To me, it feels like it is some sort of desperate attempt to not say ‘autistic’/‘autism’, but I don’t fully understand why. Most people I’ve seen using ‘on the spectrum’ are either actively questioning whether they or someone they are close with are autistic, or think it but don’t care all that much. Personally, I find referring to autism as ‘the spectrum’ a bit offensive, as the only reason I can find to use the term is to forcibly emphasize that whoever is referred to (hereafter: ‘me’, although sometimes I am a spectator) is not like other (higher needs, lower perceived status) autistics. They suggest that they think badly of autism this way, and ungroup me from that group so it’s not insulting (but it is, to the entire group and thus to me, who is, could be argued, also insulted directly). Although I know that basically everyone perceives people unalike themselves as ‘worse’ (human nature sadly) and it isn’t on purpose, it is still very insulting to me. I already knew I was a joke to most people, so please don’t make fun of me for things I have trouble with. Am I wrong about the reason people use the term? Do you agree or disagree and most importantly: why?

  • OhNoMoreLemmy@lemmy.ml
    41·
    7 days ago

    It’s literally in the clinical name.

    https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-asd

    Broadly there’s two important reasons for why it’s called this, when it used to be either Asperger’s or autism.

    1. Asperger was a Nazi and actively involved in the state sanctioned murder of autistic children.
    2. Medically it’s a bit dumb. There’s no neat dividing line between people with Asperger’s and people with autism, and giving people that could be diagnosed either way as autistic or having Asperger’s, different diagnoses changed their access to support.

    So it’s called a spectrum to recognize that there’s a wide range of symptoms and not everyone presents in the same way or requires the same support.

    • port443@discuss.tchncs.deOPEnglish
      11·
      7 days ago

      either Asperger’s or autism

      How I see it, there is no such thing as Asperger’s or autism; Asperger’s is a historical type of autism. In research ‘autism’ was sometimes used for specifically Kanner’s/‘classical autism’ so another term had to be used for the group of both when it became seen as one bigger spectrum: ASD. Hans Asperger himself used the term ‘autism’ as well however, referring to his patients, so ASD and autism are synonymous.

      I agree with autism being considered a spectrum and with the ‘official’ name being ASD, but my post wasn’t about that. Rather, it was about people just talking about the spectrum and leaving the term ‘autism’ or ‘autistic’ completely out, which I think was pretty clear, but maybe it was not?