Comments on: Why I’ve Changed the Name of My Blog http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/02/13/why-ive-changed-the-name-of-my-blog/ Ethics, Disability Rights, and Reports from Life on the Spectrum Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:19:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: misfit http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/02/13/why-ive-changed-the-name-of-my-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-75501 misfit Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:04:46 +0000 http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/?p=4350#comment-75501 I wear the label with pride :) I wear the label with pride :)

]]> By: Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/02/13/why-ive-changed-the-name-of-my-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-75353 Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:57:04 +0000 http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/?p=4350#comment-75353 You misfit, you ;-) You misfit, you ;-)

]]> By: misfit http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/02/13/why-ive-changed-the-name-of-my-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-75347 misfit Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:05:44 +0000 http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/?p=4350#comment-75347 oops, I wrote my "yayy you're back!" post elsewhere, then I see everyone said it here. But then I always said I was a misfit! oops, I wrote my “yayy you’re back!” post elsewhere, then I see everyone said it here. But then I always said I was a misfit!

]]> By: spunkykitty http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/02/13/why-ive-changed-the-name-of-my-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-75332 spunkykitty Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:28:57 +0000 http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/?p=4350#comment-75332 bravo! i am autistic and i am not ashamed of it. i am also honoured to be grouped into the large family of autism, and do not feel at all insulted to be associated with the other end of the spectrum, they have struggles that we would never know and i honour and admire those whose roads are far more difficult to walk than mine. thanks for changing the name of ur blog. i shall make changes to mine too in terminology tho i will keep the tags. bravo! i am autistic and i am not ashamed of it. i am also honoured to be grouped into the large family of autism, and do not feel at all insulted to be associated with the other end of the spectrum, they have struggles that we would never know and i honour and admire those whose roads are far more difficult to walk than mine. thanks for changing the name of ur blog. i shall make changes to mine too in terminology tho i will keep the tags.

]]> By: Alison http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/02/13/why-ive-changed-the-name-of-my-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-75331 Alison Tue, 16 Feb 2010 04:05:10 +0000 http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/?p=4350#comment-75331 Ben wrote: "i remind them that people are different, people with autism are different, and cope and socialize in different ways. i tell them that my coping skills look great, but using them over the course of thirty years has caused me a great deal of stress and burnout. i can no longer hold down the crappy jobs i had throughout my twenties and early thirties, i have as few friends as i did when i was under ten, i am often confused and outraged sometimes by the behaviour of the average person. i am unbelievably sensitive to sound and smell, and i’m so used to this, that i don’t always realize i’m overwhelmed until i burn out." This describes my experience and what it is like for some people on the spectrum after many years. (I recall the many times this has been mentioned by Rachel as well.) This is why I am actually coping worse now than when I was younger. This concept of burnout from overuse of coping skills causing a reduced ability to function is one I am still trying to get my mother and sister to understand. I may have to give up. Ben wrote:

“i remind them that people are different, people with autism are different, and cope and socialize in different ways. i tell them that my coping skills look great, but using them over the course of thirty years has caused me a great deal of stress and burnout.
i can no longer hold down the crappy jobs i had throughout my twenties and early thirties, i have as few friends as i did when i was under ten, i am often confused and outraged sometimes by the behaviour of the average person. i am unbelievably sensitive to sound and smell, and i’m so used to this, that i don’t always realize i’m overwhelmed until i burn out.”

This describes my experience and what it is like for some people on the spectrum after many years. (I recall the many times this has been mentioned by Rachel as well.) This is why I am actually coping worse now than when I was younger. This concept of burnout from overuse of coping skills causing a reduced ability to function is one I am still trying to get my mother and sister to understand. I may have to give up.

]]> By: Rachel http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/02/13/why-ive-changed-the-name-of-my-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-75330 Rachel Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:36:14 +0000 http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/?p=4350#comment-75330 M, it's always good to find a diagnosis that works. :-) M, it’s always good to find a diagnosis that works. :-)

]]> By: M http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/02/13/why-ive-changed-the-name-of-my-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-75329 M Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:13:21 +0000 http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/?p=4350#comment-75329 definitely glad to see your new blog and new posts. i've always felt ambivalent about the AS label. on the one hand, there's the diagnostic criteria. on the other hand, there's the more "aspie", cultural identity. and none of them ever seemed to quite fit. my primary issues relate to body language: i lack it, can't percieve it in others. one day i was reading about fonts...about typeface...on wikipedia. i found this sentence describing the most commonly used font "helvetica": "The aim of the new design was to create a neutral typeface that had great clarity, had no intrinsic meaning in its form, and could be used on a wide variety of signage" i loved it. neutral typeface. no intrinsic meaning in it's form. for me, there was no ambivanlance about that. even since then, that's the label and diagnosis i've preferred. helvetica. a typeface for some. a way of life for others. definitely glad to see your new blog and new posts.

i’ve always felt ambivalent about the AS label. on the one hand, there’s the diagnostic criteria. on the other hand, there’s the more “aspie”, cultural identity. and none of them ever seemed to quite fit. my primary issues relate to body language: i lack it, can’t percieve it in others.

one day i was reading about fonts…about typeface…on wikipedia. i found this sentence describing the most commonly used font “helvetica”:

“The aim of the new design was to create a neutral typeface that had great clarity, had no intrinsic meaning in its form, and could be used on a wide variety of signage”

i loved it. neutral typeface. no intrinsic meaning in it’s form. for me, there was no ambivanlance about that.

even since then, that’s the label and diagnosis i’ve preferred.

helvetica.

a typeface for some. a way of life for others.

