Aspergers partner? (Edited by GNHQ)

Having read this post I'm now being targetted with adverts for a clinic in Harley Street which offers a diagnosis for Aspbergers!

I'm sure you weren't meaning to offend Juliet, but having worked with pupils with a diagnosis Aspbergers Syndrome, I find the label, Aspie, not a very nice one.

Me too Marydoll

I find the term “Aspie” quite offensive - is it necessary to demean the issues of those with Aspergers ?

Ooh sorry about the adverts. I didn’t get any. I have read articles with the word used so many times that I’d just become used to the term but yes...agreed.

Don't people with Aspergers now come under the ASD diagnosis. I've read that it is no longer recorded as a separate condition.
When my son was diagnosed 5 yrs ago the psychologist wrote high functioning autism with tendencies of Aspergers but I understood it was now incorporated in the spectrum

The article says ‘ Just a note, in the past Asperger’s was considered related to autism but different from it, but since 2013, when a new classification called Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was created in the DSMV, it is now considered to sit at the mild end of the autism spectrum.’

The offending word is actually used in the article btw.

That's what I was trying to say 😀

Many of the Adults with Asperger syndrome that I worked with liked and used the term 'Aspie'. It's used in some of their websites and posting forums. Us 'neurotypicals' are the ones shying away from this term.

Having worked with many children on the autistic spectrum, I know that many were very sensitive as to what they were called or labelled, as were their parents.
We had to tread very warily.

Adults with AS are very different propositions!

Jane, it's great that experts like you are able to support adults.
I always worried about how pupils would fare once they reached adulthood and left the protective bubble of school.
As children we could offer strategies, but as you say, adults are totally different proposition.

Jane10 I'm curious, what proportion of the adults you worked with, if any, were on anti depressants ?

Anxiety was more of an issue than depression.

I note the thread title change with irritation. If some people who have been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome want to refer to themselves as Aspies that's their prerogative. Non AS people may not like it but that's tough. I'd liken it to how some members of the gay community are happy to call themselves 'queer' but non gay people hesitate to use that word!
This thread is about an article that used the word 'Aspie'. It was quite reasonable to use it in the title. Moderator pearl clutching?

Jane10 my son takes Sertraline for anxiety and depression .

Aspergers isn't a thing anymore. It's Autism Spectrum Condition. Changed from Disorder as that implies it can be cured. Autism is no longer a spectrum but an umbrella. Makes a lot more sense.

You are speaking from your vast experience Jane working, I presume, with adults and I'm speaking from my own in an education setting.

I'm not pearl clutching, but I know that if I used that terminology in the context of a school, it would be deemed to be unacceptable and I would be reprimanded.

In my career, working closely with pupils on the autistic spectrum disorder and joint support teams, including educational psychologists, I have never heard that term used, either by pupils, parents or professionals,
GN is for all to express their opinions, which I hope will be respected.

Depends on whether you're looking at the American classification or the European one. There are flaws in both especially the American one. I could go on but this isn't the place for it!

I'm sure they will change again. It is a learning curve for everyone involved.

However, Jane we have one thing in common, we want to support the people we work/worked with.

I’m almost sure my husband is Autistic (could be Asperger’s). Wasn’t immediately obvious to me till after we were married and his behaviour became more noticeable. Too late to get a diagnosis now though. He’s in his late 60’s. Been difficult over the years but I have learned to treat him the same way I taught my autistic pupils so things have calmed down a lot.

It is offensive in the sense that saying someone is an ‘ Aspie’
Implies that this is the ONLY ‘thing’ they are.

OP I hope you are able to access help & information regarding this subject, best wishes

Even the term ‘on the spectrum’ is going out of favour. My GS has just been diagnosed and the new term is ‘neurologically diverse’.

It really is an umbrella, not a spectrum

The concept of neurodiversity is not new. It covers a wide variety of conditions.