ASPIE DEFINITIONS

 I figured it might be helpful to create a list of simple definitions for readers new to the language of Aspergers.

 
Asperger’s Syndrome (AS): Asperger’s syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder characterized by deficits in social interaction together with behaviors, activities or interests that are repetitive or restricted. AS is generally differentiated from classical autism by the lack of a delay in language development. People diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome are autistic and I refer to myself as autistic, aspie or having Asperger’s interchangeably. Sometimes AS is referred to as Asperger’s disorder (AD) or high functioning autism (HFA).
Aspie: An aspie is a person with AS.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): This phrase describes the developmental disorders that make up the autism spectrum: autism, Asperger’s syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), Rett’s disorder   and childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD). When the DSM-V is released in May, Autism Spectrum Disorder will become the sole diagnosis for everyone on the spectrum.
Central Coherence: This refers to a person’s ability to extract meaning or see “the big picture” in an information processing task. People with weak central coherence tend to focus on the details at the expense of the big picture (think of an essay that is grammatically perfect but has poor organization). People with strong central coherence tend to see the overall meaning while sacrificing details (the essay is well organized but riddled with typos and grammar errors).
Executive Function: Executive function is a catch-all term that includes our higher cognitive functions such as planning, working memory, attention, problem solving, verbal reasoning, inhibition, mental flexibility, multi-tasking, and initiation and monitoring of physical actions. Impaired executive function is a characteristic of AS and one that many people continue to struggle with throughout adulthood.
Neurotypical (NT): Neurotypical is often used as shorthand for people who are not on the spectrum, though nonautistic people can be neuro-atypical as well. A more correct term for nonautistic people is allistic.
Perseverative:  This is a fancy word for repetitive. It’s used to described the repetitive actions, thoughts or speech of people with ASD. It can also refer to the tendency of people with Asperger’s to continue doing something the same way even though the task at hand has changed.  You may also see perseveration (noun form) or perseverate (verb form).
Stimming: Short for “self-stimulation” stimming refers to repetitive movements like rocking or hand waving. I shake my leg back and forth or do a dance step with my fingers that includes counting beats. stereotypic movement.