]]> By: Rachel http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/02/13/why-ive-changed-the-name-of-my-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-75328 Rachel Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:54:10 +0000 http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/?p=4350#comment-75328 Hi Gavin, I'm glad you found me. I sent out emails to everyone who has ever emailed me, but I didn't see your email posted on your blog. I just now realized that I could have looked at one of your earlier comments to find it. In fact, I just now realized that I can contact other readers by doing the same! :-) Hi Gavin,

I’m glad you found me. I sent out emails to everyone who has ever emailed me, but I didn’t see your email posted on your blog. I just now realized that I could have looked at one of your earlier comments to find it. In fact, I just now realized that I can contact other readers by doing the same! :-)

]]> By: Gavin Bollard http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/02/13/why-ive-changed-the-name-of-my-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-75327 Gavin Bollard Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:05:58 +0000 http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/?p=4350#comment-75327 Hi Rachel, Glad to have finally found your blog again. I missed it. It's a brave step changing your blog name (and there's obviously a lot of technical repercussions to the change as well). I think you've proven your point very well. I'm not planning to change my blog's identity but I will eventually post on the subject. I'm still trying to let my thoughts mature on the issue. Hi Rachel,

Glad to have finally found your blog again. I missed it.

It’s a brave step changing your blog name (and there’s obviously a lot of technical repercussions to the change as well). I think you’ve proven your point very well.

I’m not planning to change my blog’s identity but I will eventually post on the subject. I’m still trying to let my thoughts mature on the issue.

]]> By: Ben http://www.journeyswithautism.com/2010/02/13/why-ive-changed-the-name-of-my-blog/comment-page-1/#comment-75325 Ben Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:36:02 +0000 http://www.aspergerjourneys.com/?p=4350#comment-75325 i'm all for asperger's syndrome being used as a descriptor, but agree that there's a bunch of unwanted baggage that comes along with it. i've been using both autism and asperger's when speaking to friends and family about 'what's wrong with ben' ;-), so that they get used to the fact that AS is autism. some have reacted to my use of autism to describe myself. after all, i am able to have conversations, make eye contact, and sometimes, sort of, function okay in their world! how could i possibly have autism?! i remind them that people are different, people with autism are different, and cope and socialize in different ways. i tell them that my coping skills look great, but using them over the course of thirty years has caused me a great deal of stress and burnout. i can no longer hold down the crappy jobs i had throughout my twenties and early thirties, i have as few friends as i did when i was under ten, i am often confused and outraged sometimes by the behaviour of the average person. i am unbelievably sensitive to sound and smell, and i'm so used to this, that i don't always realize i'm overwhelmed until i burn out. does this sound like 'mild' autism to you? i mean, i have no real idea what life is like for someone with a different kind of autism, or who expresses themselves differently than me, or who cannot or chooses not to cope with the shit i choose to deal with. i envy rachel that she is comfortable wearing her hearing blockers when out of the house, opting out of socializing with the average person to save her brain and her sanity. she inspires me to someday learn to take of myself the same way. ben i’m all for asperger’s syndrome being used as a descriptor, but agree that there’s a bunch of unwanted baggage that comes along with it.
i’ve been using both autism and asperger’s when speaking to friends and family about ‘what’s wrong with ben’ ;-) , so that they get used to the fact that AS is autism. some have reacted to my use of autism to describe myself. after all, i am able to have conversations, make eye contact, and sometimes, sort of, function okay in their world! how could i possibly have autism?!
i remind them that people are different, people with autism are different, and cope and socialize in different ways. i tell them that my coping skills look great, but using them over the course of thirty years has caused me a great deal of stress and burnout.
i can no longer hold down the crappy jobs i had throughout my twenties and early thirties, i have as few friends as i did when i was under ten, i am often confused and outraged sometimes by the behaviour of the average person. i am unbelievably sensitive to sound and smell, and i’m so used to this, that i don’t always realize i’m overwhelmed until i burn out. does this sound like ‘mild’ autism to you? i mean, i have no real idea what life is like for someone with a different kind of autism, or who expresses themselves differently than me, or who cannot or chooses not to cope with the shit i choose to deal with.
i envy rachel that she is comfortable wearing her hearing blockers when out of the house, opting out of socializing with the average person to save her brain and her sanity. she inspires me to someday learn to take of myself the same way.

ben

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