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Why is aspergers considered a "disability"

BradT

Well-Known Member
People with aspergers are supposed to be on the higher end of the autism spectrum while we are supposed to be intelligent. Why is aspergers even considered a part of autism?
 
People with aspergers are supposed to be on the higher end of the autism spectrum while we are supposed to be intelligent. Why is aspergers even considered a part of autism?
Like everything hi functioning autism is unique to that person people usually have enough traits to be diagnosed as autistic but not exactly the same as the next person ,if you are a citizen of the UK the Government are trying to declassify mild high functioning autism.
But a lot of people on the autism spectrum disagree. Even people with the label middle functioning autism or low functioning autism aren't necessarily as disabled as somebody else for instance I have a problem with written English and reading English
Somebody with low functioning autism probably wouldn't have a problem reading but might have a problem writing or somebody with middle functioning autism might have a problem with either ,it depends on it disables you.
But because somebody with low functioning autism may be labelled as non-verbal they couldn't tell people they could read.
 
I can't answer the last part of your question however...

Asperger's proves to be a disability in many ways. Social skills is a major one which could be broken into many sub categories, (lack of) adaptability, anxiety, melt downs, obsessions can cause lack of focus on important matters at hand in life. I'm sure other members could think of many more items. I am a relatively mild case and don't suffer from the anxiety or obsessions anymore (I outgrew it) that aspergers folks often do, or the need to follow a routine.

We are intelligent typically however when you think about it, how far does intelligence usually get you in today's society? If you apply it right you can use it make an impressive income. Beyond that? We live in an increasingly anti-intellectual society. Obsessed with celebrities, sports, fashion, false political issues. Anything important that matters is given little value it often seems.
 
Asperger Syndrome is considered part of autism because people on the higher end of the spectrum have similar traits, but they don't come bundled with severe limiting disabilities like both my brothers who for instance have absolutely no understanding of the value or money, they can't count, tell the time, read / write or do many other things required to survive in this world without direct assistance.

Asperger Syndrome has advantages regarding intelligence along with often being extremely good at a special interest, but it also comes with various extra challenges that make it more difficult to learn to live in a mainly NT world. If the less desirable traits are handled and controlled well enough, then it's no longer in my opinion a disability and there's lots of very successful people with Asperger Syndrome.
 
People with aspergers are supposed to be on the higher end of the autism spectrum while we are supposed to be intelligent. Why is aspergers even considered a part of autism?

Have you achieved independence? Do you work, pay your own bills? Do you have long-term friendships and perhaps a romantic relationship? If you can answer yes to all of these, I am not surprised you don't get the "handicap" label, for an aspie that can manage all of these things is a fortunate one indeed. For many of us, these components of life are agonizingly difficult to achieve and maintain. Those of us in this all too common situation understand very well how AS can be a handicap. I have managed all these things, in an ugly, halting, desperate way. And though it looks good on paper, the daily toll on me is severe. I'm not the only one.
 
I live at home, because I'm a full time student, but I don't have long-term friendshps or a romantic relationship.
 
I live at home, because I'm a full time student, but I don't have long-term friendshps or a romantic relationship.
I guess you haven't got to the stage in life where these really start to matter. And they are going to start to matter a lot more.

Automations and Artificial intelligence will mean that many jobs and much more of life will rely on social interaction and providing 'customer experiences' that we might struggle with. In other words being able to socially interact is going to be the primary qualification for a job.

Also knowing things and manipulating information will increasing become the domain of self learning programmes. Computer software- currently the domain of geeks and nerds- is starting to write itself. Only 14% of people on the spectrum in the UK have full time jobs apparently. It think that is quiet disabling.

I have already come to grief in jobs because of politics and lack of social skills. I also find that attention to detail and lack of coordination affect me adversely in some functions too.
 
Part of it is the narrow definition of "disability" which is very able-bodied/conformist/NT -centric.

