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why are you referring to these people as autistics?

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angelicgoddess
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14 Sep 2009, 1:19 pm

SarasDad wrote:
My question to you is, why are you referring to these people as autistics? It is like labeling someone a Sped, an alcoholic, a bipolar. They are people who happen to be on the autism spectrum. They should be addressed at people, not labeled. So adults on the autism spectrum are not happy with autism speaks.

My question to this community (now be nice) is what can I say back that would help educate others.

I would like to share this information...


So, summarizing the answers I've seen here:

I would write back something like (@all; please adjust if you feel like doing so): "dear sir/madam.

To me the autistic spectrum no different from all other different spectra of human characteristics. One can for example be blond, hazel eyed, tall... and one can be autistic.

I see no need in changing the existing language if there is no urgent reason for it.

Yours truly
....



Orwell
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14 Sep 2009, 2:05 pm

SarasDad wrote:
I posted the article "Why autistic people don't like Autism Speaks" with a link back to the original article on another message board mostly made up of parents. The one reply I received back was as follows.

My question to you is, why are you referring to these people as autistics? It is like labeling someone a Sped, an alcoholic, a bipolar. They are people who happen to be on the autism spectrum. They should be addressed at people, not labeled. So adults on the autism spectrum are not happy with autism speaks.

My question to this community (now be nice) is what can I say back that would help educate others.

I would like to share this information...

See Jim Sinclair's essay at http://www.cafemom.com/journals/read/436505/Why_I_dislike_quot_person_first_quot_language_by_Jim_Sinclair (Dammit, his homepage is gone... at least his essays are still floating around)

Mr. Sinclair is not the only autistic to object to the person-first language. I prefer to be called an autistic person or an autistic, not a person with autism.


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14 Sep 2009, 3:24 pm

Peko wrote:
Personally, I think if you say "autistic people" or "people with autism", you're saying the fact they are people or human like NT's is not implied :(. Saying "autistics" should have "people" as in we're human implied in it.

I agree with that. I think I thought it, but wasn't sure how to say it. Having to make a particular point of specifying that someone is a person kinda seems to mean that if you didn't specify it, someone might think that they weren't.



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15 Sep 2009, 7:15 am

I think it should be seen as self-evident that autistic people are people. If people need to structure their language to constantly remind themselves that autistic people are people, there is something wrong with their attitude.


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15 Sep 2009, 7:42 am

I suppose there's a...threshold where a disorder defines much of how a person is, so people's personalities probably latch onto the disorder that seemingly controls them and define themselves by it. That which controls us, is us, so to speak.

I like person with autism in my case as I have this big personality and disorder conflict going on, where the fudged up disorder controls many things, disables me and stops my personality from doing the things it wants.

I don't dub myself as obsessive-compulsive either (even though I have OCD), as I don't let that control me.