#aspergers

ifihadmypickofwishes:

autism-fucking-rocks:

The problem with the Asperger’s label

This post contains mentions of the Holocaust, ableism, and eugenics. Please do not read if you are sensitive to these topics.

—————————————

There have been conversations regarding whether the term Asperger’s should still be used in the autism community. This post will explain the biggest issue I and other people have with the label. There’s no way to gently segue into this so I’m just going to start.

The term Asperger’s was coined by an actual Nazi. Hans Asperger worked with the Nazis during the Holocaust. He saved some children who he deemed intelligent enough by giving them the label of Asperger’s and sent the rest of the kids to die.

Some people call him a hero for saving kids during the Holocaust, but he sent children to be murdered because he saw them as genetically inferior. He saw some of us as a “hardly bearable burden” to our families. He believed that they should be put out of our misery.

I do not believe allistics should use the term Asperger’s to describe an autistic person. I do not believe that autistic people should use it for themselves either. However, I’m not saying that you should assume someone is a bad person for using it. I figure that most do not know the history. There are autistics who use the term for various reasons even knowing the history, which I heavily disagree with.

And I’m not the only one who feels this way. I learned this from listening to Jewish autistic people speak on the subject. If you are not Jewish, it is best to listen to those who have the authority on the matter.

Here is a video of a Jewish autistic person explaining how use of this label harms not only Jewish autistics, but autistic people as a whole. She also makes a very good point about Asperger’s being a functioning label.

Here is an article about Hans Asperger being a Nazi.

Some of the information here is correct. However, Asperger did not name the condition he studied after himself. He actually called it “autistic psychopathy,” back when psychopathy meant something different than it does today. A psychologist named Lorna Wing named Asperger’s Syndrome after him decades before it was clear that he was a Nazi. (Source: Neurotribes by Steve Silberman, paperback edition)

To be absolutely clear, I don’t think what Asperger did was okay. It’s just important to be accurate in informational posts.

ifihadmypickofwishes:

autism-fucking-rocks:

The problem with the Asperger’s label

This post contains mentions of the Holocaust, ableism, and eugenics. Please do not read if you are sensitive to these topics.

—————————————

There have been conversations regarding whether the term Asperger’s should still be used in the autism community. This post will explain the biggest issue I and other people have with the label. There’s no way to gently segue into this so I’m just going to start.

The term Asperger’s was coined by an actual Nazi. Hans Asperger worked with the Nazis during the Holocaust. He saved some children who he deemed intelligent enough by giving them the label of Asperger’s and sent the rest of the kids to die.

Some people call him a hero for saving kids during the Holocaust, but he sent children to be murdered because he saw them as genetically inferior. He saw some of us as a “hardly bearable burden” to our families. He believed that they should be put out of our misery.

I do not believe allistics should use the term Asperger’s to describe an autistic person. I do not believe that autistic people should use it for themselves either. However, I’m not saying that you should assume someone is a bad person for using it. I figure that most do not know the history. There are autistics who use the term for various reasons even knowing the history, which I heavily disagree with.

And I’m not the only one who feels this way. I learned this from listening to Jewish autistic people speak on the subject. If you are not Jewish, it is best to listen to those who have the authority on the matter.

Here is a video of a Jewish autistic person explaining how use of this label harms not only Jewish autistics, but autistic people as a whole. She also makes a very good point about Asperger’s being a functioning label.

Here is an article about Hans Asperger being a Nazi.

Some of the information here is correct. However, Asperger did not name the condition he studied after himself. He actually called it “autistic psychopathy,” back when psychopathy meant something different than it does today. A psychologist named Lorna Wing named Asperger’s Syndrome after him decades before it was clear that he was a Nazi. (Source: Neurotribes by Steve Silberman, paperback edition)

To be absolutely clear, I don’t think what Asperger did was okay. It’s just important to be accurate in informational posts.

The problem with the Asperger’s label

This post contains mentions of the Holocaust, ableism, and eugenics. Please do not read if you are sensitive to these topics.

—————————————

There have been conversations regarding whether the term Asperger’s should still be used in the autism community. This post will explain the biggest issue I and other people have with the label. There’s no way to gently segue into this so I’m just going to start.

The term Asperger’s was coined by an actual Nazi. Hans Asperger worked with the Nazis during the Holocaust. He saved some children who he deemed intelligent enough by giving them the label of Asperger’s and sent the rest of the kids to die.

Some people call him a hero for saving kids during the Holocaust, but he sent children to be murdered because he saw them as genetically inferior. He saw some of us as a “hardly bearable burden” to our families. He believed that they should be put out of our misery.

