Here is something I e-mailed the author of a book I read recently called Nerds:
"I liked much of what you said in your book, but one thing I didn't like is your description of Asperger Syndrome.
Firstly, why the focus on 'functional impairment'? That is not an inherent characteristic of anyone. By that definition, an AS-acting person who had no friends and was bullied severely in elementary school but is now a well-accepted engineering student has ceased to have Asperger Syndrome, despite the fact that the exact same traits their classmates hated are all still present. They haven't changed - their situation has.
I am certainly against viewing the characteristics of 'mild autism' or Asperger Syndrome as pathological, but I don't think the best way to do that is to just think of them as nerds instead of autistic. Sure, that might bring people like me more acceptance, but what about the wonderful people I know who are much closer to the stereotype of 'retard' than 'nerd'? What about people like Amanda Baggs ( ballastexistenz.autistics.org ) a wonderful autistic woman who types to communicate and has frequently been referred to as retarded? I'm not willing to leave them behind in my quest for acceptance.
And besides, being called a nerd never gave me the key to understanding myself. Being called autistic has. Though scientists don't really understand autism very well, there's more actual attempt to understand them than nerds. Nerds are known to have trouble interacting with others, but the question 'why?' isn't really asked. According to science, autistic people can't read the nonverbal signals (according to autistics, because we have different ones). If I'm a nerd, there's no help for me. I have to navigate it all on my own. If I'm autistic, I can find out why I have trouble with certain things and what might be able to help me. Of course, I'd much rather pick the third option - understanding the unique needs of the unique and wonderful group of people I happen to belong to and meeting our needs without stigmatizing us - I'm fighting for that very thing.
I hope you can agree with that goal. And I don't want it just for people like me, but for those who fit so poorly into our society's expectations that it seems obvious to virtually everyone that they're incapable."
"I liked much of what you said in your book, but one thing I didn't like is your description of Asperger Syndrome.
Firstly, why the focus on 'functional impairment'? That is not an inherent characteristic of anyone. By that definition, an AS-acting person who had no friends and was bullied severely in elementary school but is now a well-accepted engineering student has ceased to have Asperger Syndrome, despite the fact that the exact same traits their classmates hated are all still present. They haven't changed - their situation has.
I am certainly against viewing the characteristics of 'mild autism' or Asperger Syndrome as pathological, but I don't think the best way to do that is to just think of them as nerds instead of autistic. Sure, that might bring people like me more acceptance, but what about the wonderful people I know who are much closer to the stereotype of 'retard' than 'nerd'? What about people like Amanda Baggs ( ballastexistenz.autistics.org ) a wonderful autistic woman who types to communicate and has frequently been referred to as retarded? I'm not willing to leave them behind in my quest for acceptance.
And besides, being called a nerd never gave me the key to understanding myself. Being called autistic has. Though scientists don't really understand autism very well, there's more actual attempt to understand them than nerds. Nerds are known to have trouble interacting with others, but the question 'why?' isn't really asked. According to science, autistic people can't read the nonverbal signals (according to autistics, because we have different ones). If I'm a nerd, there's no help for me. I have to navigate it all on my own. If I'm autistic, I can find out why I have trouble with certain things and what might be able to help me. Of course, I'd much rather pick the third option - understanding the unique needs of the unique and wonderful group of people I happen to belong to and meeting our needs without stigmatizing us - I'm fighting for that very thing.
I hope you can agree with that goal. And I don't want it just for people like me, but for those who fit so poorly into our society's expectations that it seems obvious to virtually everyone that they're incapable."
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