Until today I had never heard of the shortened term "aspie" to refer to someone with Asperger syndrome. While the term strikes me as derogatory and belittling, I'm not a native speaker and obviously have no experience with its usage.

An online search seems to provide no conclusive evidence that it's an offensive term. I've found a few statements from parents of children with the syndrome or mental health workers who claim to use the term. Some say that it can be offensive depending on tone and usage. Yet others say that it shouldn't ever be used.

Is the term "aspie" innately derogatory?

Is there a good chance that some people might take offence at its usage and should I therefore avoid using it?