I do not believe allistics should use the term Asperger’s to describe an autistic person. I do not believe that autistic people should use it for themselves either. However, I’m not saying that you should assume someone is a bad person for using it. I figure that most do not know the history. There are autistics who use the term for various reasons even knowing the history, which I heavily disagree with.

And I’m not the only one who feels this way. I learned this from listening to Jewish autistic people speak on the subject. If you are not Jewish, it is best to listen to those who have the authority on the matter.

Here is a video of a Jewish autistic person explaining how use of this label harms not only Jewish autistics, but autistic people as a whole. She also makes a very good point about Asperger’s being a functioning label.

Here is an article about Hans Asperger being a Nazi.

The problem with the Asperger’s label

This post contains mentions of the Holocaust, ableism, and eugenics. Please do not read if you are sensitive to these topics.

—————————————

There have been conversations regarding whether the term Asperger’s should still be used in the autism community. This post will explain the biggest issue I and other people have with the label. There’s no way to gently segue into this so I’m just going to start.

The term Asperger’s was coined by an actual Nazi. Hans Asperger worked with the Nazis during the Holocaust. He saved some children who he deemed intelligent enough by giving them the label of Asperger’s and sent the rest of the kids to die.

Some people call him a hero for saving kids during the Holocaust, but he sent children to be murdered because he saw them as genetically inferior. He saw some of us as a “hardly bearable burden” to our families. He believed that they should be put out of our misery.

I do not believe allistics should use the term Asperger’s to describe an autistic person. I do not believe that autistic people should use it for themselves either. However, I’m not saying that you should assume someone is a bad person for using it. I figure that most do not know the history. There are autistics who use the term for various reasons even knowing the history, which I heavily disagree with.

And I’m not the only one who feels this way. I learned this from listening to Jewish autistic people speak on the subject. If you are not Jewish, it is best to listen to those who have the authority on the matter.

Here is a video of a Jewish autistic person explaining how use of this label harms not only Jewish autistics, but autistic people as a whole. She also makes a very good point about Asperger’s being a functioning label.

Here is an article about Hans Asperger being a Nazi.

I embroidered this piece for the British Textile Biennial crowd-sourced exhibition about migration and belonging. I called it “Back to the Shire”, a Tolkien reference, because I went on a long quest over 25 years and travelled many places before returning to my home town in Lancashire. The rainbow infinity loop represents a journey, as well as neurodiversity, and the rainbow badge represents gender and sexual diversity. These are included to show how the outer journey relates to the search for safety and belonging. I sewed it on Mum’s old table cloth using a bit of Nanna’s wedding dress, and buttons and threads from my great aunt. These, along with the cup of tea, represent home!

Stitch your story – Share your story of migration and belonging in a crowd-sourced exhibition curated by Jamie “Mr X Stitch” Chalmers | Brit

Update:Here’s the finished work, with a page for everyone who contributed!

official-german-autismus:

Eine kurze Einführung 

1. Autismus ist keine Krankheit.

Obwohl oft von Krankheitsbild und Symptomen gesprochen wird, ist Autismus Spektrum Störung (ASS) keine Krankheit. Autismus ist eine angeborene neurologische Differenz, die dazu führt dass unser Nervensystem (sowohl unser Körper als auch unser Gehirn) Reize auf eine Weise aufnimmt und verarbeitet, die sich von den meisten Menschen unterscheidet.

Statt Krankheit kann und sollte man Autismus besser als Ausprägung, oder Behinderungbezeichnen.

2. Man leidet nicht am Autismus

Viele Artikel oder generell Texte reden zum Beispiel davon, dass “X am Aspergersyndrom leidet”.

Ja, natürlich hat Autismus seine negativen Seiten. Die sensorischen Probleme, soziale Unbeholfenheit und die Krankheiten, die oft gemeinsam mit Autismus auftreten (wie Depressionen, Angststörungen, Reizdarm und anderem) machen uns das Leben oft echt schwer. Nimmt man unsere Kommunikationsschwierigkeiten hinzu, wirken wir auf andere oft bemitleidenswert, und vor allem die AutistInnen, die sich nicht oder nur teilweise verbal ausdrucken können, sind ein gefundenes Fressen für diejenigen, die uns betütteln wollen und sich einbilden, unsere Bedürfnisse besser zu kennen als wir selbst.

Wir leiden weniger am Autismus selbst als dass wir durch unsere Mitmenschen und unsere Umgebung leiden.

Statt “daran leiden” wäre es besser “hat Autismus”, “ist autistisch”, “ist ein/e Autist/in”, und Varianten davon zu benutzen.
Im Englischen gibt es einige Bergiffe wie Aspie,AutieundAspergian, die zwar keine meidzinischen Begriffe sind, aber von vielen Leute zu Selbstidentifikation verwendet werden.