Someone is a wheelchair is constantly faced with problems in a building without proper ramps, elevators, and bathrooms. In a building that accommodates their needs in this way (which also accommodates parents with strollers and the elderly with walkers,) they can do whatever their co-worker does when it comes to many jobs.

When we ask for a quieter spot or better lighting, we are "trouble makers" but other workers get special chairs for their carpal tunnel. What is the difference?

How many of us do our jobs well but find ourselves in trouble because we don't find chatting with our co-workers very interesting? Or that we don't see the point in greeting someone we just greeted five minutes ago when we are thinking about a knotty problem we have to solve? I've been shunned in jobs just because I didn't have what my co-workers considered the proper enthusiasm for sporting events. What does any of this have to do with our actual work?

Some bosses regard their workers as their property, somehow, and will grab someone at random to attend a conference or travel to a customer, even though we weren't hired for that. Then we are in trouble if we refuse or things go badly; when we should not have been asked in the first place.

People in the work world are advised not to let on that they have a disability if they can hide it; which means people with hearing or sight or other problems work twice as hard as everyone else.

That's why. We are "disabled." But only because the world only accommodates the ones they want to treat right, and lets the rest of us struggle on our own.
 
I can't answer the last part of your question however...

Asperger's proves to be a disability in many ways. Social skills is a major one which could be broken into many sub categories, (lack of) adaptability, anxiety, melt downs, obsessions can cause lack of focus on important matters at hand in life. I'm sure other members could think of many more items. I am a relatively mild case and don't suffer from the anxiety or obsessions anymore (I outgrew it) that aspergers folks often do, or the need to follow a routine.

We are intelligent typically however when you think about it, how far does intelligence usually get you in today's society? If you apply it right you can use it make an impressive income. Beyond that? We live in an increasingly anti-intellectual society. Obsessed with celebrities, sports, fashion, false political issues. Anything important that matters is given little value it often seems.
I don't have melt downs, I do have anxiety and I obsess.
 
Part of it is the narrow definition of "disability" which is very able-bodied/conformist/NT -centric.

Someone is a wheelchair is constantly faced with problems in a building without proper ramps, elevators, and bathrooms. In a building that accommodates their needs in this way (which also accommodates parents with strollers and the elderly with walkers,) they can do whatever their co-worker does when it comes to many jobs.

When we ask for a quieter spot or better lighting, we are "trouble makers" but other workers get special chairs for their carpal tunnel. What is the difference?

How many of us do our jobs well but find ourselves in trouble because we don't find chatting with our co-workers very interesting? Or that we don't see the point in greeting someone we just greeted five minutes ago when we are thinking about a knotty problem we have to solve? I've been shunned in jobs just because I didn't have what my co-workers considered the proper enthusiasm for sporting events. What does any of this have to do with our actual work?

Some bosses regard their workers as their property, somehow, and will grab someone at random to attend a conference or travel to a customer, even though we weren't hired for that. Then we are in trouble if we refuse or things go badly; when we should not have been asked in the first place.

People in the work world are advised not to let on that they have a disability if they can hide it; which means people with hearing or sight or other problems work twice as hard as everyone else.

That's why. We are "disabled." But only because the world only accommodates the ones they want to treat right, and lets the rest of us struggle on our own.

A bit like dolphins versus other kinds of fish or

Dogs versus other edible animals
 
I am disabled by the way other people treat me and by nothing else. If I have to be defined as having a "disability" so that I am protected from harassment at work, so be it. However, I lament the fact that it does have to be defined as a disability and not just as any other protected difference such as gender, sexuality, or race. Maybe in the future it will be defined that way, and then people who are different in this way but aren't held back by it will fall under the definition of neurodiverse/ASD as well.
 
First of all, not all Aspies are intelligent. Asperger's isn't an official diagnosis anymore (at least not under the DSM), but to be diagnosed with it you only had to have an IQ over the threshold for intellectual disability. Secondly, we can be considered disabled in many ways: social interaction and communication, emotional regulation, tolerance of sensory stimuli, etc. There's nothing wrong with having a disability; it doesn't mean you're lesser or that you can't achieve great things.
 
