s is being used less and less and where I’ve landed in terms of Asperger's and Aspie in my own life.
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🎞️Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:23 How I discovered my autism
1:02 The Autism Quotient
2:49 Updating the Diagnostic Process
3:42 Autism Spectrum Disorder
4:24 Autism Acceptance and Personal Identity
5:46 How is it divisive
8:50 The Aspie Supremacy Movement
13:05 The History of Hans Asperger
14:38 When should we use it?
16:08 It’s about your own self-discovery process
16:30 Where do I stand?
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👋Welcome to Autism From The Inside!!!
If you're autistic or think you or someone you love might be on the autism spectrum, this channel is for you!
I'm Paul Micallef, and I discovered my own autism at age 30.
Yes, I know, I don't look autistic. That's exactly why I started this channel in the first place because if I didn't show you, you would never know.
Autism affects many (if not all!) aspects of our lives, so on this channel, I want to show you what Autism looks like in real people and give you some insight into what's happening for us on the inside. We'll break down myths and misconceptions, discuss how to embrace autism and live well, and share what it's like to be an autistic person.
Join me as I share what I've found along my journey, so you don't have to learn it the hard way.
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~ Paul
#autism #asd #autismawareness

[@Hawaiifan93]

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome back in 2012. I was 18 at the time. I used to use the term a while ago. Now I just say that I’m Autistic.

[@marenk.3332]

Same for me, got the suspicion pre Diagnose "Asperger" in 2019 and the official Diagnose in 2020 (Just 1 month before my 35th birthday). Germany seems to be Far behind. Denmark and other countries seem to know better already 😅

[@schokoladenjunge1]

Same here. I wonder sometimes if this will lead to issues down the line somehow like the term no longer being officially recognised

[@doctorno3912]

I'm lazy and just call it the tism.

[@MrGemaxos]

@@doctorno3912 im even more: ism ;)

[@trinnyj1451]

I choose to call myself Autistic. My diagnosis was high functioning autism or aspergers. Whether high, low or in-between functioning - we are all Autistic. I prefer one, over-arching category to multiple sub-categories that seem to focus on perceived levels of 'ability'. This isn't an ability competition - we need to show support and compassion for all our autistic peers. Living an autistic life in this crazy, overwhelming world is challenging enough. Great video, Paul - thank you☺☺

[@stillnotstill]

❤❤❤❤

[@CharitysClarity]

But it is level 3 needs help, they need services. Most level 2 & 3 are being completely removed and erased. How is locking kids and adults away in residential care because they need such levels of supports so ok for so many now on level 1? I truly can’t rationalize it what so ever! The only reason for these changes was to give disability and funding for programs and doctors. That’s literally why we did it and now we could care less that now we have no help for the most disabled in the spectrum, they need help, they deserve it; and the misinformation and removing them from existence is absolutely horrible

[@ninaleach6350]

@@CharitysClarity I don't think anyone is disputing the fact that we need support levels. It's purely the way that some people see themselves as superior to those at lower levels. We are all the same in that we're all autistic but with different needs. I'm concerned about appropriate help for all levels because our needs are so diverse. This is why the levels were changed to highlight needs. Unfortunately, getting needs met is a different story. I'm level 1 but also physically disabled with chronic ill health and I'm struggling to get support from *any* agencies. I would never prioritise myself above a level 2 or 3 for my needs but I can empathise and I'm compassionate and caring. It's almost impossible for me to make any difference though, other than to sign petitions and keep writing to my MP😥😤

[@knrdvmmlbkkn]

@@CharitysClarity "How is locking (...) on level 1?" Why should it *not* be okay?

[@Catlily5]

​@@CharitysClarity I am level 2 and I don't understand what you are saying.

[@fredflintstone904]

In my family we have at least seven people in four generations who are autistic. We have differing levels of support needed, but it's pretty clear that our autism is from the same genetic basis. We're all happy being autistic and calling ourselves autistic. FWIW: We also have a set of ADHD people in our family that partially overlaps the autistic set.

[@ArcEnergy-bo1rf]

I am aged 31 and just completed my ASD and ADHD assessment today. I will have my review on Wednesday. Regardless of the outcome, seeing a therapist has been helping me deal with some things.

[@margoanchorage883]

Thank you for breaking that down for us. Your talks are so pleasant. So many KZbinrs are hard for me to focus on because they seem to be too loud and jump around. You have a clear order and your word bubbles help emphasize what I need to remember. Thank you so much.

[@trinnyj1451]

😊

[@isabellefaguy7351]

Very good video. I was told very violent things and rejected several times by the Asperger supremacists, because I'm "too visibly autistic". Which was really weird and unexpected at the moment it happened. I just had received my dx (under DSM-5) and felt like the Asperger's symptoms of DSM-4 would have fitted quite well with me. I still hadn't realized I in fact fit more with the classical autism symptoms. I didn't know then, because I was always pushed beyond my capacities by people around me, so I didn't acknowledge my numerous cognitive deficits. Since then, I learned more about a whole lot of deficits which I actually have. And I definitively identify more with the "I know I need help and that's OK to need help" part of the community. But I do understand the struggle to identify as someone who has a dx when you spent your whole life being told "if only you'd try harder or not be so lazy, you'd be able as everyone else". So I "get" that some newcomers and even some people with a long time dx are unable to acknowledge their need for help and they want to feel validated as somewhat "superior" because they've been told they're inferior their whole life. But to me being autistic isn't being inferior. Having deficits doesn't make me inferior. It makes me different, it makes me needing some help, but everyone needs help, I just need different types of help.

[@ryantaintor9713]

Yes, the original title "Asperger's from the inside " was what got me interested in the channel. Whereas Asperger's was the type of Autism I knew I have and it was great to find a channel this specific to that version of Autism. I hope that makes sense.

[@wattsonthetube]

I have a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. For me, autism is a label that I struggle to identify with. I never received support for autism when I was younger even though I didn't speak until I was 2 and a half, struggled to fit in, make and keep friends and communicate with people my own age. A lot of my symptoms went unsupported and undiagnosed because I was a shy, quiet kid who just got on with his work. I was only diagnosed with Asperger's later in life and by that time, I had just learnt to mask and cope with the world (as much as I could). There are things that I wish I knew about my condition that would have made a lot more sense with some of the challenges that I faced when it came to more complex social topics, such as dating and relationships, that would have allowed me to take it easier on myself. To this day I still struggle with the diagnosis because I don't know how to embrace it, let alone the label of autism, which is something that I don't feel comfortable claiming that I am. I'm the type of person to continue struggling, whilst assuming that most people do, so I try not to make a fuss about it. I don't want to feel that I'm drawing attention to myself, or that I'm overplaying my condition for any form of sympathy, so most of the time I just muddle through. At the very most, I say that I have a "diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome", but I don't own that as a part of my identity. I try not to use it as an excuse either, but sometimes depending on the severity of the situation, it's something that I will reluctantly admit. Most of the time I'm scared of how people would treat me if they knew about my condition, because I was bullied a lot when I was younger and the last thing I've wanted to do is to put a flashing neon sign above my head by saying that "I'm autistic". Saying that I have a "diagnosis of Asperger's" always felt like a less intense statement, because I never liked to be treated differently to anyone else. I don't like being overtly catered for, nor addressed as someone whom has support needs, so I will only bring it up in private and with people I trust. I don't know if I will ever fully embrace autism as a label, let alone as part of my identity. Not because I think it's bad in any way to be autistic, but because it's more of how it shifts the dynamics of how others see and interact with me because of that description.

[@galaxywanderer]

I still use it and I will continue to use it.

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

That’s your right, but it’s also the right of other Autistic people to decide if they want to engage with you or not. As the AS label falls more and more out of favor, the number of AS-friendly communities and creators you have access to will continue to dwindle. At some point, you might decide that community is more important than a label a bunch of allistic psychiatrists dropped into the DSM 30 years ago (or you might not).

[@MBKill3rCat]

@@GhostIntoTheFog Categories are useful and have utility, that's why we invent them. Asperger's Syndrome is a useful label, for reasons already mentioned in the video, and should stick around imo. I don't care if it offends anyone; it wasn't something anyone got offended about before the Current Year, so if someone is offended, it's a them problem. I vehemently detest the whole discussion around the identity politics of autism/Asperger's, the 'push for unity' and such. Autism is not a community, it's a category/diagnosis.

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

@MBKill3rCat If you don’t see yourself as a member of the community (or don’t even recognize its existence), then there’s nothing I can do to change that. However, it’s worth pointing out that you’re here having this debate in an Autistic space. That strongly suggests you choose to engage with the community (even in a small capacity).

[@usagi_t]

It is better. "I'm autistic" is insulting to people with severe autism.