3. Fragt uns!

Nicht jede autistische Person mag es, Aspie genannt zu werden, Manche nennen sich selber lieber Autist, manche gendern das Wort und manche sind überaupt lieber “Mensch, der Autismus hat”. Die meisten von uns fühlen sich mit bestimmten Labels wohl. Das kann eine persönliche Vorliebe sein, oder mit der Sprache zu tun haben, 

Wenn man nicht weiß, wie man jemanden bezeichnen soll fragt man die Person danach und respektiert ihre Identitäten. Ganz einfach, oder? 

Nur ein kurzer Überblick ft. häufige Fehler, die leider immer noch überall zu finden sind…(To be continued, wenn die Nachfrage besteht)

-Mod Rot

Blog 1: 19/05/2020

I started therapy on the 23d of July 2019. I was 35 years old at the time, and I had decided to go into therapy for the following reasons:

• I felt permanently exhausted
• I felt like somewhere during my adult years I had slipped into a depression I’d never gotten out of and I wanted to feel happier in life than I did at that time
• executive dysfunction - I still need regular help from my mom to keep my household in order
• I lacked any and all ambition to do anything with my life
• I had begun to suffer from anxiety and sometimes tiny anger outbursts which were occuring more often than before, which was a sign to me something was wrong and only getting worse as I aged. 

I had tried seeing a psychologist when I was 30. It was a man who I disliked so much that after 2 sessions, I ghosted him. I could go into more details, but let’s just say he was not a match for me.

It took me five years before I gathered enough energy and courage to try again. In a way, Tony Atwood helped. I’d stumbled across his videos on Aspergers in women and I’d begun to think that maybe it was Aspergers then. The above symptoms would not be misplaced in a women my age with Asperger - and it was until I got my diagnosis two weeks ago, on the 8th of May, that I was bracing myself for an Asperger diagnosis. 

When it turned out to be Schizoid Personality Disorder, I was like: “I’m a what now?”

But kudos to Tony Atwood’s videos for at least encouraging me to seek help and to approach a possible diagnosis with optimism. Even if it’s not Aspergers, I needed that little push in the back. 

Why did it take from July to May to get a diagnosis?

Something which may be atypical for someone with Aspergers or SPD, is that I am rather open when asked questions, and I can’t give short answers to complex questions. 

The first sessions were about painting a picture of the people in my life - my parents, my sister, her husband, their kid, other important figures in my life like my grandparents, the sort of household I’d grown up in - were my parents constantly fighting (quite the opposite) or did I suffer abuse (no), stuff like that. 

They also asked a lot about friends. Did I have a lot of friends as a kid, was I bullied, who were my friends now, had I kept my friends from when I was younger (definitely not).  

What about my job and hobbies, what jobs had I taken, what education had I had. She wanted to know when I moved out of my parents place (when I was 25), if I’d had many romantic relationships (none longer than about 8 months).  

It took months to get through all that personal information. In sessions of 1 hour (which are sooner sessions of 45 minutes than a full hour) it’s hard to paint the complete picture. Sometimes I went twice a month, sometimes I skipped a month due to the full agenda of my psychologist, but on average I went once a month. 

Then after that, this was already in 2020 I think, we started an autism questionnaire, to determine whether I was on the autism spectrum scale (which seemed likely due to the problems I’d mentioned). The psychologist also invited my mother for one session, where she asked questions about my childhood. 

“Did Jessie have a lot of friends?” 
“Yes, she always had friends over.” 
“Yes, mom, but that’s because you arranged the play dates with the other moms - I didn’t always have a lot to say about it.” 
“I guess that’s true - you did always enjoy playing on your own. One party, a mom told me that all the kids were playing in the garden and you’d gone inside to play alone with some of the toys - not bothering with the other kids.” 
My mom remembered that as being odd. I’m far from surprised by that. 

After the interview with my mother, I also answered a questionaire about other personality disorders. This is where questions were asked to determine if I had, for example, borderline or schizofrenia or bipolar disorder etc. It was to check if any of the disorders on the DSM-5 applied to me. 

And so after about 2-3 sessions of answering those questions, I finally got my diagnosis last session. It was during the last five minutes or so of the session, I was like “and, and, what is it? what have I got?”

I felt numb when she told me what it was - also because I did not understand. I had *never* heard of schizoid personality disorder. And in five minutes, she didn’t have the time to fully explain it to me either. And since I was a little numb from the news, I don’t think I retained the information she gave me as well as I otherwise would have.

