I’d like to start off by saying I have autism.
Many people - autistic and otherwise - have debated whether to refer to us as autistic people, or people with autism.
I’m aware that some people with autism prefer the former description, autistic people. Personally, I don’t mind either description. I’d guess most of us aren’t that bothered, although I don’t know for sure.
That being said, the latter description, people with autism, is widely considered to be more politically correct.
Neurotypical people will visit this community, and we don’t want to offend them by using the incorrect term to describe ourselves.
/s, by the way. Never let an NT tell you what to call yourself.
I have been. It’s interesting to read the feedback as many of the kids I work with are preschool age and unable to share what they would prefer to be called and the parents are often so overwhelmed with just receiving the diagnosis that they haven’t formed an opinion about this particular topic yet.
Definitely want to find a way to bring this into my place of work and share, but will need something a little more formal than “internet NDs said…” Certainly presents a personal and professional topic of research for the future.
If you want more solid references, the vast majority autistic adults in the US prefer identity-first language ( https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36237135/ ), and it’s also the norm for autism activists and self-managed autism organizations ( https://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/faq/ ). Since this is a recent trend, it’s likely that it’ll extend to other anglo speaking countries too.
Mind you, the language itself is a point with very little practical consequence, but the philosophy behind this debate, that is, whether the differences of autistic people must be respected and accepted and properly integrated, or if autistic people must be forced to conform to norms that were established without taking them into account, conditions our whole lives.
