Preference of the terms "Autistic" or "Person with Autism"?

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Back when allistics demanding the use of person-first language was a thing because they claimed identity first language is offensive I told them I have been Autistic for six decades more than you so I get to decide what is offensive to me not you. Shut them up every time.

There are other things in life more important than semantic distinctions.

As long as a person treats me with dignity, I don't care whether I'm called "autistic" or "a person with autism."

Looks like most Aspies don't want person-first nomenclature then. It seems that health professionals have decided what's good for us without asking. Personally I don't see why anybody would prefer person-first anything, but if a ND really wanted me to use it, then it'd probably be a case of "oh allright then, it doesn't make sense to me but it doesn't have to." Left to my own devices I'd just use go for the easiest, and that's not the person-first one. I don't normally mix with people who would use my choice as an excuse for Aspie-bashing, and I'd expect them to mock me if I did use person-first to them. The health professionals' views don't matter much to me in this respect.

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tough diamond:

the "health professionals" that decided that "person-first nomenclature" was the current, politically correct method of referring to someone with a diagnosis, had good intentions.

maybe some "people with other diagnoses" (please note that I just used "person first nomenclature" also prefer "person first nomenclature".

quite frankly, i think there is nothing great about being a "person". nor is it necessary to keep reminding someone that they are a "person".

but maybe some people do feel "dehumanized" when they are not constantly reminded that they are people.

Researchers from across the U21 Autism Research Network, led by a team at the University of Birmingham, carried out a survey of over 650 English-speaking autistic adults across the globe to explore their linguistic preferences. The findings, published in Autism Research, highlighted a number of clear recommendations. The paper represents the first global study into autistic language preferences.

Lead author, Connor Keating, from the University of Birmingham’s School of Psychology, said: “Although we found that some terms were more popular than others, there was no universally accepted way to talk about autism. Due to this variability, many participants highlighted that talking to autistic people and finding out their individual preferences will always be the best way to achieve effective communication.”

The research showed that terms such as “Autistic person”, “Is autistic”, “Neurological/Brain Difference”, “Differences”, “Challenges”, “Difficulties”, “Neurotypical people”, and “Neurotypicals” were among those most favoured by the survey group.

In contrast, terms that were unpopular included “Asperger's syndrome”, “Person with autism/ASD/ASC”, “Has autism”, “Disease”, “Disorder”, “Deficits” and “Impairments”, and “Typical people”.

Significantly, although “Asperger’s syndrome” was popular among some individuals initially diagnosed using this terminology, for others it had extremely negative connotations with a eugenical Nazi regime.

Similarly, a large number of respondents disliked the use of functioning labels. Participants reported that these terms are divisive, as they unnecessarily segregate autistic people, inaccurate, as functioning varies across time and situations, and harmful as it leads to so-called “high-functioning” individuals missing out on support and “low-functioning” people being infantilised or ignored.

Although there was variability in language preferences across the individuals surveyed, there was a clear overall preference for ‘identity first’ terms. These terms, including ‘autistic person’, or ‘neurodivergent person’, were perceived as better acknowledging that autism is a core part of a person’s identity, like gender or ethnicity.

In contrast, ‘person first’ language – ‘person with autism’, for example, was often judged to promote stigma, reinforcing the notion that autism is a defect that must be removed from the individual.

The research showed that terms such as “Autistic person”, “Is autistic”, “Neurological/Brain Difference”, “Differences”, “Challenges”, “Difficulties”, “Neurotypical people”, and “Neurotypicals” were among those most favoured by the survey group.

In contrast, terms that were unpopular included “Asperger's syndrome”, “Person with autism/ASD/ASC”, “Has autism”, “Disease”, “Disorder”, “Deficits” and “Impairments”, and “Typical people”.

Significantly, although “Asperger’s syndrome” was popular among some individuals initially diagnosed using this terminology, for others it had extremely negative connotations with a eugenical Nazi regime.

Similarly, a large number of respondents disliked the use of functioning labels. Participants reported that these terms are divisive, as they unnecessarily segregate autistic people, inaccurate, as functioning varies across time and situations, and harmful as it leads to so-called “high-functioning” individuals missing out on support and “low-functioning” people being infantilised or ignored.

Although there was variability in language preferences across the individuals surveyed, there was a clear overall preference for ‘identity first’ terms. These terms, including ‘autistic person’, or ‘neurodivergent person’, were perceived as better acknowledging that autism is a core part of a person’s identity, like gender or ethnicity.

In contrast, ‘person first’ language – ‘person with autism’, for example, was often judged to promote stigma, reinforcing the notion that autism is a defect that must be removed from the individual.

The Forum is called like this:

"Wrong Planet" is the leading community forum and resource supporting *people with *autism, *Asperger's Syndrome and other neurological conditions.
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Maybe it's more politically correct.
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I suppose it's unlikely that the part that you don't like from the survey will be changed

Because it's complicated and also a request that requires re-programming and there are already only a few moderators, as far as I understand there are 4.

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That's fine with me, as well as having an idea of ​​how you think, and I'll adapt until the next post in this sense.

When I read it now:

"Wrong Planet" is the leading community forum and resource supporting people with autism, Asperger's Syndrome and other neurological conditions.

the phrase doesn't seem to have the same contrived, clumsy unnatural feel to it as it does in most of the sentences I've seen that contain that phrase.

If it is important to some people that is fine, but I have heard of some social media figures within the Autism community being rejected and bullied for not using the person first terminology that a certain section of the community prefers. I don't think that is right.