First of all, not all Aspies are intelligent. Asperger's isn't an official diagnosis anymore (at least not under the DSM), but to be diagnosed with it you only had to have an IQ over the threshold for intellectual disability. Secondly, we can be considered disabled in many ways: social interaction and communication, emotional regulation, tolerance of sensory stimuli, etc. There's nothing wrong with having a disability; it doesn't mean you're lesser or that you can't achieve great things.

You said that so well. Many so-called low functioning autistics are actually highly intelligent and have high IQ scores. They just can't talk or communicate or regulate their behavior in a manner that enables them to live on their own or hold jobs or establish/maintain relationships like marriage.
 
A "disorder" or "disability". Whatever. It all seems to really boil down to the ability- or not to navigate and integrate into a Neurotypical world.

That the more difficulty one encounters for any variety of reasons, the more apt that the term "disability" is applied whether it really fits or not. IMO it's just another "scarlet letter" a majority of society is so apt to place upon any minority.

A distinction of social dominance predicated only on a mathematical majority and little else. o_O
 
Why is aspergers even considered a part of autism?

The line between Asperger's and classic autism without intellectual disability and with minimal/no language impairment as adults is very, very blurry.

Two people with Asperger's could be more different from each other than a person with Asperger's and a person with classic autism, depending on the individuals.


People with aspergers are supposed to be on the higher end of the autism spectrum while we are supposed to be intelligent.

People with classic autism ("Autistic Disorder" or "Childhood Autism") and PDD-NOS/Atypical Autism can have a full scale IQ (FSIQ) score that falls anywhere from severe intellectual disability to genius.

The reason that people with higher IQ scores are over-represented in Asperger's is that having an average or above average IQ is/was required for diagnosis. ("Average or above average" starts somewhere between 70 and 85, the exact cut-off score depends on the test used and the definitions used by the clinician/researcher.) I suspect that if you looked at the IQ scores of all autistic people (including aspies) as a group, the scores would form a bell curve distribution very similar to that of the non-autistic general population.
 
("Average or above average" starts somewhere between 70 and 85, the exact cut-off score depends on the test used and the definitions used by the clinician/researcher.) I suspect that if you looked at the IQ scores of all autistic people (including aspies) as a group, the scores would form a bell curve distribution very similar to that of the non-autistic general population.

I would be curious if there is any specific data on this. Just from personal observation I would say people with high functioning autism at least, do seem to be more intelligent on average. I really don't have experience with move severe cases. These forums alone, I would say folks on here tend to sound more well written and intelligent than the general population on average.
 
Perhaps, but why should it be defined as a disability when many of us are more capable than our NT counterparts? Because I don't like making eye contact? Because I say the wrong thing sometimes? How about some of the NTs I know that can't even do their jobs properly?
 
Perhaps, but why should it be defined as a disability when many of us are more capable than our NT counterparts?

It's not about logic, but about how society prioritizes conformity.

For us, it's almost a non-sequitur. For them? It's damn near everything. :eek:


Who needs "1984" when it's really that way all the time ? ;)
 
Average human IQ is 100. That is how the scale is defined. By most scales, 70 or below is considered retarded, 130 or above is gifted, and 150 or above is genius or near-genius level.

The way I see it, autism has pretty much nothing to do with low IQ. Mental retardation is a possible comorbid condition associated with autism, but even the people most profoundly affected by autism can have high IQs. Because of the way the autistic brain is wired, the condition allows for potentially very intelligent people with very high IQs, probably beyond the range that neurotypicals can reach. Pretty much any genius from history is said to have had autistic traits. It just doesn't seem like a disability to me. Not that there's anything wrong with having a disability, but I just don't feel that I am any less able that anyone else at doing anything that I put my mind to. Unless you define NTs as having a disability because they tend to be less capable than we are at certain things, then I don't think it's fair to classify us as having a disability because we also have certain limitations.
 

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