[@Jae-by3hf]

@@MBKill3rCatwell said 👏🏽

[@megankelly9086]

I am from the UK and was diagnosed with Autism in September 2022 (as a 23 year old). I never associated with the term Aspergers as, like you mentioned, it had already been 'discontinued' in the formal language surrounding autism. In addition, when I was growing up, school kids would often use the term Aspergers as an insult and a way to call someone stupid. This is obviously an incredibly sad and also infuriating truth about the environment I grew up in and perhaps delayed me from discovering for myself that I was indeed autistic and fell under this label. This is just to say that I never personally felt comfortable with the term Aspergers, but I do feel incredibly happy to have finally discovered I am autistic After reading some comments, it may be worth mentioning that I was diagnosed privately which is perhaps why my diagnosis was given using the DSM 5

[@ninaleach6350]

I'm in the UK too and was diagnosed in 2019 via the NHS Right to Choose route, by a private company. They used both the DSM5 and ICD11 but the levels never registered as I didn't feel they were important to me, I'm just autistic. I'm level 1 as it happens and I also knew that Asperger's had been removed and why. I was 67 and so relieved to finally get my diagnosis.....it explains so much doesn't it? 😊

[@BadNessie]

Always remember: No matter what term you're using to describe yourself: you're the one who's allowed to choose it, you're the one who's allowed to change it if doesn't seem to fit anymore - and a possible change of choice never means there's something wrong with you. If it feels right to use a term now, that's okay. If later it turns out that a different term seems to fit better, it's 100% legitimate to change it, without any blame. Prepare to having to explain to your surroundings 'Huh?! You've always said you're X (e.g. an aspie)! How can you suddenly be Y (e.g. autistic?!'. Explain to them that you're still the same person, and that you've stayed open-minded, which lead you to believe that the new term you're using fits far better than the last - and it might not even have been the last time you'll have found a new or better-fitting way to describe something. We learn things in life, we grow our perspective, and sometimes we choose to do something differently because of that wider perspective - and that's always a good thing! You'll always be you, no matter what terms are used, and that's wonderful.

[@elizabethsullivan7176]

Since it's only been a couple of years since my diagnosis (Oct. 2022, at the age of 51), I use the term autism. Also, I like what you said about it being used to "unite" all of us rather than having multiple "categories" for the different ways that autism presents itself. It is definitely about time for all of us to come together, to stand up for each other, so that the rest of the world can understand that autism is not a "bad" thing. We are not "mistakes", we do not need a "cure", we just need people to accept us for who we are.

[@growtocycle6992]

Your condition is very different to a "low functioning" autistic person who is non verbal, completely dependent on their parents (as adults) and entirely leaving of self awareness. Asperger's is not the same thing!!

[@mikaeljacobsson1437]

I have mostly used Asperger when i dont feel like explaining things to some people. Here in Sweden, there are usually a more positive reaction from neurotypicals if you say you have been diagnosed with Asperger than if you say Autism. I use the term Asperger less and less though. If i am tired and the person seems to be "one of those" i still use Asperger. But i guess 9 out of 10 times i say Autism. I have started to use AuDHD a lot. But mostly say Autism and ADHD in profiles and other places when describing myself.

[@BrannaLaurelin]

It's exactly the same in Norway. My mom actually gets angry with me every time I say I'm autistic, but she has started accepting it if I say Asperger's 🙄

[@EmilWestrum]

Probably country specific, but nobody here I live know what autism is, but everyone knows about Aspergers. Makes it easier in conversations to just say I have Aspergers

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Not having subcategories is part of what allowed the editors of the DSM 5 to kick so many people off the spectrum without having an alternative for those that still needed support. Given the range of experiences it was always going to be messy, but at this point, autism has become basically just PDD-NOS, but even broader than it had been. They were able to achieve the goals of broadening the spectrum while also narrowing it.

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

I hear this talking point a lot. However, anyone with a previously established diagnosis of AS or PDD-NOS is automatically grandfathered into an ASD diagnosis, and the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria are generally wider than those of the DSM-IV. If you’re talking about Rett syndrome, it still is a valid diagnosis; it’s just not considered an autistic one.

[@interstellarsurfer]

​@@GhostIntoTheFogAs someone who has never had the resources to get diagnosed properly --- I see no need to ever waste resources to get mis-diagnosed by the poorly written DSM-V. Maybe they'll reconcile their mistakes in another decade or so. Probably not.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@GhostIntoTheFog The fact that there is a grandfather clause tells you that they're not really on the spectrum as defined by the DSM. There are a significant number of people out there that couldn't get a diagnosis under the DSM IV because of conflicting diagnoses that weren't allowed at the time, but don't qualify under the DSM 5 because they narrowed it. The result is that some of us should have a diagnosis, but may never get one even though we're not necessarily any less autistic than the folks who do. To make matters worse, two people with the same traits, the same significance of the traits and the same impact on life being evaluated on different sides of the DSM 5 being adopted could easily result in one getting a diagnosis, support and accommodations and the other receiving nothing of any sort to help.

[@MatsSvendsen]

I'm from Norway. Was diagnosed with Aspergers just 2 years ago. Norway has yet to transition to ICD11. So people still get the asperger diagnosis.

[@jhfdhgvnbjm75]

For me, I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 2003/4, when the definition changed it was traumatic: 1) I lost my identity, the support networks collapsed, on autism forums I find I'm ostracized, mocked and silenced as if I'm some sort of evil throwback, I don't feel like I sync with a lot on the spectrum in many ways, and they have no desire to understand why I or others might still 'cling' to this label. 2) I lost my diagnosis as the definition was no longer recognized, it no longer appears on my medical records, so I'm now waiting another 6 YEARS for a re-diagnosis (just in time for my midlife crisis). 3) I felt thrown away...again...invalidated for political reasons; an analogy would be being an Emo and being told NO: you're just a Goth, and you're NOT allowed to question or object because; 'Nazi's' end of! 4) 15:40 For me, being labelled as autistic comes with a lot of negative baggage, it can't be argued that the baggage is irrelevant for me without it also being irrelevant the other way for other people. I can see the arguments for the change from a medical and definitions point of view to bring clarity and a uniform set of rules which don't confusingly overlap, and I hope it helps people going forward, but for me, nothing good came out of it, and I can't help but feel it will just become an excuse to underfund everything...again...like it was when I grew up.

[@bottled-star]

hans stole his research from jewish women as he sent hundreds, if not thousands, of autistic children to death camps to be killed because they weren't the "valuable" or "gifted" kind of autistic. dismissing all of this as "because nazis!1!1!" isn't just ignorant, its cruel.

[@ninaleach6350]

On the groups and forums I was on, at the time, some people felt like you but without being ostracised. I was diagnosed in 2019 just after the ICD11 dropped it, so it was a hot topic. I honestly never heard of anyone just losing their previous diagnosis or having it removed from their notes. I don't disbelieve you at all, I just mean that it's such an awful thing to happen. You should have had the support you needed 😥

[@knrdvmmlbkkn]

"1) I lost my identity" How did you lose your identity? What barred you from continuing to identify as such? Whether it's reasonable to have something like that as an identity is a different subject...

[@growtocycle6992]

I'm with you. I don't associate my condition with non verbal, dependent adults with severe autism

[@Catlily5]

There are a lot of people who still identify as having Asperger's. You can still have a community. No one can stop you.

[@elysiasieihr2453]

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome two month ago. Here in Germany we don't use DSM 5. We have ICD 10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems). There is an ICD 11 in wich the terms are changed in Autism Spectrum Disorder, but ICD 11 is not yet usable for licensing reasons. I call myself autistic. But years ago Asperger was the term that led me to my eventual diagnosis.

[@relentlessrhythm2774]

I'm autistic and a special education teacher. One of my students is non speaking but definitely gifted in areas in which I am not. We both enjoy stimming together!

[@roberthonan3492]

When I first learned I was autistic, I turned to Reddit to learn and get support from my peers. I identified as an Aspie, because the larger r/autism community had a lot of teenagers who wanted to gate-keep the community and exclude the self-diagnosed (anyone without a certified diagnosis from a specialist), and parents of level 2 and 3 kids. R/aspergers, on the other hand, was predominantly actually autistic adults. More importantly, it had a large number of folks diagnosed after 40.

[@clogs4956]

I get what you’re saying. My brother-in-law wasn’t diagnosed until 2022 (aged 50) when Crohn’s kicked in and his health suddenly deteriorated. Having first met him in 1989, I was surprised that his obvious Asperger’s had gone previously ignored. No young person should self-diagnose or, using today’s term, self-identify.

[@NickCombs]

I've seen that gatekeeping as well and argued against it, but that was a few years ago before I stopped visiting reddit. Looking at the sub now, it does have rule 4 "no self-diagnosis debate for or against" which is a good sign.

[@interstellarsurfer]

​@@NickCombsI read it more like "Self diagnosing is banned, and we're never talking about it again." There is no limit to the abuses of power mad Reddit Moderators.

[@perceptionplace.]

I feel they sort of bunched us all together, and now we have to navigate all our own levels of our autism and it's caused a divide because it's such a wide spectrum

[@bensabelhaus7288]

And it is. We shouldn't be pestered so much when autism alone is a lifelong disability. Forget about the anxiety, depression, social anxiety, communication disabilities that are common. In getting us common access with a common official disability we actually become a group like other traditionally oppressed groups rather than individual tribes and clans where we fight each other for resources owed by our collective colonizer. This includes partnership with other traditionally oppressed groups that we already overlap with. Together we can make change. Believe me, I cannot do it on my own. I'm typing with a new screen now after yesterdays panic attacks caused by arguing with the dept of justice about ongoing 508c, ADA2 and literal first amendment violations. We all need to report violations and take the power back.

[@ninaleach6350]

The point is that the spectrum isn't linear so it can't be wide. Autism isn't quantifiable and that's why the levels are now based on support needs. There are so many aspects of autism that can be challenging like different sensory difficulties, language processing difficulties and/or intellectual differences which all come together to help define what our support needs are.

