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How is this a disability? How is this a serious problem? Has America become so enfeebled and petty that "speaking out of turn" has turned into a disability and a disease.
It can turn into a big deal for some families. I have an Aspie friend who got regularly beat up by his parents for being open about his views and what he thought about other people. This isn't to say every case is like that, but some parents don't know how to deal with their Aspie children and some Aspies don't know how to deal with their non-Aspie parents. This friend of mine has also gone through at least 12 jobs within the past year and a half because he can't hold a job. He's too blunt with his boss and the difference between anyone being blunt and him being blunt is that most people who are blunt do it intentionally but he has no idea he's being too blunt.
If you redefine disability as "a condition that without accommodations compromises or completely interferes with the ability to function in society" then in that sense Asperger's is a disability in some scenarios. Most Aspies have a hard time functioning in social situations and many of them have a hard time functioning in other situations too.
I can understand why people are wary of using the term disability, because too many people are likely to take that word and immediately jump to the idea of "sit on your a$$ and and don't do anything all day". But if we look at disability as just meaning an extra set of responsibilities, then there's no fear in calling Asperger's a disability.
To make the analogy to blindness again: few people would argue that blindness isn't a disability. But does that mean blind people sit around doing nothing all day? No--they learn to use a cane; they use large print or braille. Their teachers, friends, and family need to accommodate them too by guiding them in unfamiliar situations, by making sure their textbook is available in braille format or that they have access to the magnification technology they need. Disability is both a responsibility for the disabled person and the people around them.
Asperger's Syndrome is no exception. If an Asperger's person has serious tactile issues, it's worth buying clothing that doesn't irritate their skin. If they have severe light sensitivity, get them lightly tinted glasses for indoors and make sure they have sunglasses for outdoors. At the same time, it's up to the Aspie to learn to the best of their ability how to communicate with people, how to handle sensory attacks or emotional outbursts, and so on and so forth.
Asperger's can be a bit harder to understand because it's less concrete than something like blindness. It's harder for other people to see. People can't see the effort that an Aspie puts into just having a smooth conversation, or forcing themselves to eat a food whose texture is awful, or even just being in a room with a lot of stimulation. Disability doesn't always mean can't-do either. Sometimes disability means "can do--at a great cost." An Aspie can make their way through a conversation, eat the grossest foods, and sit in a loud movie theater, but most Aspies will have to work MUCH harder to endure at least one of those situations than the population at large. This is like chronic pain--a chronic pain sufferer may still be able to walk and even hike or do more rigorous activity--but it will be 100x more painful than it would be for the average person.
I hope that helps shed some light on how Asperger's and "invisible" disabilities in general work.
My son has Asperger Syndrome and if you say him you would know that something is wrong with him. Some kids show it and some don't.
And if you think that parents want there kids to be labeled then you need your head examined.
busta
Asperger's also comes in different degrees and different types. Just like not all people with a hearing loss are completely deaf. Some have a mild hearing loss, some have a moderate loss, and some are deaf. And of those people, some have the bulk of their hearing loss in the high frequencies, some in the low frequencies, some equally across all frequencies. Asperger's is no different. Some Asperger's cases are severe, some are moderate, and some are mild, and each Aspie has more trouble in certain areas than other areas, and some Aspies have some difficulty in all areas.
How you describe yourself is how I would describe the vast majority of teenagers, as well as most adults. I have friends who have a child with severe autism, and that is unmistakably a major and crippling disorder, but I don't see anything in the definition or description of Aspergers that seems more than simply human social variability.
I have a friend who because of his Asperger's cannot use his eyes or ears at all. His eyes and ears are physiologically perfectly intact, but his brain cannot make sense of any of it. He can hear speech but not understand it. He passes a hearing booth test no problem, but if you talk to him, he has no idea what you just said. He can see print but cannot read it. He passes a vision test perfectly but if you give him something to read, he doesn't understand what he just read.
You can try to call out his name all day and he won't respond. You can wave in his face for his attention and he won't respond. You can try to make him use his eyes and ears as much as you want, but at the end of the day, it becomes readily obvious that they are just useless to him. He has to use a blind cane because he will literally bump into things if he doesn't use one. The only way to get his attention is to tap him lightly on the shoulder or hand.
He has to use the same communication technique as deaf-blind people--that is, tactile sign language, because even though his eyes and ears are perfectly functioning, his brain isn't. He has a severe sensory processing disorder. This is all part of his Asperger's.
Asperger's is not just acting like a teen when you're an adult. There's a whole lot more to Asperger's than that.
I think "Asperger's" is a made-up "disease" and agree with the OP that many people actually WANT the label to obtain financial reward.
There is no doubt that many people have learning and personality challenges - some people do not learn from experience - that could be a character "disorder" or failure . . .
Some people choose to not be organized because it is too much trouble . . . (this could be partially unconscious) but could also be a lack of will-power, which again, can be seen as a character flaw.
