I'd like to ask people not to use the word 'Aspie'.

[DavyCrockett]

I find it really offensive.

To me it is like calling someone with Downs Syndrome a 'Downie'.

Am I being unreasonable? I ask as it seems acceptable in a lot of places and I honestly don't think it is.

I have a child with Asperger's Syndrome, it is what he has not what he is. I do not refer to him (or other people) as Aspies.

It is the prejudice surrounding Asperger's Syndrome that annoys me most, how people refer to themselves is up to them and is of no concern to me.

However I do get angry when comments like "oh I know all about people with Asperger's, they're violent aren't they?" Are said to me, and I am more than happy to try and bust the myths

This is why I spend a lot of time in schools dispelling the Christopher Boone myth, capticorn. In fact it seems that Aspies are less likely to be violent than society in general.

I have a friend with Aspergers who has always used the term Aspie, mainly because he hates the mental image of (as he says it) ass-burgers

You can of course dislike or refuse any label you like for yourself, but not for others so yabu, sorry.

Personally I do not like the term and would never use it myself. However, I have noticed that many people with AS use it so I just accept their right to use it.

I am an Aspie and proud of it. I'd take exception to it being used in a derogatory manner though.

Yabu I've heard of people with Aspergers refer themselves as Aspie, therefore how people with the condition choose to define themselves is up to them. But it's a bit irritating when nt people use that term to refer to those withAspergers

YABU - The term was invented by and for people with Aspergers. It's how we choose to refer to ourselves and do so with pride.

I've heard terms like Paki, spastic and psycho used in a derogatory manner but not Aspie.

Dawn my son was and still can be challenging (violent), but it was more to do with the failings of the educational system, which systematically tried for 6 years to blame his perceptions for everything, blaming him for things that were beyond his control, and heir own failure to gain knowledge and understanding of the true extent of the difficulties he has.

Another thing that really winds me up is hearing NT people say "I'm sooo Autistic" when they have done something stupid, because of what that then implies.

I had never heard the term Aspie used except on MN. Still haven't ever heard it used in RL

Another thing that really winds me up is hearing NT people say "I'm sooo Autistic" when they have done something stupid, because of what that then implies.

Capticorn - how do you know these people are NT?

Capticorn, someone on another thread running at the moment has just outlined some hideous behaviour from her husband, and asked if it could be because he has Aspergers. It's not an unusual question to hear, either.

There ARE misconceptions out there centering around Asperger's affecting personality. It's bollocks. If you're an arsehole you're an arsehole, regardless of any additional diagnoses you may have.

Although having said that, my experience of both having and knowing people with Asperger's is that none of us EVER say something to deliberately hurt, and none of us have a spiteful bone in our bodies. And this is BECAUSE we have on so many occasions upset people that the thought of doing it deliberately is appalling. Which makes it extremely distressing when other people let rip and then say afterwards 'I didn't mean it, I was just angry/was just clearing the air'. I heard it, you meant it to hurt, it's not going to go away .

[ that makes it sound like 'arsehole' is a proper diagnosis - actually, I rather think it might be ]

I'm with you OP, I can't stand the term, or indeed any term which labels someone as a condition rather than a person first. You are a person with Asperger's Syndrome, not an 'aspie'

I also dislike the term 'NT' because its meaningless- just a blanket term which implies that anyone who hasn't been identified with a specific thing are all the same.

Unfortunately some people do associate bad behaviour with autism due to judging ASD people by NT standards, misinterpreting the frustration of having to live in an NT world etc. It's like saying a fish is stupid because all creatures' intelligence is based on their ability to climb a tree.

Most people will lash out if provoked or stressed sufficiently but someone with an ASD could reach that level of stress as a result of things which wouldn't affect most people (e.g. a social situation or disruption to routine). And then there's the perception that we are unfriendly because we don't have the inbuilt social aptitudes that NTs take for granted.

proudAS I was referring to people I know.

And the same people mock those with Autism.

Janey the term Aspie was invented by and for people with the condition.

It is not a label - it is about being special. Our minds work differently and we are proud of how they work.

If we "Aspies" don't have a problem with it then why should anyone else? Political correctness gone mad!

Most children on the spectrum will only demonstrate violent behaviours when distressed.

Aspie is my DD's term of choice. Why would I go against her wishes, to say something else?

Dawn I agree with you, but when the distress is ignored the consequences can be horrendous.

Yes, Capticorn I agree. I have had major trouble with schools!

Come on you Aspies!