Asperger syndrome

Asperger syndrome, also known as Asperger's, is a term to describe autistic people who are good at masking and, according to the criteria outlined in diagnostic manuals, high-functioning. Asperger's was removed from the DSM-V in 2013, and from the ICD-11 on 1 Jan 2022.

As part of the shift from the pathology paradigm to the neurodiversity paradigm, the term Asperger's has largely fallen out of favour among members of the autistic community.

History of the term

{insert stuff here; maybe link to History of autism somewhere?}

Reasons for moving away from the term

Autism as a spectrum

Now that we're openly speaking for ourselves, even allistic "experts" have to finally accept that autism is best understood as a spectrum, with any combination of traits possible. Instead of giving different hazily defined clusters of traits their own names, it makes more sense to briefly describe each individual person's own unique combination of strengths and requirements.

Reclaiming the word "autistic"

Unlike society at large, autistic people generally accept that autism isn't a dirty word, and that being autistic is nothing to be ashamed of. We don't need a euphemism to effectively claim "but we're one of the good ones", because no combination of traits makes you bad.

Hans Asperger's ties to the Nazi regime

Asperger was a literal Nazi, whose job was to determine who was enough of a burden to allistic people — or even Jewish enough — to warrant being sent to a concentration camp and killed. He was monstrous.

Controversy within the community

{some folks who are autustic still prefer the term Asperger's or to call themselves Aspies. While some people are okay with others calling themselves whatever they want, some think it throws the community "under the bus"}