Penguinblue

joined 1 year ago
[–] Penguinblue@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

No it's not. From the National Autistic Society:
"Asperger's syndrome’ (often shortened to Asperger’s) is no longer used as a diagnostic term for autism and is considered controversial due to the history of Hans Asperger, which is summarised below.

Historically, Asperger syndrome was used as a diagnostic term for some autistic people who did not also have a diagnosis of a learning disability. Broadly, it is now agreed that what was referred to as Asperger syndrome is part of the autism spectrum and there is no need for a separate term.

Some people who received a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome continue to use this terminology to refer to themselves. Others do not, usually for two reasons: because the term is no longer used officially; and because of revelations about the Austrian psychiatrist Hans Asperger, who Asperger syndrome was named after and who was complicit with the Nazis."

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism/the-history-of-autism/asperger-syndrome

[–] Penguinblue@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago

We realised that labeling people based on their level of functioning was extremely unhelpful and debilitating so they changed it to level of need. Also Asperger worked with the Nazis and may have been one.

[–] Penguinblue@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

But isn't this the entire point? You like to call yourself that, and that is perfectly fine, but ultimately all of these words come from psychiatric diagnosis, from the DSM. That is where the labels were defined, that is where our cultural understanding of the neurotype comes from.

Our culture has defined that you are disordered because of your way of being, you've been diagnosed as such. Another culture, a former culture will not have defined it that way. So you calling it a disorder is not based on anything absolute, it is based in a cultural understanding.

I was diagnosed with autism level 1, not aspergers, because: 1 - We now understand that describing people based on 'functioning' is extremely damaging to the individual; and 2 - Asperger tested on children for the Nazis, and I think we can all agree that's not cool.

All of this is cultural, we didn't know about the damage of functioning labeling at the time that diagnosis was accepted (or the whole Nazi thing), and so our cultural understanding of the condition has changed.

Understandings of disorder are cultural, not absolute.

[–] Penguinblue@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Words matter, otherwise verbal assault wouldn't constitute a hate crime (at least in the UK). You used an ableist word and that matters. The word has an interesting history, in case anyone is interested (see below) and using it is ableist given it used to be a psychiatric classification. I am assuming you wouldn't use the 'F' word to describe gay people or the 'N' word to describe black people. Those are just words, too, what makes them different?

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/the-sinister-history-of-the-word-moron-explained

Also, taking the "science doesn't care about your feelings" line of thinking is really lazy. We don't have to keep the status quo. In fact, it's generally good if we don't. I can see from your responses that you aren't interested in discussion, so I'm leaving it here. It's OK to be wrong about things sometimes. Maybe you are wrong about this. Maybe not, but maybe you are.

[–] Penguinblue@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I respectfully disagree. If no one ever questioned society there would be no progress. Society is constituted by people and people can change their minds, that's how progress happens. It's why gay marriage is legal in so many countries and women and black people have equal rights (at least in law).

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