[@bensabelhaus7288]

@@ninaleach6350 Never said it was. People seeking help are seeking help because they needed a diagnosis for whatever reason. Why we fail shouldn't be questioned when the basic first step should be disabled person, reason Autistic. After that should be straight initial level of help for whatever is being asked for. It's basic stuff at first. Stabilize the patient, then maybe worry about the stubbed toe, broken tooth and disjointed shoulder after the arterial bleeding. I'm not saying at all to not break things down further with your doctor's and make your daily existence better. What I'm saying is let's set a base level of faster approval for a basic level of care, and follow through with the needed care. If somebody can be rehabilitated so to speak (I'd love to get back in a theater to see a movie and do something for work but I can hardly do volunteer work with no schedule but as I feel) great, let's give them access to resources for actual work. We fail from trying too hard to make things work for them. We just are not neurologically designed for this permanent settlement stuff with thousands of interactions weekly. That doesn't mean we can't still do meaningful work for ourselves and the social systems that support us. Hell, just having functional but broken people like me processing claims for people like us would be very useful at preventing the ongoing "homeless problem" (I prefer semi nomadic hunter gather from an anthropological perspective) Just having accessible systems would do wonders in these systems (medical, government, corporate) to getting understanding by allowing our voices to be heard. Creators like Paul, Orion, and there are literally so many are the voices we need to keep doing their thing and spreading the words we need to verbalize things like selective mutism or what generalized anxiety actually is beyond words on a page acting as translators between autistic and neurotypical / Dr talk. I used to be a tech to English translator and was fantastic. I dealt with the customers so the engineer didn't have to was my job. I leave the translation of Autism to Dr for the professionals. I'll keep translating hunter gather lifeway's through use of the world around them and how autistic and ADHD traits are simply evolutionary adaptations for effective foraging, energy storage and not being eaten by large cats lol

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

Trying to claw our way over one another to the top of an ableist hierarchy is what causes division.

[@stillnotstill]

​@@GhostIntoTheFog yeah, solidarity is so important

[@Synchrodipity]

Asperger's is still being diagnosed in many UK statutory services. We use the ICD, and although Asperger's was removed when it changed from ICD-10 to ICD-11, the National Health Service database (SNOMED) still has to be fully updated to accommodate the change; I think the estimate for this to be completed is 2026. I believe the same is true for a lot of Europe, although private practices have used the DSM for a while. My own diagnosis is Asperger's and I'm happy with it - I don't like being told how to refer to myself by other people.

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

You can continue to use the label if you’ve convinced yourself it’s some kind of act of righteous defiance against tyranny, but that freedom comes with responsibility - specifically accepting that many on the Autistic community will choose not to engage with you as a result of that decision.

[@Synchrodipity]

@@GhostIntoTheFog I didn't get my diagnosis to be part of a community - it's not a subculture.

[@stillnotstill]

​@@Synchrodipity why are you here If you're watching the videos you're benefiting from autistic community spaces. Even just commenting here, that's community.......

[@Synchrodipity]

​@@stillnotstill As I said, I did not get my diagnosis to be part of any community. However, I can still benefit from listening to other people's ideas - even the ideas from people who I disagree with, including those who self-id without formal diagnosis (like the owner of this channel once admitted). I subscribed to this channel when my diagnosis was new, and still called 'Asperger's from the Inside'. KZbin recommended it, so I thought I'd have a look. I could also listen to a political commentator without aligning with their views, and I even watched a video about trilobites recently - yet I'm still not a member of the paleontology club. ;) If you want to nitpick then go play with a different monkey.

[@MortenHaggren]

ICD-10 is still the standard in most of the EU. So people still get diagnosed with Aspergers - it's not really helpful to be berated for using the label a trained medical professional stuck on you.. 🫤 You're entitled to your own opinion but please remember that the DSM isn't a world wide standard

[@psychic7615]

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome ten years ago. I was pleasantly relieved that I had this and not some other mental disorder like bipolar. I embrace my uniqueness and my friends and family are very supportive. Thanks for your videos! 😊

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

Although not bipolar myself, I’d imagine many who are wouldn’t feel respected if you told them you were relieved to find out you weren’t one of them.

[@johannahoneyman697]

@@GhostIntoTheFogabsolutely! I was just going to comment this.

[@psychic7615]

Hey I’m autistic and I say what I’m thinking. I don’t disparage bipolar sufferers, I would think if they had a choice between the two, I’d think they’d choose autism.

[@Catlily5]

​@@psychic7615 Lucky me! I am bipolar and autistic. Personally it would depend on how severe each was. I would take mild bipolar over autism any day. Getting bullied in school was not fun. Severe bipolar is pretty bad though so maybe I would pick autism over that. Suicide rates are high for both bipolar and autism so that means both can suck pretty bad. It is not an easy choice like you imply.

[@shawnm6304]

I find referring to myself as an Aspie or "on the spectrum" or Aspergers fits my personality and functioning more accurately. When I tell someone I'm autistic I instantly have to be on the defensive. The general public does not consider me to be autistic -- they are only being polite by not challenging me on it (although I can sense the majority does not believe I'm autistic.) When I say I'm am Aspie or on the spectrum however, nobody blinks an eye, it just makes sense to them. I realize some in the community do not like making this distinction, that's fair. This is just my personal preference to be referred to as Aspie as opposed to Autistic. I only feel imposter syndrome when having to defend being autistic. Rarely is my diagnoses of Aspergers / HFA ever doubted by anyone.

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

So, in order to please allistic people who can’t be bothered to update their decades-old stereotypes of how an Autistic person can present, you’ve decided to use the AS label? Maybe strongly encourage them to cast off those stereotypes and treat you with respect instead.

[@NothingByHalves]

I totally agree with you. I'm an Aspie. It perfectly describes me. I don't tend to explain myself to anyone, to be honest, and have found it easier to focus on how I prefer information to be presented to me or what my challenges are, but without the need to defend them. For example, I'm a visual process thinker. I cannot navigate anything without having a "map" in my head (whether that is following directions, understanding conversation, or learning something new - I need to see the navigation from point A to point B. I learn best by being shown). I would rather say "sorry, that makes no sense to me - not how my brain works, I need to picture it" than go down the whole autism road. I get visually and audibly overwhelmed too, so will say "sorry, it's a bit too busy for me to think straight". The other thing I don't like about the DSM definition is Autism Spectrum DISORDER. This is not a disorder - it's a difference to the majority. My brain works perfectly, thank you very much. 😁

[@Squirrelthing]

@@NothingByHalves 'Disorder', that's a sore point for me too, but also a point of pride for my country. In Sweden it's referred to as A.S.T., translated Autism Spectrum Condition. Also rolls off the tongue better than Ay-ess-dee. I also agree with not immediately naming your condition to coworkers, instead only informing them about /how/ you function. Telling them about the AST comes later, when your known and accepted quirks just makes it an 'aha, so that's why'-moment instead of something to debate and defend.

[@NothingByHalves]

@@Squirrelthing I prefer "condition" than "disorder", definitely. I am quite happy with my quirks too - everyone always knew I was a little bit weird. As for the name of Squirrelthing... oh that so made me smile. Thank you 😂🤗

[@demianmollering]

Same here. Labels are labels, they're not there to describe what is real, they're there to be functionally useful in conveying to yourself and others what to expect. To gatekeep this terminology is really to be overinvested in the idea that truth lies in the naming of things. Language exists to be understood, it's a tool that adapts to people's needs, not an objective representation of reality like mathematics. The people naming these things are just as far from the truth as you and me.

[@FindingFarrahBlog]

The first book I read on my journey was Aspergirls. That was about 5 years ago when the term Asperger’s was still more common. It was a helpful stepping stone for me as well!

[@randalalansmith9883]

We were using the term as a placeholder for the people who live in society in the demilitarized zone between fully-masking, and living with support. It seemed to fit well for the ones who immediately stand out in a crowd 🤓, but aren't institutionalized. But now that we examine the phenomenon more closely, it's harder to establish borders between "Aspies" and dependent individuals; and on the other end "Aspies" and the people who aren't conspicuous. It's a spectrum.

[@jhfdhgvnbjm75]

True, but the people who ultimately lost out from this change, are the Aspies, their demilitarized middle ground that they'd carved out as a safe(er) haven was ripped apart :(

[@tdc3298]

How I wish there was a support group in my country. Thank you for sharing. It makes me feel less alone❤

[@WoofN]

Agreed that Autism is more inclusive. I find it magical that most of us logically decided "this is the way".

[@knrdvmmlbkkn]

"Agreed that Autism is more inclusive." Perhaps diagnoses aren't supposed to be inclusive but rather as spesific as possible (and appropriate). If you break your left index finger, just saying that you have a broken bone would probably be inadvisable in most cases. You would still be able to write (unless you happened to be left-handed) and you'd have absolutely no need for a leg cast, crutches or a wheelchair.

[@user-eg8ht4im6x]

In 2018 I was diagnosed with ASD in the form of Aspergers. I like d getting a dual term it made a lot of sense. But I tend to say I am Autistic. It’s simpler and better understood. But I think it’s on to say you have Asperger’s if you prefer that.

[@manuela1711]

I still use the term, it describes my personal experience the best. Incl my past. I know people dont like the terms high functioning/low functioning but i dont use those. I got diagnosed as that 16 years ago.

[@shavanerad9038]

I had to insist on a diagnosis of ASD at 53yo, because my therapist said he wouldn't make it formal because he couldn't get me labeled Asperger's, and autism was associated with impairments I didn't have any had a stigma because it meant "special ed" or worse to most people. I wanted access to tools and support, and a community, and had to fight for this. This was shortly after the DSM changes, and a lot of psych professionals not only disagreed, but were disturbed.

[@snaify]

Spot on for me! Thanks for being so thorough and succinct!

