A post about what "ASC(s)" means when I use it

If anyone has seen me using the term "ASC(s)", and wonders what it means, it's "Autistic Spectrum Condition(s)"; I don't think that autism is a disorder at all, so it's actually quite self-depreciating for me to say "ASD(s)", because it's implying that I have a disorder, which is far from the case! Language use does matter, as it affects both your own self-perception, but also how others perceive you as a result of that. Therefore, I feel that "condition" is a better term to use, and it's a damn sight more neutral than "disorder" is!

Those on the spectrum have their own unique challenges and obstacles to overcome, but that doesn't mean we are "victims", as someone recently said... and yes, some people will have a lot more issues functioning than others, but that's because of the way autism affects them particularly, as there are always additional conditions on top of just the Aspergers (or any other ASC for that matter). In any case, if you have met one person with autism, then you have met one person with autism; everyone on the spectrum is is as unique as allistic (non-autistic) people are, so you can't really treat an individual in the same way as the last person on the spectrum was treated.

In any case, what actually triggered this mini-rant was that I spotted someone on Twitter calling people with Aspergers (like me) "victims" amongst other things (which also pissed me off), and I'm not too happy with that, as that sort of narrative is quite harmful!

#autism #autisticspectrumconditions #mentalhealth #status #stormkeepergu