Autistic, Person with Autism, ASD - which do you prefer?

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I guess it's the same as saying Aspie, where only people who are part of the community knows what you're on about.

I don't like being called 'Autist' in my own language by others. I also don't approve of being called autistic (person) by others. If others call me that I find I'm being reduced to my autism.

If I call myself like that, I know what I mean by it and know I'm not meaning to say autism is a super special part of me that is my personality.

I prefer saying I have an ASD though.

I'm not fitting AS stereotypes and I have symptoms of classical that those with AS aren't supposed to/don't often have.

I don't want people to assume they can deny me that I have issues with language and speech, that I must have a special interest instead of occupation with parts of objects and such details and that not having an interest means my AS is 'barely there', that I started out bad and have improved a lot and so on.

So saying I have an ASD is more fitting because I also don't meet the DSM-IV-TR criteria of AS that are pretty popular around the globe.

"Person with autism" seems a little insulting to me. The implication is that autism is shameful and you don't want to associate it too closely with me for fear of offense... Obviously autism isn't all there is to me; but you don't say "person with" for what you consider neutral characteristics about me, for example, "short" or "sophomore", which define me less than autism does but still don't merit person-first language. Obviously someone who says I'm short knows very well there's more to me than shortness. That they're still using "person with" for autism seems to me to say that they don't really understand, deep down, that being autistic is no more of a reduction of my personhood than being short. Autistic should imply personhood, just intrinsically, the way "female" or "child" implies personhood. We shouldn't have to use person-first language to remind ourselves that disabled people are people too; and when you do, it makes me think, "Okay, I know s/he's just trying to be polite, but it sounds way too much like someone trying to delicately side-step an embarrassing fact."

I agree. for me personally ASD sounds best, most broad and all. but since I wish to remain in the closet indefinitely I don't really care that much.

I prefer "on the spectrum" or "autistic", because on the spectrum sounds colourful, and austic is better than saying that I have autism, because it sounds better to say "I am" rather than "I have". I have sounds to much like there is something else stuck to me that shouldn't be there, I am sounds like something that is part of me, get what I mean?

Well I guess I am in the minority but I like "person with". I think that "on the spectrum" or ASD are not generally understood, and the word autistic is a little too defining.

I agree that it is a major part of who we are but people hear "autistic" and some pretty defining stereotypes arise.

They get the same stereotypes when they hear "person with autism", though. Maybe even more, because person-with emphasizes "disability".

just to grate.......

ASD or
Person with......

Easier to say, and most people know what autism is, and I can from there explain in detail, and more specificly, how very few are Rainmans. You would be surprised how few people know what autism really is, or even have a clue about what it is.

I actually try to tell people I have PDD-NOS which is a ASD which means I have a form of Autism. Then I say but I am high functioning. When I told the kids up the fire hall they were like ok and shrugged it off. Thank god! They didn't rush to help me in any thing. They know what I have trouble with and that's ok.

I was going to write autism spectrum but I thought it spoke for itself on this site. Clearly in real life you would say autism spectrum.

Callista: Good points, yes it does seem like "person with autism" is an attempt to separate ourselves from the terrible evil autism!!