[@annalisamanderville1364]

Great video, it explains everything very well. I was diagnosed with PDD-NOS when I was three and many decades later I was diagnosed with ASD level 2.

[@nicolerutten9623]

My teenage daughter was diagnosed last year as Autistic with a PDA profile and executive dysfunction. (I have not been tested myself yet, but pretty sure I am ND myself) It's been a whirlwind of learning and adjustments for both her and us as her parents. She is very intelligent and I always feel on the defensive when her autism comes up with ppl outside our family. You immediately get the " ohh what a shame" sad look and ppl start to talk slower to her which is quite offensive. Asperger's as a term has got some historical problems, but I find it is more widely known in the outside world and gets a lot less "what a shame" looks..I agree with it probably being a good stepping stone getting used to all the terms

[@sandrasabrina2973]

I was excited to see you talking about it eventually (I've been here throughout the channel's name change). Great video!

[@shadowNlightNES]

Very clear and concise. I see much of what you've said pretty well the same as you do. AgreE! 🙂 Thanks again. This is going to be really good for people to hear I think. It's a nice reassurance to hear and for what I didn't before know I found it edifying. 💯

[@rabbitpomelo5346]

In Taiwan (the country next to China & below Japan), we almost always/ or only use the term Asperger’s to refer to what we now say ASD in English speaking countries. Maybe it’s because of the long going stereotype and the translated term for Autism(自閉症) literally means “closing oneself up”, I feel bad using the term even when acknowledging that it’s neurodivergence and nothing bad about it. There’s still not enough discussion about both ASD and Asperger’s in the country I’m living, but l think due to the historical differences, Mandarin speaking countries will continue to use Asperger’s and Aspies for the same idea! Still I’m very happy and thankful to learn about the things I need through the autism community. Hope people around the world, whether neurodivergent or not, can find their own ways to communicate with each other with more love and respect some day

[@margefoyle6796]

Your explanations are so perfect. I find them to be well thought out and balanced, and I connect strongly with your point of view. Thank you.

[@lumpyunicorn72]

I am waiting for my assessment, but since I was referred I have been researching alot and watching alot on you tube and I think it makes sense what you say about using the term thats more commonly used at the moment and which people are receiving and being referred for because I will search for information on autism rather than asperger's - so it has enabled me to find your channel and learn more. Thanks enjoyed this video :)

[@carolinejames7257]

My younger sister's three children were diagnosed with autism back in the early 1990s, with (in descending order of age) high-functioning autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and low-functioning autism. Much discussion with the diagnostician led to the conclusion that it was likely that my sister and various other family members (myself included) were also autistic. This turned out to be true, and in each of the last 3 generations the autists outnumber the allistics. ADHD is also prevalent, but not always present. Without going into all the details, when I sought diagnosis some years later I was told that although I met the criteria for Asperger's Syndrome they could not diagnose me because I was (a) not a child, and (b) female. I'm now a woman in my 60s and still don't have an official diagnosis. In any case, although I didn't go around making announcements to all and sundry, if the topic came up I described myself as an Aspie. I used that term for years, and was comfortable with it. At first, I was reluctant to switch to the new terminology, but after a great deal of reading and thought about this, and related topics and issues, I came to change my mind. I now identify as autistic, and generally call myself an autist. I'm not entirely against dividing autism into a number of different subtypes, especially if they're all still under the umbrella of ASD. BUT ONLY IF they identify markers of those subtypes that can be readily distinguished, and are accurate, meaningful, and helpful. Regardless of the diagnostic terminology used by professionals, I support the right of individuals to use the words they choose to identify themselves with. I'm not offended or upset by people using words that aren't my preferred terms, and hope they would extend the same courtesy to me.

[@lisawanderess]

The book “Look me in the eye” was the book that led me to my eventual diagnosis too! I picked it up at a campground because of the title because I’ve never been able to look people in the eyes and thought it was just one of my many quirks that I’d always been told made me “weird”, what a pleasant surprise it was to find a whole community of people who shared traits that I spent 50 years thinking were uniquely mine! 😂

[@BrannaLaurelin]

In my country (Norway) Asperger's is still used as a diagnosis, which is quite aggravating and says a lot about how far behind the health care system is in this country. I'm waiting for my assessment report now and am prepared for it to say "Asperger's Syndrome", but I will 100% identify as autistic and never use that term for myself (hopefully I even get an autism-related diagnosis, I'm terrified of getting misdiagnosed with a personality disorder or something when I'm like 99.9% sure it's autism).

[@kariannefimland1475]

in norway as well. I got the aspergers syndrome diagnosis. I embrace it. I never got why people have so much negativity towards having that word used vs. autism. Because Aspbergers is still autism. But different. But I understand everyone needs to make the choice for themselves how they choose to identify. I choose not to let the words hold any negative power. :)

[@lifetimeactor6789]

I prefer using the term Aspergers, but I'm at the beginning of my journey, so I'll probably outgrow it. Otherwise ASD works fine. It's easier to type! It is good to unite with everyone the spectrum and come together, and I'm all for it, but at the same time it feels much more specific to me to just call it Aspergers, (just as you were saying). Thanks for your video. I was wondering what all the controversy was about.

[@frenzyviz6296]

It seems to me that, because the spectrum is so wide, subcategories are needed. It’s not about saying one person is superior to another; that’s ridiculous. It’s simply about defining ability levels. Personally I choose to continue with the Aspergers term.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

For all practical purposes, ability levels are support levels in reverse. The spectrum is far too wide to be all smooshed together without there being serious issues that come of it. At bare minimum, there should have been proper options for folks that are at the edges of what we currently consider the spectrum.

[@frenzyviz6296]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade agreed.

[@Catlily5]

​@@SmallSpoonBrigade The problem was that the doctors couldn't agree on who to label Asperger's and who to label autistic. The same person would get a different label from another doctor.

[@KaiSyversen]

Thanks for sharing your videos. I went from being "weird" to probably asbergers, to selfdiagnoseis, to diagnosed. You have helped me find the path to alot of questions I didint know I had about myself. First when taking the AQ test, I realized I was masking to myself. and took the test again, repeating to myself, this is ME, not what is expeced. During my self discovery and learing about asbergers I went from; why am I weird, to; This is why I am weird, to; be myself, and use what I had learned about my self, as a strength. I am now living a much better life and can identify masking in my own behaiviour, and adjust to allow myself to be more myself. My biggest wins was to acknowlege that I replied no to questions, even if I wanted to say yes. because it was i my mind, what was expected. And holding on to that truth no matter how much it hurt. Now, I can still answer what I believe is socially accepted, but I allow myself to "change my mind" This was the biggest tool that I discovered. and the second biggest tool I discovered, is to say out loud when I need to do something, so I dont procastinate, because when it is said out loud, its easier to follow thorough. btw: I was officially diagnosed dec'23

[@randomlygeneratedcolors7889]

I have a point 4 for where you can hear this term - in many countries there DSM5 sin't used, i.e. we have ICD classification in Europe. In Poland, where I'm from people (including me) are still diagnosed with Aspergers, because we are still in transition from ICD10 to ICD11. So my point is, there might be a big presence of Engishi speaking Autists, who are yet diagnosed with Aspergers and it might confuse a lot of people. That being said - thanks for your video, it does a lot to change that :)

[@myrnab2022]

I live in the U.S. I am in a new long distance relationship with someone in the UK. We haven't met in person but plan to meet in the UK at the end of this year. I think he has Aspergers. I have two close relatives with diagnosed Aspergers so I am aware of the symptoms. I have been watching your videos and other videos the last two weeks. I want to tell you that your videos are my favorite. Thank you for doing them.

[@keturahspencer1211]

I'm in favor of keeping the term Asperger's, especially because of the history. I see it as a jumping board to an important lesson, & a lesson that's relevant to neurodivergent peoples of all sorts. I'm also a fan of more names for different types of neurotribes, rather than fewer. I find the push to clump them all as one umbrella term not only erases identities, it pits neurodivergent vs. Neurotypical.

[@ninaleach6350]

There are actually more explanations now of all the characteristics of autism. We all have our own mixture, so to be accurate, I would need a name just to describe my own particular "type" of autism. A few years ago, I would have been described as having Asperger's or high-functioning but now I'm level one which is minimum support needs. However, I have a long list of issues like different language processing difficulties, various sensory processing difficulties, poor interoception and proprioception etc. etc. I only appeared to be high functioning because I was actually high masking. I do need more support than I get which is only from my family anyway but I'm very aware and concerned about the fact that many autistics need very much more support and this is far more important than how "autistic" people think they are. My mantra is "The spectrum isn't linear".

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

If one is actively using the label to describe themself, they’re not learning from history; they’re repeating it. It’s a springboard into convincing oneself they’re superior to and distinct from other Autistics, not a springboard to accepting oneself and one’s neurokin. Also, what exactly do you mean that keeping the AS label (which has already been formally discontinued from a medical perspective) will teach other neurodivergents a good lesson? A lesson that they should stratify their own communities in the same way?

[@MBKill3rCat]

@@GhostIntoTheFog Categories are useful; that's why we invent them. It's not about superiority, it's about accurately categorising and subcategorising based on symptoms/traits. If we take as an example the animal kingdom; a human and a gecko are both animals, but one is a mammal and the other is a reptile; within the category of mammals, cats and dogs are both mammals, but they are not the same species; and we can (and do) subdivide species into subspecies. Categories have utility in medical, psychiatric, educational, and support contexts, for obvious reasons. It is also useful for the person with the condition, as it helps them accurately describe themselves in a way that is both general enough and specific enough to be useful as a category, allows them to communicate information about themselves and their condition, and allows them to find other individuals like them.

