Instead of Asperger’s, Elon Musk Should Have Said He Is Autistic

Let’s get rid of the misconceptions and the outdated image of autism.

Image by the author. Image description: categories of autism under DSM-IV and DSM-5.

Recently, Elon Musk hosted Saturday Night Live, and he claimed to be the first person with Asperger’s to host the show. This statement has been proven false by other sources. The Canadian actor Daniel Aykroyd was the first person with Asperger’s to host SNL. However, the focus of my story is not to discuss the first host on SNL with Asperger’s.

My purpose in writing this story is to shed some light on the usage of outdated terminology used by celebrities and influencers to describe their diagnoses. Instead of using the Asperger’s label, Elon Musk should have used autism. To some folks, this is not an important difference. In this story, I want to present my argument for why using the most up-to-date terminology associated with the condition is important.

The problem with using outdated terminology

The diagnosis criteria for autism have evolved over the years. The latest or the fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) has updated the name and the criteria for the diagnosis of Autism. The terms “Aspergers,” “autism,” and “Pervasive Developmental Disorder — Not Otherwise…