She explained that while it’s called a disorder, she is not fond of the word ‘disorder’. She also told me it’s something hermits and loners often are, which made sense to me. She told me that schizoids don’t mind being alone and often prefer it, and once again that struck true. 

I also asked why it wasn’t autism then, to which she briefly replied that in my childhood, I did not seem to have difficulty with learning social behaviors. 

Next session, I will receive more information from her on the schizoid personality disorder, abbreviated as SPD, and possibly we’ll also check on differences with Aspergers, just cause I am terribly curious about that and will ask for it. 

It’s still a week or two until my next session - and in the meanwhile, I’ve looked for more info online. I’ve read the wiki, then continued on other articles online and found a few Facebook groups to join. The more I read about it, the more I’m seeing myself in stories of others. 

I’m no longer numb from the diagnosis - but it did take me a day where I was exhausted, cried a bit, lay in bed, before I was like “okay this ain’t bad at all!” 

I plan to continue this blog to describe things I learn about myself, to report on my “treatment”, to report on schizoids in modern-day society and to shine a light on what it is to be a schizoid woman. 

If you think: “Oh, could I be a schizoid?” - I honestly can’t tell you. Nor are there online internet tests that will give you a conclusive answer to that question. I do recommend seeing a psychologist for that - but it might be harder than ever to get on a waiting list. With the Corona crisis most psychologists have their hands full these days, due to all the mental problems the neurotypicals are going through as a result of the lockdowns. 

If you are a schizoid who lives alone and are now allowed to work fulltime from home for the first time in your life, you might feel like I do: that this lockdown is the best thing that ever happened to you. My anxieties are practically gone, while the anxieties of neurotypicals skyrocket. 

I always related to Lisa.

Been fighting social security over my $750 monthly income for more than 10 years now.

If you believe:

More disabled people should be in institutions;

Disabled students should be educated in special, separate classrooms;

Disabled people should use separate, specialized transportation;

You’re an ableist.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Autism isn’t vaccine injury,

Anti-vaxxers: Fu£k you

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Autism isn’t vaccine injury,

Anti-vaxxers: Fu£k you

Was anyone told “only boring people get bored” as a kid?

No I’m not boring I am Autistic I lose focus easily, also a l psychologist who I use to work with suspected ADHD, but I never got diagnosed. You might want to chose your words more carefully before using certain quotes.

I’m not sure why this is still a controversial statement but nondisabled people do not expirerence more obstacles/ discrimination than disabled people.

Anyone else with Autism who loves the sims 4?

Taking someone with Autism to prom/ on a date does not make you some kind of hero.

I love being Autistic and embrace my autistic traits ❤️❤️❤️

Take things at your pace I’m sick of people saying you can do this or that, for some people it’s attainable, but others are not. Please don’t push disabled people just so they can be more like Neurotypicals respect their boundaries.

Hard to swallow pills

Neurotypicals claim they will be there for you and have your back, but when your mental health illness symptoms are noticeable people slowly disappear from your life….

You’re allowed to mute stuff for self care.

You’re allowed to mute people for self care.

You’re allowed to block people for self care.

You’re allowed to take a hiatus for self care.

Autism asks

what is your sexuality and do you find dating harder than other LGBTQ people?

do you have sensory issues with makeup?

☀️ are you sensitive to bright lights?

does your Autism mean you get less sleep?

who was your first crush and did they become like an obsession?

are you a picky eater because of your Autism?

do you flap your hands?

are you night owl or morning person?

what is your biggest accomplishment?

what makes you angry about the Autism community?

☕️ coffee or tea?

what food do you love?

do you trick or treat still or know an Autistic person who still does?

do you have any weird phobias?

what is your special interest?

how long do your obsessions/ special interests last for?

are you an animal lover?

are you good at sports or really clumsy?

do you loathe/love heels?

do you have sensory issues with clothes?

do you consider your self creative?

do you always take your headphones/defenders with you?

your favourite song you like stim to?

❄️ your favourite season?

sweet foods or savory?

one thing you’re really good at?

do you have a photographic memory?

Feel free to add more questions.

wondering if i’ll ever be able to be close enough to someone to actually fall in love with them haha. i’m going to be alone forever babe. fuck my autism and fuck my life.

Just letting you all know that I’m rooting for you during this difficult time.

These circumstances are causing massive amounts of uncertainty and sudden forced changes in routine which as you all know are very difficult for autistic people. Contamination OCD may be going through the roof. Anxiety about the health of our parents and those close to us.

Please know that as much as this absolutely sucks I’m here for you. Let me know if there’s anything I can do- and if not know that I’m keeping my autistic family in my heart during these times. <3 <3 <3