[@stillnotstill]

"Asperger's syndrome (also known as Asperger's disorder or simply Asperger's) was retired as an official diagnosis in 2013. Asperger's syndrome now is diagnosed as level 1 autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or autism with low support needs." If you would like a category that's not named after a nazi who was responsible for autistic deaths

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@GhostIntoTheFog Is it? OTOH, you have folks that are trying to declare that ASD level 1 isn't a real thing and is full of fakers that are taking up the resources that real autistic people need. The mistake they made was trying to have a single category covering too many aspects of people.

[@agr714]

I understand the reasoning. I think your point about discrepancies within individuals is well-taken. I also think the problem with functioning labels is that the level of function really varies. That said, I question to a degree the amount of unity created by the spectrum. Recently an autism mom said those who had less support needs were neurodifferent not neurodiverse. And then you have those who hold to Asperger’s or using it with renaming. So the question is how it can be unifying when it’s so divisive. Secondly, I think there has been a lack of education on the spectrum and what it means. When I was growing up, autistic was only ever used to refer to non-verbal, high supports need people. The spectrum’s complex and it feels like there’s been little effort to give the general public a firm grasp of it and therefore people with ASD who often struggle with communication have to explain their condition and the whole autism spectrum. That seems suboptimal. For me, when I do explain, I’ll use Asperger’s as a reference.

[@frenzyviz6296]

I agree.

[@CaptnLenox]

I live in a country where we still use the ICD 10 so even though I was diagnosed just a few weeks ago I still got the diagnosis Asperger... I myself dont mind that term but I also dont mind just saying I am autistic. What I dont like is the term "high functioning" because I might seem "normal" or "functioning" to most ppl but I still struggle with a lot of stuff. The term "high functioning" feels invalidating sometimes

[@tamaskarolyi2106]

Here in Hungary DSM-5 is not yet used, so I was diagnosed having Aspergers in 2023. But in the hungarian autistic community we use the term not really anymore (for the same reasons you mentioned).

[@crazyknitter22]

I was on a similar journey. Self diagnosed until a few years later I received the official diagnosis. That's when I switched to calling myself autistic. Now I just wish they would ditch disorder and use condition instead. We have a place to go in our town called space4autism and their website now uses the term Autistic Spectrum Condition ASC. I so much prefer that. Disorder means we're damaged and I so hate the idea NTs thinking that we are damaged goods. We're not damaged, we're just different.

[@Catlily5]

I am disabled. I have no problem with disorder or condition. It seems a trivial distinction. Autism is not all positive.

[@saralee4thewin]

Great explanation. I just say I'm on the spectrum now, and people seem to get it. I went through the aspie phase. Totally a journey.

[@itsangelgillworld6418]

i can't wait to here this i been dealing with this i was a small child now i'm age 21 going on 22 still dealing with my autism i'm i from germany berlin it's 9:41 right now and yes i am in(GMT+2)time

[@wesleyhall3554]

I still use the terms when I tell people about my diagnosis. People have some base ideas about what asperger means. Once we've had that initial talk, I'll explain how it's not used anymore.

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

Why bring it up at all only to then tell the person you’re speaking with it’s an obsolete term?

[@Squirrelthing]

@@GhostIntoTheFog Theory of mind: never assume what you know is what they know. Start by establishing a common frame of reference with the other, then work to unify the frames. If the people you speak to knows a bit about Asperger's, but very little (or nothing) about ASD, start by talking about Asperger's, then about how it relates to ASD and then about ASD. Now they know what you know, and their frame of reference is more in line with yours. Basically, if they don't know it's an obsolete term, they won't learn if someone dosn't tell them.

[@anteshell]

3:48 Not really. Firstly, I had to fight to tooth and nail against the head honcho of our university hospital psychiatry clinic to get my diagnosis, because they refused to see what was actually happening in me after diagnosing my perpetual and "chronic" state of autistic burnout as depression, but they finally relented and gave me a diagnosis to have asperger's syndrome. This was a couple of years back, so officially the diagnosis should have been autism, but after the initial many years long fight I was too tired to continue it for getting the actually correct diagnosis. But in my own life, I refuse to use asperger's and say I'm an autist. This is because even based on the older criteria, I should have been diagnosed an an autist and never aspie. Potentially even auHDH, but that would also require another losing fight against the windmills, which I simply don't have the strength to do.

[@haydengikwiyakare3495]

Lots of work concerning the stigma around mental health in some parts of africa needs to be done!

[@RadicleMichelle]

I was diagnosed with a general anxiety disorder and Asperger’s in 1991 when I was 13. If I have to label myself now, I still say I’m Aspie just out of habit and I do feel uncomfortable saying I’m autistic because it’s been 33 years and I’m too old for this 😂 Navigating the world is challenging enough.

[@stillnotstill]

It's possible to get used to things. Not saying it's not hard cause uh if you've met me you know I hate change 😅

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

Too old for what? Self-exploration and discovery? At what arbitrary point do we cut ourselves off from those things?

[@Jae-by3hf]

@@GhostIntoTheFoggod leave people alone! You are such a bully!

[@jhfdhgvnbjm75]

@@GhostIntoTheFog when WE feel WE are too old to change.

[@charliesimar7541]

I have never been diagnosed but my grandson has, and I see a lot of similarities between us. Enough to suspect that I am also autistic in some degree. My question is what, if anything, I should do about it. I seem to do OK as long as I pay close attention to what goes around me.

[@oliviakrause3336]

If you don't need an assessment, spare yourself the stress. As long as you can navigate life and feel OK, it's alright. Nothing wrong with being neurodivergent.

[@annecramer7714]

Me too! Also formally diagnosed as an adult as having ADHD as an adult! I suspected one of our children as a baby of having autism over 30 years ago, and is now calling himself "neurodivergent." I want to say "me too," because of my ADHD diagnosis, but at least 3 of our grandchildren (none his) have been diagnosed as "on the spectrum," but only one that has it seriously enough to need to have his parents and grandparents go to sessions that we needed to go to in order to know how to care for him when we babysat. He was preschool at that time, and now almost old enough to babysit himself, and he is doing very well in a non-special school, and functioning very well as a bright, very intelligent & creative young man! As I look back, I am recognizing memories from my childhood that might have been diagnosed more than 60 years ago, had anyone been aware of the syndrome at all.

[@maidende8280]

If you’re functional, you don’t need an official diagnosis. I didn’t get one for that reason, as someone who realised I was an Aspie at 38.

[@strictnonconformist7369]

@@maidende8280depends on your definition of "functional" and the context. When push comes to shove, under enough stress, you'll revert to the lowest-level instincts and autistic traits will overpower masking and trying to push through things. It doesn't matter how old you are, either.

[@maidende8280]

@@strictnonconformist7369 You don’t need more help than the average person to be self- sufficient & contribute to society = functional. ND people likely need DIFFERENT help, but not necessarily more, if they are high-functioning.

[@SeriouslyJaded]

Here in Norway they still use ICD-10 and Asperger’s is still diagnosed term.

[@sorinadutoit3416]

Both my kids (11 and 14) and I were diagnosed late last year. Sure we’re still on the journey, but I don’t think I’ll ever transition from Aspie to Autistic. This is for a few reasons: 1. The general public do not differentiate between different levels of functionality within autism. In our country this means the moment you say you’re autistic, you’re not allowed a drivers license or to work in certain professions. If I told my kids’ school they are autistic, they would be kicked out as they would need to go to a school for kids with disabilities, never mind the fact that they are both top in their class. That’s the rules here. 2. I have a major issue with the word “Disorder”. We don’t have a disorder. We are wired differently. I’ve told my kids that too. What a great way to add onto the shock of their diagnosis by now telling them they have a disorder. All they heard was there’s something wrong with them and now they need to be fixed. It really upset them. 3. I don’t connect with other autistic people. I connect with people like myself. Even my support groups for myself and the kids still use the name Asperger’s. 4. I hear all the talk of unity, but in seeking unity we’re losing the support we need because we’re thrown within a large group with very different support needs. If they chose a different term for Asperger’s that aligns more with our abilities and limitations, I would be open to switch.

[@beknight9399]

I was 2021 diagnosed with "Autism spectrum disorder: Asperger Syndrome". Living in Germany, where ICD-10 is used and ICD-11 is coming step by step. I love to say "I'm autistic", because I know the spectrum and the different difficulties and types. For people with less knowledge, "Aspergers" is the term they have the most information (or they think so 😂). The most problematic term in my opinion is "high functioning", because it denies the need of support and specific problems like to much masking etc.

[@IaconDawnshire]

I was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome's cousin PDD-NOS

[@danielabbey7726]

Same here.

[@BipolarCourage]

Same & subthreshold to ASD. Most PDD-NOS is subthreshold to ASD, apparently.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@BipolarCourage It shouldn't ever have been viewed like that. The way that the diagnostic criteria were being used, you needed to show clear signs relatively early to get any of the autistic spectrum diagnoses. But you had to be at least 18 to be diagnosed with a personality disorder. The result was that the PDD-NOS was absolutely crucial for folks that weren't showing signs early enough for the other developmental disorders, but were still far too young to be considered as having a personality disorder or the like. PDD-NOS could also be a subthreshhold autism, but that shouldn't have been the dominant reason for the diagnosis.

[@kensears5099]

One cannot, if one possesses even the least sense of irony, but register the paradox in talk about an "autistic community" when the very nature of autism (the whole "auto-ness" of autism) resists any such matrix.

