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"Autistic" or "Person with Autism"?

Magna

Magna

Well-Known Member
V.I.P Member
I do not use "person-first" language. It offends me for the reasons pointed out in this short clip as well as for other reasons.

 
Honestly? I really don't have a strong opinion, and certainly not offended. Person with autism, autistic, ASDer.... not really able to get worked up about any or these. In the grand scheme of how this world has been created for social butterflies to leech off the sheer effort and talent of our autistic brothers and sisters and come out on top, the name doesn't matter much to me. What matters more is that autistic people have been the inventors, the creators, the thinkers, the doers, yet we are massively unemployed and underappreciated.
 
Wow, I recognized her (in the YT video) instantly from that show!

As long as it's not being used for blatant antagonistic purposes against others, I'm pretty cool with any language choice (even some otherwise abhorrent terms if they're used in jest against me). There's really no reason for me to try and control someone else's language or how they refer to me, because that's kind of up to them.

Language can be a tricky subject a lot of the time, but I just look at intention -- if someone means well, we're good :D
 
Makes no difference to me. Not worth getting offended over because, in most cases, neither one is used as an insult.
 
Anything's better than Spectrumite lol. Can't stand that word.

I don't like being called autistic because I don't identify as autistic. But that's for other reasons. I don't care whether people say "autistic people" or "people with autism", as it's both the same thing to me. It's difficult to have to keep remembering to jump through hoops all the time just in case it might offend somebody.
 
If I had to choose one I would choose autistic person. Because it is more accurate to me. For me, person with autism gives the sense it can be cured. Or you got it at a later stage in life.
But I will never correct anyone if they say person with autism. Because we both know what the other means. I also don`t really focus on my own use of it. In my native language it sounds grammatically off if you say autistic person. So everyone over here says person with autism because it is more easily usable in a conversation. But if people ask me. I say "Ik ben autistisch" (I am autistic) instead of I have autism.
Like others have said. As long as it is not ill intended I really don`t care that much.
 
Autism, Asperger's, ASD, on the spectrum, I'm autistic, I'm an autistic person, etc., I don't pay attention to identity nor identity politics. I will use all of it interchangeably without much thought. I'm too old for putting any sort of importance upon it, and frankly, most people don't care. I'm from the "Don't care, do your job." generation. Myself and most people in my inner circle are far more concerned about whether or not people are "useful" or "useless". If you have an "identity", great, do that on your own time, now get to work and be useful. :p
 
Either is OK.

If its me I'm talking about, I say "I'm autistic" because its easier to say.

If its about someone else, I'll match their language, because its polite to do that.
 
Neonatal RRT said:
far more concerned about whether or not people are "useful" or "useless"
Click to expand...
Yeah, and "friendly" or "unfriendly" I think is a similar thing. It doesn't matter to me which of those phrases you use: "Don't invite him, he's autistic" is just as unfriendly as "Don't invite him, he's a person with autism".

Perhaps what is more significant than the "autistic" vs "person with autism" thing is to be more specific about needs. "Can we turn the lights down, I have a sensitivity to those fluorescent lights" is clearer than "Can we turn the lights down, I'm autistic" or "... I have autism" or "... I'm a person with autism".
 
I'm autistic. While I can and do go on and on about topics, I am too lazy to use a more cumbersome construct to say something when a simple term will do.
 
I too am autistic. I am not a person with autism, because autism isn't a thing I take with me or wear, it is exactly who I am as a person. But how others want to define themselves is not for me to choose. I object to any use of an autism label as a pejorative.
 
Whatever terminology one chooses to use isn't nearly as important as is whomever you are willing to divulge to that you're on the spectrum.

Hopefully considering a "need-know-basis" only.
 
TBRS1 said:
Either is OK.

If its me I'm talking about, I say "I'm autistic" because its easier to say.

If its about someone else, I'll match their language, because its polite to do that.
Click to expand...
That is a very good way to go about it. I use the same philosophy when it comes to other modern identity topics. I basically always use the other person's terms and language, and if I don`t understand how they use it I ask. But generally it is pretty easy to figure out. It is very rare for me to ask people to change the way they call me. Whether if it is regarding autism or something else.
 
I say/call myself autistic. It bothers me when NTs insist that people should only say “people with autism” because it’s not their place to decide. I met someone who was really adamant I call myself a “person with autism“ and it annoyed me very much.
 
I think it's become a thing these days to get bogged down on words instead of seeing the whole picture. It's like sometimes some people choose to be offended, and then things spiral out of control.
 
I prefer autistic person.

I don’t have autism, I am autism - if that kinda makes sense?

My brain is wired up in a different way. I think differently. I have certain needs from society (social model of disability, environment is disabling).
 
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