The "Aspie" (gag) poster who wrote that she has behavioral issues at home but not at school or work . . .gee, does that mean you control yourself under some circumstances? I guess that means you are able to and just don't do it when you don't want to.
I know many parents are super invested in having their kids retain the "Aspie" label, but I feel the motivation is financial reward, and maybe some entitlements (as in "special" assistance at school). I think it is unfortunate that so many people have no qualms what-so-ever over grabbing resources "due" them . . . and inconveniencing others.
There are legitimately children who are developmentally disabled (i.e., "retarded") and there are legitimately "Autistic" children (another made up label for people who are anti-social and no one knows why or what to do about it) . . . there are people with severe physical and mental challenges (whether via a birth defect or due to some environmental issue) . . .and these people should be legitimately accommodated in society - I would say these particular people would compromise a tiny percentage of society . . .
But to attach a label of "Asperger's" to your kid because they have anger management issues or social anxiety or any other number of behavioral issues, while simultaneously taking money from the government and putting a burden on public schools is just disingenuous at least, and criminal at the most extreme.
Not a popular view for sure and will get the parents who are receiving financial and other rewards up in arms, for sure.
To those parents who are facing challenges due to their children's behavioral problems, I personally would try healthy diet, no drug intervention, nature, home school, prayer, energy work, etc. before I would ever drug my kid or force a public school to accommodate their "difficult" personalities.
I know many parents are super invested in having their kids retain the "Aspie" label, but I feel the motivation is financial reward, and maybe some entitlements (as in "special" assistance at school). I think it is unfortunate that so many people have no qualms what-so-ever over grabbing resources "due" them . . . and inconveniencing others.
Can you find out these people's secrets about how they "retain the Aspie label?" Many people, who I am sure plotting how they are going to be getting rich off all there is to be had from all those resources, can't seem to even get the child diagnosed with this money-making disorder.
so that means the disorder can be mild all the way to severe.
Life with this disorder is VERY difficult for everyone involved (parents, teachers, freinds, employers) and moreso for the person who has a spectrum disorder.
Calling it a made up disease only magnifies the feeble-mindedness of the person stating this and does nothing more.
The only problem I have is that some with aspergers would rather embrace their disorder and treat others badly rather than apply themselves to learning how to act and behaving in a socially acceptable manner.
I have a friend who because of his Asperger's cannot use his eyes or ears at all. His eyes and ears are physiologically perfectly intact, but his brain cannot make sense of any of it. He can hear speech but not understand it. He passes a hearing booth test no problem, but if you talk to him, he has no idea what you just said. He can see print but cannot read it. He passes a vision test perfectly but if you give him something to read, he doesn't understand what he just read.
You can try to call out his name all day and he won't respond. You can wave in his face for his attention and he won't respond. You can try to make him use his eyes and ears as much as you want, but at the end of the day, it becomes readily obvious that they are just useless to him. He has to use a blind cane because he will literally bump into things if he doesn't use one. The only way to get his attention is to tap him lightly on the shoulder or hand.
He has to use the same communication technique as deaf-blind people--that is, tactile sign language, because even though his eyes and ears are perfectly functioning, his brain isn't. He has a severe sensory processing disorder. This is all part of his Asperger's.
Asperger's is not just acting like a teen when you're an adult. There's a whole lot more to Asperger's than that.
Sounds like he has central auditory and visual processing disorders along with receptive speech and language deficits. Is this typically considered part of the AS spectrum? It sounds somewhat like autism to me. I didn't realize that it could also be AS.
But to attach a label of "Asperger's" to your kid because they have anger management issues or social anxiety or any other number of behavioral issues, while simultaneously taking money from the government and putting a burden on public schools is just disingenuous at least, and criminal at the most extreme.
What about people with Asperger's who aren't taking money from the government, and aren't interested in taking money from the government? What's their motivation?
What about people with "real" (blindness, paraplegia) disabilities who don't want to take money from the government? Does their lack of financial gain make their disability less "real"? Is motivation really a good determinant of disability?
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To those parents who are facing challenges due to their children's behavioral problems, I personally would try healthy diet, no drug intervention, nature, home school, prayer, energy work, etc. before I would ever drug my kid or force a public school to accommodate their "difficult" personalities.
I totally agree and I make use of all these techniques (except home school), which have helped me out a lot. But I still have to put effort into being social, into showing people I care in a way that they understand, and making sure I'm on the same page with people emotionally. It's not the end of the world but it's just something I have to think about. Not all Aspies are money-leeching lazy anti-socialites who just want a label for their condition. For some people it's just something they deal with and get on with life. I think what you may be confusing is the tendency for some parents not to take full responsibility of their children before requesting accommodations with the fact that their child has a disability. If a parent doesn't deal with their child's disability well and imposes on the school system, is that the child's fault? Or is it the parent's?
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