[@chey7691]

If people can sort by even the most miniscule of things, they will. But in all honesty, the allistics will do it for us anyway. (And they accuse us of being obsessed with patterns and organization, inflexible hypocrites the lot of them!) May as well use the advantage of numbers, and variable skills to make good PR with them as a genetic minority. We aren't free from their gentle oppression (ableism) unless everyone has the same opportunities afforded. That's why it's so important to start talking amongst each other, so we know for what and why we advocate.

[@strictnonconformist7369]

We are all united in wishing to all be apart!

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

Just the fact that spaces like this exist shows that Autistic community is not a contradiction in terms.

[@kensears5099]

@@GhostIntoTheFog No, and I certainly agree with you. You can't help but feel the irony, though. Also, it's wise, isnt' it, never to get so consumed in "community" that we begin constructing an autism hivemind that pre-empts and suppresses the authenticity of each of us.

[@kensears5099]

@@chey7691 Yes, I am completely on board with that. Still, you can't help notice the irony. Plus, it is wise to keep in mind the dangers of unwittingly but incrementally and, perhaps, inexorably constructing an autistic "hivemind," full of its own groupthink and "in"-code, that gets oppressively controlling and cultish. All humans can fall prey to it--yes, even autists. All people need at least some conceptual orientation of "belonging," even if it's only belonging on this planet and to "humanity" at large, or to one's pets, or one's piano, or (ideally) to one's most precious close circle of trusted friends/family. Because of that need there is a common human vulnerability to cultish, controlling kind of groupthink. Something that repels me viscerally (now, in my wiser older years). I have, yes, even registered some of this (my "antennae" at work) in certain autism forums. I promptly abandoned those. But, note, not here! I find this channel and Paul's commentary to be very healthy.

[@trashpanda1618]

I prefer using the term autism over aspergers. I vaguely recall my psychiatrist referring to it as apergers, but my official diagnosis is ASD level 2 also I feel like my struggles are much more profound and I don't mask very well.

[@chey7691]

It's almost like every single case is different, even if you can loosely group a few. Like you don't hear about the disappearance of PDD-NOS, and those people crying because they don't feel special anymore. Of course it's going to be messy with such a wide range of entry diagnostic criteria, especially when it's only been a few years. When most research on autism is geared towards eradicating us... But it has TWO good things that have come from it. On the individual level it will become easier to assume different levels of diagnostic criteria, and become less likely to slip through cracks. And the second is as a group we will be taken more seriously in research and on our own behalf in general (if we realize self advocacy is best). It's already showing some promise, but I don't expect such a varied group to stand together as a group for long without sufficient motivation... As if ableism isn't enough to fight against, but I've seen the autistic community fight about dumber before. No seriously it's a good thing, as long as it's frequently reminded to others that everyone has different variations and levels of specific needs. Though it's mostly allistics that need that reminder. I delight in using my intelligence and verbosity for advocacy, because there are people who simply can't. Though I can only speak on my own experiences. I have more in common with high needs and nonverbal autistic people that I ever have had with allistics.

[@stillnotstill]

❤❤❤❤

[@peteracton2246]

I say I'm autistic. Lorna Wing coined Asperger's because some parents heard autistic as artistic! True as we get older we can use our intellect to curb our behaviours much more than when we were young. You mention Tony Attwood a few times in this. I rate him and his writings, however recently he seems quite excited about the prospect of autism being omitted from the DSM6 (when it is published). This worries me. I think a revival of Thomas Szasz's views will follow with regard to autism. Then support will be withdrawn and we will be further marginalised and ignored. Cost cutting...

[@Empoweredwoman1234]

I remember my friend talking about Aspergers being the diagnosis that was used to describe people with Autism who were usually very high functioning and intelligent (but not always). Even though I don't have autism myself, I do understand why some people prefer to be identified as being high functioning and mild. I have a vision disability with the technical term 'legally blind". However I never use that word, as it doesn't come close to how my vision works, and it also has too much social stigma with negative sterotypes attached to it. I just tell people I can't see without my glasses. I can only guess that the word 'autism' comes with more negative connotations associated with it.

[@stillnotstill]

So what happens to the people who have no easy way to avoid stigma

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

The Blind community doesn’t consist solely of people with no perceptible vision. Don’t let imposter syndrome keep you from engaging fully with your peers in any disabled group.

[@frenzyviz6296]

Yes.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@GhostIntoTheFog I don't personally consider myself a part of that community, although I arguably am due to issues with processing what I see. People forget that there is a definite spectrum from those that really can't see anything at all to those that can see, but only with corrective lenses to those that can see or not depending on what specifically is going on. I often times can't see things unless I expect them to be there, which can be a bit of an annoyance.

[@sparkeysnowflake]

I prefer the term Asperger's, as is has specific meaning and is a useful distinction for me. Generalizing to Autism seems like a misguided mistake in the DSM, and we don't need to unify with every other disorder in the DSM. If it was named Hitler's syndrome that would be upsetting to 99% of people, whereas the name Asperger's has no historical meaning for 99% of people.

[@romantiachristiana5147]

The psychiatrist who diagnosed me asked me whether it mattered to me if it was called Aspergers or Autism Spectrum. What is in words? There is too much emphasis on publicly identifying oneself with words that mean different things to different people. My diagnosis simply enabled me to gain an element of self-understanding in scientific terms, of no interest to other people. I could simply give inventive answers like calling myself an "eccentric" so that it would take the word out of their mouths. It is sobering to know that Hans Asperger was a signed-up Nazi and collaborated in the "useless-eater" euthanasia programme - but was not prosecuted as a war criminal. Perhaps we need an entirely new word. Again, we don't have to expose ourselves to the world - but rather do things like live in the countryside, go sailing alone on the sea, hike in the mountains, adopt an Idealist / Romantic world view. Thank you for your wonderful videos.

[@DonkeyVoteGirl]

I was diagnosed with Aspergers as a tween and did not identify as autistic for many years. After a long battle with internalised ablism I identify as autistic and don't use the term Aspergers at all. However, my medical documents and official diagnosis still say Aspergers and its very jarring. I am looking to have my diagnosis updated.

[@veronica9634]

i feel like "oh he was a saint, he was saving their lives" is easy to say if you identify with the people he considered "worthy of life" but not if you identify with the autistic people who didn't meet his standards.

[@stillnotstill]

Yeah it's honestly so gross to me when people use HIS NAME as a way to distance themselves from other people... Like not everyone uses the term for that reason but when people do? Sure is a choice.

[@mr.vargas5648]

You make a lot of sense here we are not all the same.

[@janak132]

Asperger's was a diagnosis until DSM-5, where it was absorbed by "Autism Spectrum Diagnosis." Firstly it was very hard to tell the difference between Highly functioning autism and Asperger's Syndrome and indeed several other types of autism. The entire spectrum was hard to diagnose correctly. Lots of people got more or less misdiagnosed. With the new system it is all ASD with specific personal issues and the number of slightly off diagnoses dwindled to practically zero. And the other factor is Hans Asperger carrying out euthanasia orders during WWII. When this came up again even the medical community wanted to push the entire man under the carpet and forget he ever existed. Never mind that having a diagnosis with his name on it suddenly felt troublesome. (To be fair, if he hadn't he would have risked being shot himself. Whether he did this gleefully or under the gun we will never know, but I don't think we really can judge the man because all we have are mixed stories ranging from devil to savior.) According to my doctor the way it works where I live my diagnosis stays forever unless I go get rediagnosed. So I have Asperger's. And personally.. to me that's just a specific diagnosis and has nothing to do with old Hans. It isn't even the same type of autism he worked with. Frankly speaking; us guys whom to others just seem like we are a bit strange and perhaps taking mental health days more often than most.. back then they'd probably just have labeled us with weak nerves or similar, unsuitable for military forces and left us to manage for our selves. (Unless of course we lived in Nazi Germany. In that case if we got ill enough to end up in hospital over "nerves," some doctor would have to decide if we could be useful to the world or just should be euthanized. All German Medical Doctors of those times faced this dilemma and the government simply wouldn't believe you if you never found someone who "didn't deserve to live.")

[@knrdvmmlbkkn]

"Firstly it was (...) and Asperger's Syndrome" Difference? I thought that it was the same thing...

[@janak132]

​@@knrdvmmlbkknMany people think all Asperger's were high functioning, but that isn't true. The key diagnostic criteria that makes for an Asperger's is not having delayed speech development. Asperger's also had a lower requirement for minimum number of symptoms of autism, which is what made it seem like Asperger's were all high functioning. But Asperger's had no maximum number of symptoms.. So someone could be very low functioning but not having late speech development and get an Asperger's diagnosis. Obviously almost everyone who were diagnosed with Autism had delayed speech development and at least two more symptoms, but that didn't mean there couldn't be high functional people among them. So an Asperger's diagnosis weren't a guarantee for being high functioning. With the new ASD diagnosis exactly what ales you is described separately, so High Functioning is what sets you apart.

[@knrdvmmlbkkn]

@@janak132"Many people think (...) that isn't true." Well, at least that (viz. "high functioning autism" and "Asperger's syndrome" being essentially the same concept) is how I've seen it described earlier. "exactly what ales you" I suppose you meant "ails".

[@janak132]

@@knrdvmmlbkkn And yeah, most "sources" haven't read the old diagnostic manuals I think English is not my first language and unless I really focus I'll make mistakes.

