A research study on preferred terminology for autism

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to me i put little stake or meaning in mear words.i dont care what people call me.

but philosophicaly i like Amy Sequenzia's theory on indentity first language.

OliveOilMom:

Try to read my previous post, please.

I see a lot of irony in this thread

I'll agree that claiming offence isn't the best way to change language. It's much better to ask nicely without accusing people of wrongdoing, which appears to be the goal of this study - refer to people as wish to be referred to, without resorting to rhetorical cudgels.

I do not like the "Disorder" part of ASD.

I view us as another race that is not distinguishable by skin color.

Whatever word is used, the way people take it, will depend on thier individual knowlege and understanding.

I don't care about the terms.
All the terms tested in the paper are fine by me.

I work for an autism charity and we use the term Autism Spectrum Condition(s) ASC instead of the usual 'D' word. I like it and use it everywhere; it often provokes a discussion, "Don't you mean ASD?" "Well actually, No....."

I tend to change my self reference depending upon who the company is. When talking with complete strangers I tend to use "Person on the Autism Spectrum" as the main problem with labels is the other persons perception of that label, what that equates to in their head. With my colleagues and people who I have built a link with I often use the term "Aspie" as this is a light-hearted phrase to me and implies that it isn't something to get too worked up about.

I must confess that if I am feeling a bit 'naughty' and filled with devilment, then I have used the phrase "I am an autistic man!" Now it must be said that this has usually been directed at people who have told me that I MUST ALWAYS use the person first wording. That flicks a switch in my head that usually says, "Oh really?......" and I then give them a lecture about the fact that autism pervades everything I do as it is such a fundamental part of me and as such I assert my right to self-define in any way I choose. That often leads to an awkward silence and shuffling of feet. This isn't just about being awkward, I aim to challenge the orthodox that states that Neurotypical people decide how we are perceived. I was asked to leave a training session once when the person, who had a certificate in autism don't you know, kept talking about how we needed to be "raising awareness of autistics!" I asked her to clarify what she meant as I was autistic and wondered what she wanted me to be more aware of. It was when I suggested she possibly meant neurodiversity, or ASC, acceptance that she asked me to leave as I was clearly a trouble-maker. Sadly the irony was totally lost on her, but sadly she continued to ply her trade as an 'expert' and took money from organisations who wanted to improve their equality training scope.

I do use the term Neurodiverse a lot too. It is interesting actually, as I often state that being Neurodiverse doesn't require a person to reside on any spectrum or have received a diagnosis. Non diagnosed people tend to like that a lot as it points more towards a 'positive' quirky difference rather than 'autistic' which is still shrouded in negativity. Our experiences are often very far from being quirky, but it puts a person in a more receptive frame of mind to then explain and discuss some of the issues/challenges we can face.

Words are the key to this; we should never forget that and use them to our advantage wherever possible.