"Autistic" or "Person with Autism"?

[WhitewaterWoman]

lol. I'm struggling to crawl out from precisely that kind of bitterness, but I don't blame you at all. Incidentally, I'm sure they treat us that way first. They think we're ghoulish or mechanistic, which would be sort of like a vegetable. Oh, well. Like I said, I reach out. They walk away. I feel at peace, because I was the one reaching.

It’s not bitterness at all. I just actually prefer plants.

I’m fond of some people, too. But people exhaust me after a while. Plants never do.

 

[Levitat0r]

It’s not bitterness at all. I just actually prefer plants.

I’m fond of some people, too. But people exhaust me after a while. Plants never do.

Oops, sorry. Well, I'm striving to get out of bitterness, I'll put it that way.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

Oops, sorry. Well, I'm striving to get out of bitterness, I'll put it that way.

No need to apologize. My fault entirely for not thinking it through that many don’t know of my devotion to plants.

Looking at it as you did, it’s actually kind of funny. (I’m sorry other people have been unable to see you, That has happened to me too, but not all the time.)

 

[Aspie_With_Attitude]

There's no one identity for "AUTISM", it varies and I even explained this a couple of weeks ago on my Autistic YouTube Creator Channel.

 

[Chailatte_]

My conditions don't define me, but they define who I am. When I have to describe myself or talk about myself in a certain context, I use 'neurospicy' or 'aspie' (neurospicy is what my best friend with ADHD and I call ourselves). However, it depends on the context. Having both Asperger's and ADHD makes (sometimes) 'aspie' feel a bit 'claustrophobic,' so being confined to a single group or label makes me anxious. Therefore, 'neurospicy' is cute and informal, making it more accessible to someone neurotypical who might not be well-informed. It also helps me avoid the typical response, 'But you don't seem Asperger's or autistic or ADHD.' I usually say it with a smile or present it in a way that allows me to control the situation to avoid it turning into pity. Using a lighter term, despite living with both conditions not being light at all, enables a more positive and lighter reaction on the other side. It prevents me from being infantilized and looked at with pity, which I hate and find challenging. I avoid discomfort for both myself and the other person because discomfort often leads to generic phrases and 'misinformation' that can be hard to handle, depending on my emotional capacity at the moment. Discomfort and pressure are, from my experiences, great enemies of good communication, leading to misunderstandings and anxiety. So, I'd say 'Neurospicy' when someone I'm getting to know wants to know more about me, and 'aspie' when I'm writing a text and have the opportunity to explain calmly, perhaps in my reflections or when I use self-humor about a typically Asperger's trait.
In conclusion, I believe that we should all approach others with respect for their choices, cease to trample on them, and stop letting our perspective override theirs. In short, less ego and less taking things personally.

 

[lovely_darlingprettybaby]

Would like to open a thread for discussion about something that has come up in conversation several times and is I feel important to me.

I would describe myself as a person with autism, and not an autistic person.

Why is this important to me?

Well first of all I don't feel that who I am is defined by autism. Sure, it has certainly coloured my entire being and my world view. But I don't wish to be defined as being 'in the group of' autistic persons.

Put it another way, neuodivergency is not my 'in-group'.

At the same time, this doesn't mean that I think autism is something that happens to people. I would not wish to communicate that autism and personhood are somehow separate.

I would prefer not to be identified with any particular group, whether based on culture, nationality, politics, or ways of thinking. Instead, I'd prefer to identify myself with everyone else, with no exceptions. A world citizen, if you will.

That means, because I don't feel that I want to belong to an 'in-group', then no 'groups' are 'out-groups' for me either.

Please feel free to share your perspectives here. Speaking for myself only, I'd be glad to hear them and will appreciate them for what they are. Diversity is beautiful.

Diversity is beautiful
And I feel the same if I was certain I had autism
I would not call myself an autistic but a person with autism. I do not necessarily think it is important to tell anyone you hace it unless they wonder why you act and function differently. But it is your choice without lying which I believe is wrong
I am not ashamed to be autistic but some of the other stuff I have been through lately is so wrong and makes me so sick I could vomit in a vomit bucket. And it has nothing to do with no accepting diversity because I have never seen anyone with any difference as any less.
Or not believed we were all made wildly different
I also do not believe you have to associate with any group and sometimes wonder why groups exist.
Sure sometimes it is nice to associate with those that understand you and sometimes with ASD it is hard to relate to regular people but not impossible with everyone.
Anyway I do not believe in groups associated with race, body shape, disability etc because i think that segregates people and is wrong but I can understand how people would want to be around people who understand and think the same if other people are so hard to understand
Some people may not get along and clash but that does not you cannot be polite and civil and agree to disagree.
Unity in life and peace is not about being the same.
But I also believe in a higher power who should be put first, loved and thanked wholeheartedly before anyone in this world deserves any kind of unity and peace.
In fact people who do not respect that unless they have reasons then they need to have an eye opening and heart check and a big wake up call.
I do not care if anyone gets offended by this post because it is not right to look down on others with different beliefs

 

[Lilacleia16]

I prefer identity first language where I am identified as autistic. But other people sometimes prefer to not be referred to as autistic. How do you feel about it? And why?