[@knrdvmmlbkkn]

@@janak132"And yeah, most (...) manuals I think" While some of them might have... or at least ought to have. I was diagnosed (or should I say misdiagnosed) with high functioning autism and later with Asperger's syndrome (at which point the previous diagnosis wasn't even mentioned!). Hence I was under the impression that both terms meant the same (I hadn't heard of any difference other than the name) but that they hadn't started using the latter yet by the time of the first diagnosis. So all of a sudden I had two axes to grind rather than just one. "English is not my first language" Not my either. So I wondered if "ales" might refer to something else than beer.

[@Jae-by3hf]

Putting everyone into a spectrum box is not helpful for everyone! Telling people I’m autistic is met with: “you don’t look autistic” and then proceeded to be treated like a neurotypical! You have two little entitled combative trolls, trying to bully people into submission and this is what we have to deal with in the outside world! People should be free to call themselves whatever they want, without being bullied. People outside of the “community” do not know what being on the spectrum means, it’s meaningless to them if you are not ASD2 or 3! Also ASD 1,2 &3 sound a lot like hierarchy to me 🥴 The world is not america & aspergers should have been renamed, not taken away and now this spectrum has made life difficult for us who are high functioning autism (am I even allowed to call it that). This is also another issue, what are even the correct terms? We are tripping over ourselves to use terms to suit those who favour the spectrum term. There is no listening to a difference of opinion and only the loudest bullies get to he heard! The diagnosis of aspergers is useful for people like me who are not little white boys, who get all the grace. There is no community, when people refuse to listen to other peoples needs & how it affects others!

[@nanimalgirlEssie]

Here in The Netherlands, I have heard someone get an asperger diagnosis passed 2013. I believe it was as late as between 2015 and 2018. From what I see around me, information on autism and how it presents can still be very limited for kids and adults in this country, though it does depend on where you live and who you happen to have as professional help/therapist, etc. I hope more information in Dutch within the community will change this more and more. On the other hand, it looks like the very controversial trend of ABA therapy from the US is actually picking up here instead of subsiding like it seems to do in (parts of?) America. I am also hoping this trend is temporary and won't reach the level it has in the USA. I prefer to see other therapies used. Please note that all my information in this comment is based on hearsay, or is anecdotal and/or personal opinion.

[@dannybarrett1742]

I'm as yet undiagnosed, and perhaps I might just be a highly sensitive person (HSP - I've been diagnosed as a HSP with high sensory seeking tendencies, but autism seems to be a better fit from what I can tell - Occam's razor suggests a simpler diagnosis, rather than multiple things that essentially add up to the same thing). If I'm autistic, I would fit the Asperger's diagnostic requirements because I didn't have a speech delay and I'm academically gifted in my areas of interest (with no real disadvantage in other areas, other than being mildly dyslexic). It's hard to know which I'd use out of Aspergers and Autism as a label for myself. Aspie would be less likely to cause me problems in my career, but Autism is the current proper term. I understand the historical problem with Dr Asperger, but most people don't know about that, it's a known term that's more specifically aligned with how I present, and the condition itself wasn't invented by him - the condition already existed long before he was a glint in his father's eye (it was just described by and named after him). On the other hand, Aspie is on its way out as a term. I like the simple term, but it's no longer the term du jour. Perhaps I'm a mental sports-car: quite a bit more mental horsepower than the average "Dad's taxi," but needing quite a bit more TLC and maintenance than the average Dad's taxi to keep me in proper running order.

[@PlanetZhooZhoo]

Someone I know here in the UK was just professionally diagnosed with Asperger's... in 2024! That suggests their assessor has not kept up to date, or that the diagnostic criteria in England have not yet aligned with the DSM-5. There is literature on the fact that new diagnostic terms and official conditions take around 20 years to be fully embraced by the medical community!

[@kariannefimland1475]

here in Norway as well, we do not use the DSM 5. So I got the diagnosis Aspergers in 2023 (or 2022). Many countries do not use the DSM 5 as a diagonostic criteria. I never got why they needed to change it.

[@Synchrodipity]

The NHS is still using the ICD-10 definitions and will not change to the ICD-11 until the internal NHS databases (SNOMED) have been updated. That's not because of shoddy NHS services, it just takes time because the database is massive and the coding is different. The same is true in much of Europe. In the UK, the DSM 5 is mostly used in private assessments. NHS clinicians do refer to it, but it isn't the default literature.

[@au9parsec]

As far as my language delays I have ASD one since I had very little to no language delay, but as far as my support needs I have ASD two since I still require substantial support

[@Catlily5]

Same here but I was still diagnosed with level 2.

[@au9parsec]

@@Catlily5 I was diagnosed way back in the 80s long before they started using the terms level one, level two and level three autism. Back during the 80s they were using the terms mild, moderate and severe autism instead since they didn't have as good of an understanding about the autism spectrum as they do now, so I was assuming that significant developmental delays was a part of level two autism especially since it says that significant developmental delays is a part of level two autism when reading the three basic levels of autism severity. An autistic person who is the opposite of me would be someone who had significant developmental delays growing up but only requires minimal support after entering adulthood.

[@Catlily5]

@@au9parsec I was not diagnosed as a child. I had trouble potty training. I had a rocky start in preschool and missed half of kindergarten because the preschool teacher said I wasn't socializing properly. But kindergarten was optional back then. Elementary school went pretty well. I had problems socializing in junior high school and got badly depressed. But I didn't get diagnosed until an adult being a female and my mental health problems hid my autism.

[@au9parsec]

@@Catlily5 understood. I was first evaluated for autism back when I first started attending school because I was unable to take directions from my preschool teacher, since I didn't notice when ever someone was trying to communicate with me. Other than that the only delays I had was understanding how to read and write and how to do multiplication tables and division in math since it took me until I had graduated from grade school to finally learn how to read and write and how to do multiplication tables and division in math. But after entering adulthood I had found that trying to work a full time job was far too stressful for me because of my autism which is why I receive financial assistance from the state.

[@Catlily5]

@@au9parsec I am on disability too. I got on it for mental illness. Turns out that I have autism as well.

[@nighttrain1565]

I still use the term asperger's. It just explains exactly what it is

[@ninaleach6350]

What do you think it means though? I don't oppose anyone using the term but many don't know why they do. Usually people think it means mild or high functioning but we know now that that's misleading. The spectrum isn't linear. We're all autistic. We all have our own unique characteristics. The levels now reflect support needs.

[@jliller]

@@ninaleach6350 I think it's a useful distinction because, in general, ASD2 and ASD3 have a lot more in common with each other compared to ASD2 and ASD1 in terms of when the diagnosis usually happens, kind of support needed, and amount of functionality. Also, at least in my case (ASD1), I have trouble dealing with ASD2 and ASD3. Among other things, they tend to overstimulate me.

[@nighttrain1565]

@ninaleach6350 I grew up with pretty severe physical form of Tourette syndrome and it's common knowledge that Asperger's kind of comes hand-in-hand with it. It's just easier to say Asperger's and then when people say what is that you say high functioning autism and that's the end of it. But when you start saying numbers and details they immediately think you are self obsessive and a neurotic and roll their eyes and assume you are self-diagnosed from the internet. When you say you have Asperger's it actually gives it more legitimacy because you have to explain yourself because you are older than they are🤣

[@nighttrain1565]

@@ninaleach6350 .

[@nighttrain1565]

@@ninaleach6350 reply won't hyperlink on new phone

[@srice6231]

I have always resented that it was a bunch of professionals who aren't Autistic decided we couldn't say Asperger's. Also, lumping everyone together causes many people to hide who they are and not talking about their diagnosis and go back to masking.

[@Catlily5]

The professionals can control what you are diagnosed with but they can't control what you call yourself.

[@AndreaHausberg-yt5qx]

People should have kept the Aspergers term. Then there would be less accusations of people saying you're not autistic or you don't look autistic. With Aspergers most people understand that you're quite normal with disabilities and that matches what they see. But being put together with highly impaired people does noone good. Neither the heavily impaired nor us.

[@Catlily5]

The doctors couldn't agree upon or find a dividing line between Asperger's and autism so they lumped it all together. There are medium level people. Not everyone is low or Asperger's.

[@aussiejubes]

Hans Asperger was essentially picking out the "good" autistics & labelling them Aspies. They were the chosen ones. No matter whether people think he did it for better or worse, the result was elevating some people above others & we do not need to do that. I couldn't care less if people use the label, but i don't think it needs to exist. I'm very comfortable with there being a spectrum. I'm on it somewhere & i love that i don't have to specify where.

[@Synchrodipity]

No, he was not labelling children as Aspies, he diagnosed kids as having 'Autistic Psychopathy', potentially based on the work of Grunya Sukhareva, a Jewish Russian psychiatrist who worked with autistic kids twenty years before him. The term 'Asperger's Syndrome' was introduced by Lorna Wing in about 1981, after she met with Hans Asperger in London. She saw that kids were missing out on diagnosis because they had lower support needs and wanted to address prejudice from parents who weren't seeking a standard diagnosis.

[@aussiejubes]

@Synchrodipity was he, or was he not, giving kids he felt deserved it, a different diagnosis in order to elevate them & their circumstances above other kids ? I'm not an expert on the nitty gritty, but this is why people don't like the term aspergers. He essentially deemed some kids more worthy. For reasons that were coming from a good or bad place I don't know or care, that's not the point.

[@Synchrodipity]

@@aussiejubes No, I do not believe that was his motive.

[@aussiejubes]

@Synchrodipity I believe it was. It's the one consistent thing that's told about him. Somebody who cares more than me can look it up & find out for sure if they're motivated to.

