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CockneyRebel
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21 Jul 2010, 5:10 pm

I'm HFA, because I did have a bit of a speech delay.


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pippilngstkngpr
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26 Jul 2010, 2:58 am

I am still a little confused.

I don't know how to elaborate my question. But thank you for the replies.

I appreciate them.



capriwim
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26 Jul 2010, 5:11 am

My understanding, from what I read, is that the so-called experts haven't agreed on a definite distinction between Aspergers and autism. Some say it's about whether there was a speech delay, and others say that it's about IQ, and others say both those distinctions are meaningless. The lack of agreement seems to be why they want to get rid of the label 'Asperger Syndrome' altogether.

How I describe myself depends on who I'm talking to, what they understand, how much they need to know, what I wish to convey. I sometimes say 'I'm on the autistic spectrum', sometimes say 'I've got Asperger Syndrome', and sometimes say 'I've got a disability which makes me hypersensitive to sensory stuff.' I prefer 'on the autistic spectrum' as a definition, because it draws attention to the fact that it is a spectrum, and that I am not necessarily going to fit someone's stereotype of Aspergers.


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pippilngstkngpr
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30 Jul 2010, 1:46 am

capriwim wrote:
My understanding, from what I read, is that the so-called experts haven't agreed on a definite distinction between Aspergers and autism. Some say it's about whether there was a speech delay, and others say that it's about IQ, and others say both those distinctions are meaningless. The lack of agreement seems to be why they want to get rid of the label 'Asperger Syndrome' altogether.

How I describe myself depends on who I'm talking to, what they understand, how much they need to know, what I wish to convey. I sometimes say 'I'm on the autistic spectrum', sometimes say 'I've got Asperger Syndrome', and sometimes say 'I've got a disability which makes me hypersensitive to sensory stuff.' I prefer 'on the autistic spectrum' as a definition, because it draws attention to the fact that it is a spectrum, and that I am not necessarily going to fit someone's stereotype of Aspergers.


I got it. I understand what you mean. Which also help me understand what everyone else meant. I understand that. Thanks



fuzzbot
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30 Jul 2010, 2:32 am

i have been diagnosed HFA and AS and i do not believe AS should be on the ASD spectrum. people who have aspergers are not autistic. deal with it.



Callista
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30 Jul 2010, 5:48 am

'Course they are, silly. Asperger's is on the autism spectrum; everybody knows that. Do the research.


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fuzzbot
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30 Jul 2010, 6:32 am

Haha so do you believe in green eggs and ham because you read dr suess too??

i know it is on the spectrum, but i'm in the camp who thinks it should not be. and moreover, the fact that it is, is disgusting and an insult to actual autistic ppl. that is just what i think though. and everyone here thinks i'm a fake 'troll' so who cares anyway.

this place is weird. the people like to s**t all over doctors but then they use information by doctors to back themselves up. all a bit convenient!! !! !! !! !! !! :roll:

"doctors suck they are biased and stupid and not to be trusted"

"no no aspergers is autism cause the research by these doctors says so"

classic!! !! !! !!



Callista
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30 Jul 2010, 7:09 am

I don't say Asperger's and autism are the same thing because the doctors say so; I say it because I read the same journals the doctors read (or should be reading), and have come to that conclusion based on the research.

And some doctors--a minority, but some--don't believe AS is on the autism spectrum. They tend to be doctors who focus on speech delay as the defining characteristic of autism, with everything else as minor secondary characteristics. I disagree with them because speech in AS is highly unusual most of the time, and the other traits are not minor--they're in many cases the most significant aspects of the case.

Then there's my own case--n=1, of course, so it's not any better than a case study--but it gives me a good example of someone who is smack-dab in between "autistic disorder" and "asperger's disorder", with traits from both. As a little kid, I could've been diagnosed Autistic Disorder; now, I'm practically a classic case of Asperger's, with only the childhood history telling me any different. There are lots like me.

Insulting classic autistics by associating ourselves with them? No. As I've said, my particular case, and that of most Aspies', is very close to theirs; and when it comes to the very profoundly autistic, the ones they use for the "awareness" ads, even they have a lot in common with us. (Plus, I've met an autie who can't live on his own or take care of himself, but has a job with his "supported employment" people that I could never do because my sensory issues would make me go nuts in about two seconds... well, two hours, actually, but you get what I mean. Point being that he's better at it than I am, so I can't say he's more impaired than me in every area--and he's not a special case, he's just a random autistic who happens to illustrate my point.)

Just severity isn't a good criterion to use to call something a different disorder. You know how some people with cerebral palsy have just a limp, and others are quadriplegic with very little controllable movement? It's still the same diagnosis. Autism is similar: You can be slightly affected, or profoundly, but it's autism either way.

Now, granted, some people think that Asperger's is a distinct subtype of autism; and that, you may be able to make some kind of case for (though I think it's not a good enough case to justify actually making it a subtype). But not autism at all? No. That's beyond silly; we know too much now to claim Asperger's isn't a kind of autism.


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capriwim
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30 Jul 2010, 7:19 am

In practical terms, for dealing with a condition, it seems to me a bit daft to focus on the age at which language was acquired. All that does is tell you a fact about the person's early childhood - which is unlikely to be relevant to the current difficulties a person may be experiencing. Two people with autistic behaviours and brain patterns may have developed language at different ages, but still be presenting the same as adults. Alternatively, they may have developed language at the same age, but be presenting very differently as adults. So, to me, the separation of 'Asperger Syndrome' into a different condition is a bit artificial and not very helpful.

The research using brain imaging so far seems to show the same thing happening in the brain for both Aspergers and HFA. So the only difference is the rather random one of age of language acquisition - which can be dependent on so many other things. Even typically-developing kids vary quite widely as to the age of language acquisition.


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capriwim
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30 Jul 2010, 7:26 am

fuzzbot wrote:
i have been diagnosed HFA and AS and i do not believe AS should be on the ASD spectrum. people who have aspergers are not autistic. deal with it.


How do you personally define the difference between AS and HFA? And how did the professional(s) who diagnosed you define it? What (in your understanding) makes you different from someone with AS?


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fuzzbot
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30 Jul 2010, 7:07 pm

callista, sorry i do not have time to quote and properly reply. but i think everything you said is completely wrong. the comparsion you made with severely affected autistics was very disturbing. your situation does not even compare. you really think that cause this dude can hold a (likely horrible menial) job and you can't that you have as severe autism as him? man, that is SICKENING.



fuzzbot
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30 Jul 2010, 7:09 pm

capriwim - i don't define it. the peices of paper do. my pieces of paper say i was changed from HFA to AS because i developed very strong communication skills and stopped my 'classic autistic' behaviours. if AS has ANYTHING to do with Autism, it is the residue, nothing else.



capriwim
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31 Jul 2010, 1:55 pm

fuzzbot wrote:
capriwim - i don't define it. the peices of paper do. my pieces of paper say i was changed from HFA to AS because i developed very strong communication skills and stopped my 'classic autistic' behaviours. if AS has ANYTHING to do with Autism, it is the residue, nothing else.


Ah, so your diagnoser defines the difference in terms of current communication skills and behaviours that you have learnt. The idea that strategies you employ define your condition. That is not a standard diagnostic differentiator, and seems illogical to me, but I guess it is the one you choose to accept as the definition, and suits your self-understanding.


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