[@Synchrodipity]

@@aussiejubes Autism itself became my special interest which I was waiting for assessment. He was already working in Vienna before Nazis invaded, and like any paediatrician, he worked within a specialist field. He lived through very difficult times, and we'll probably never fully know his full motives, but without him more children would have been killed.

[@flamencoprof]

The map is not the territory. Redrawing a map does not change the geography. Just because someone creates a category, does not oblige "reality" to conform to/fit into that category.

[@schiffelers3944]

This isn´t meant personal, but a lot of this was paradoxical in the big picture: *Diversity paradox* - we all share something in common - autistic or not. It made me think about other diversity movements, that I have more repore with (neurodiversity* and gender & sexual diversity). This reminds me of the "queer" push from this era. I personally have intellectual and emotional issues with these kind's of; "newer, better, socially appropriate/accepted terms" post 2012, and the influences of social media's + misinformations, etc. *Neurodiversity includes autism as well. *PATHOLOGIZING* is the term I would like to introduce in this paradoxical context. IMHO: mono vs poly mindsets / frames of mind play a big part in this concept as well. Mono being very binary and mainstream, and might I add very bipolar/borderline Poly being very complex and having many levels of conscious understanding of paradoxes and parallel's of reality in general, aka diversity. The bigger picture, our societies are broken and broke in many ways. Capitalism/economics intersecting with a lot of the problems. Fundings & trends in medicine/science for instance. ADHD to Autism, they all had their hype era's. And terms losing their meanings by the way they are used/abused. Asperger was Austrian, Kanner was American. WE ALL KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN SUPERIORITY, and it's propaganda's = BIGGER PICURE This video began with: US (psychiatrists?) DECIDED to modify the terminology of.... 2013 & other social impacts with social media & smart phones. Very similar to the queer push... LIMITARIANISM should be a bigger topic in all "communities" - that is an answer to one of the majory sources of our problems. Division in what one is given access towards or not. Healthcare, education, a good life filled with friends and family and bonding times with them??? This is not the way USA looks in reality - that was just a dream!

[@KristianDuusstergaard]

Fyi in Denmark people are still being diagnosed as having Aspergers Syndrome. Personally I've switched to calling myself autistic or AuDHD depending on the context.

[@babbagebrassworks4278]

Was in my 40's when someone said I might have Asperger's. Huh? Did online test scored 100% My Mr Spock/Captain Kirk moment. This year at 64 I figured out I am also ADHD, just the Distractable Daydreamer version not the Bouncing of the walls type. Did call myself Aspie, getting used to ASD but I prefer ND, Neurodivergent. To me it is just different brain wiring that has some benefits and some issues. A superpower with Kryptonite.

[@Sn0wShepherd]

It is easier to say ASPIE than middle-function ASD

[@GhostIntoTheFog]

Functioning labels are as ableist as they are medically meaningless. How about just saying “Autistic” and explaining what your Individual traits and needs are. What a concept.

[@Sn0wShepherd]

@@GhostIntoTheFog Fascinating concept. I wonder how the inclusivists and the intersectionalists would identify themselves were it to be implemented? I agree with you! Why label someone? Why label yourself? Why not obfuscate the differentials with umbrella terms and blanket statements instead? Anyone and anything of any age could eventually qualify for the job title of Mother.

[@knrdvmmlbkkn]

"It is easier (...) middle-function ASD" Middle? Surely it would be high-fuctioning autism or ASD level 1.

[@LouieLouie505]

I disliked the hierarchy that developed around having Asperger as more valuable and honorable than other types. "At least I have only Asperger's" has a terrible ring to it. Saying someone is 'high functioning' sets up a pecking order that is not beneficial and is inaccurate. Also, I disliked the ease that some people had in assuming Asperger's as an identity rather than a descriptor. People are more than their alleged deficits and that is what should be emphasized no matter the so-called disability under discussion. I have spent several decades now working with people who have all kinds of 'disabilities'; I am more certain than ever that it does no one good to feel superior over others who need more supports for daily living. One of the defining characteristics of autism is recognizing we share socially challenging immutable characteristics. Rather than maintaining silos of differences, It does everyone more good to work together as people who understand the struggles and benefits of autism.

[@trinnyj1451]

😊

[@Adek_KB]

Side note: some countries that do not rely on DSMV (and/or ICD11 was not yet translated there) will STILL officially diagnose you with aspergers, not ASD!

[@rsh793]

I don't know, I kind of miss "aspie" it makes it sound easy and nice and sort of not scary to people as it's not. Maybe I'm just old! 🤷 Plus I'm not in America so hey DSM-V doesn't count 😁

[@MBKill3rCat]

Categories are useful and have utility, that's why we invent them. Asperger's Syndrome is a useful label, for reasons you've already mentioned, and should stick around imo. I don't care if it offends anyone.

[@stillnotstill]

Slurs are categories that have informational utility Do you support slurs for their informational utility If not why not

[@MBKill3rCat]

@@stillnotstill A slur usually has a synonym without the extra baggage. 'Autism' and 'Asperger's Syndrome' are not synonyms.

[@stillnotstill]

"Asperger's syndrome (also known as Asperger's disorder or simply Asperger's) was retired as an official diagnosis in 2013. Asperger's syndrome now is diagnosed as level 1 autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or autism with low support needs." No Nazi baggage and a way to differentiate beyond autism as a general term. 👍

[@MBKill3rCat]

@@stillnotstill "ASD level 1" is I'm sure a useful diagnosis in clinical settings, but it's not very human; it's clunky and awkward and would sound weird if you used that term to describe yourself to a typical person. They also probably wouldn't even know what it means unless they were themselves autistic, were related to someone who is, or worked in a field that required them to have such knowledge. Personally I couldn't care less about 'Nazi baggage', it seems silly to pretend that Germany stopped existing between 1933 and 1945. German rocket scientists put Americans on the moon, and despite being complicit in using slave labour (and worse), they still get statues and public buildings named after them. Even if Asperger was an avid supporter of the Party (which doesn't seem to be the case), in my opinion that wouldn't negate his medical/scientific contributions.

[@stillnotstill]

Not that you care but is it against KZbin rules to say I despise someone _just wondering_

[@flashingturtle6505]

i still tell most people i have aspergers as its easier for them to grasp, and you get the 'youre not autistic' line less

[@tgs5725]

The irony in trying to tell an autistic persom to not be overly descriptive and exact with their description of their autism is wild.

[@Catlily5]

You can be just as detailed in saying level 1 autism as saying Asperger's.

[@tgs5725]

@@Catlily5 no you cannot

[@jbr84tx]

I always thought of Asperger's as Autism Lite. A milder form of autism. I would really like to see a linear gradation of severity, or amount of disability, say from 0 to 10.

[@veracuman9018]

There are many countries in wich aspergers is still a dx. I'm a late dx autistic. My evaluator told me I met autism criteria, not aspergers, but almost all the people I know here who is late diagnosed is diagnosed with asperger. TODAY.

[@knrdvmmlbkkn]

00:00 What happened to cause people to use the word "whatever" when "what" would be correct?

[@DumahRagnarok]

I considered myself an undiagnosed autistic man like 4 years ago (I'm 32) and didn't want to think I was broken. It turned out I was diagnosed as Asperger at 4 but my parents told me last week just to avoid labels in my childhood and adolescence. How can I fix this utterly unnecesary trauma?

[@knrdvmmlbkkn]

"How can I fix this utterly unnecesary trauma?" I don't know, but I'd sure like to know.

[@Catlily5]

Sorry that happened to you. Allow yourself to grieve and go on with your life. You can't undo it.

[@jeremyg7261]

2-3 years ago when I decided to go in for evaluation as 39 year old.. I was told Asperger was already phased out at the time and they don’t give it anymore and all just the one spectrum- which just felt so terrible, because the spectrum IS SO WIDE SWEEPING- oh your son is on the autism spectrum- how old was he before he became verbal- when the son is actually 2e with 130 but 90 memory.. and then reframe your lifetime of struggle. Here in the states.. and I was like.. so if I came in a year or two ago.. I’d have Asperger’s on record as a diagnosis but now it’s just yeah spectrum.. from a nonverbal like my cousin was.. to gifted. Just a spectrum of 60-140 iq. What could go wrong??? Surely gifted kids won’t struggle and get traumatized by having a label that is equal to the entire opposite side of the spectrum- like, yes they are both autistic but they need ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TYPES of help to succeed… smh.. surely people won’t get their lives ruined by removing Asperger’s and will 100% get the support needed in early school without the burden and damage to self worth and no stigma traumatizing will ever happen.. Missed 2e students that burn out during college? Say whattt…??? /end

[@stillnotstill]

Wow it's almost like people need to have their needs evaluated and met on an individual level and that was the case even before

[@annecramer7714]

I was also "gifted" as a child, and was put in gifted classes throughout grades 1-12 (in USA). The psychologist who diagnosed me as an adult (by referral from my psychiatrist I was seeing for Depression), and the ADHD - diagnosed was surprised that I didn't struggle through school! Everyone's journeys are unique!

[@maidende8280]

Retardism & Asperger’s are not remotely the same and they shouldn’t be lumped together!

[@strictnonconformist7369]

The IQ range is wider than that, overall.

[@stillnotstill]

WOW IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE SHOULDN'T USE SLURS Wow it's almost like using them is bad but acting like you can't possibly be in a group with "those other" people is disgusting

[@nattance1]

I'm just congenitally addled, I think.