 

[AprilR]

I think it is caused by internalized ableism and the word "autistic" being used as an insult. People don't want to be associated with this mental image.

I don't mind being called autistic, if someone thinks less of me because i am "autistic" - (meaning worthless in their minds) that's their discrimination and repulsiveness.

 

[jsilver256]

I'm deaf - like, zero hearing and zero ability to speak. That prevented me from being diagnosed with autism, because I was left alone in a corner to code. I always struggled a bit, but for the most part nobody expected me to participate in society. My troubles started in earnest when speech-to-text became a thing about four years ago and suddenly everything I said & did was super offensive and yet I was now expected to participate in polite society.

I bring this up because this is a common debate in the Deaf community as well. In many ways I think deafness and autism are similar because they shape how we interact with others, our language, our thinking, and it is difficult to imagine ourselves without either condition. It is not like, for example, back issues or mobility issues which for the most part "get in our way" rather than shaping us at the very core.

I have always referred to myself as deaf and not "someone with a hearing impairment" - and that is the majority view of the Deaf community - because the degree of deafness has reached to such an extent that it shapes who we are. In many ways, autism affected me more than being deaf, both positively and negatively, so I think "autistic" is probably the consistent view here.

But as always - IMO individual preference trumps all - and the right thing to do is to respect each other's wishes.

 

[Lilacleia16]

This is my opinion:

Identity-first language says, “I am autistic.”
Person-first language says, “I am a person who has autism.”

I prefer identity-first language because it invites culture. Person-first language causes shame about one’s disability. Autism is not like an addiction to be shamefully recovered from. It is actually the way we were born and it’s an alternate perspective of the world with pros and cons to it. I believe you should accept yourself and embrace your strengths and your weaknesses. We say, “I am introverted” and that is not frowned upon. Why? Because there are strengths that go along with that weakness. We don’t say, “I am a person who is introverted.” Likewise, we might say, “I am a girl”. We don’t say I am a person that is identified as a girl. We accept parts of our identity as part of a whole. I am not just a girl. I am many other things. Ultimately, my identity is found in Jesus Christ but his strength is shown through my weakness. To say that I have no weakness is to be in denial and deceive my own self.

Besides, being autistic is not bad or shameful, there are many advantages to it. I see how my five senses can both overstimulate me negatively, and have me in such awe of what our God has created. I see the good qualities of childlike faith that it brings out in me and the special relationship with God who is my friend when I have none. I see the potential for genius in every autistic person whether it’s right brain, left brain, or both. I see the innocence we cultivate and the clarity of heart. I see the grit we can muster. I am proud to be called autistic. I am a part of a community and a culture that is wonderfully rich in depth. Just like a deaf person that is proud of being part of the deaf community, I am proud to declare I am autistic and to be counted as part of the group. I am wonderfully made.

 

[Lilacleia16]

There is another view that says don't put me in a box and that there should not be labels. But I disagree. Labels identify a can of beans. Some people want to know what’s in the can first before they decide if they want it. It's because not all food is agreeable to every tastebud and so likewise there are personality clashes and clashes between the neurodivergent and neurotypical minds.

 

[Lactobuzzillus]

I use both (well, I don’t usually say “person with autism”, but I’ll say that someone “has autism” or is “on the spectrum”).

I generally prefer identity-first language. To me, having to separate someone from their autism in order to see them as a person implies that autism makes people less human.

Person-first language feels more formal, though. I use it when I am in a professional setting or talking with people I don’t know well. You never know what people’s preconceived notions about autism are, and since “autistic” is sometimes used in a derogatory manner, they may think you are trying to insult someone.

Of course, I’m not formally diagnosed, so I don’t know if I really have the right to weigh in on this.

 

[Ghostinthemachine]

I prefer aspergers, I don't like the term aspie and autism is very generalised for something which is individual to us all but I fully support anyone whom wants to use whatever self description they choose as it's what they feel comfortable with the most which matters as we are all individual and seek to respect each others opinion and right to choose

 

[Alexej]

This is my opinion:

Identity-first language says, “I am autistic.”
Person-first language says, “I am a person who has autism.”

For me identity first language is my preference.
The phraseology of "person with" suggests that I might change and no longer "have" autism (though how that might happen is unclear). No, I have been autistic all my life, even though I did not know it for the longest time.

 

[Masaniello]

I tend to use the term autistic to describe myself. A person with autism (or living with autism) seems awkward. As I've shared here, I am also gay. I wouldn't describe myself as a person living with homosexuality. And because describing myself as autistic seems perfectly natural, I often refer to other people as autistic. If someone prefers to be called a person with autism, that's fine. The last thing I want is an argument over such a matter.

 

[Outdated]

I'm autistic. To me "person with autism" sounds like you're describing someone with a nasty disease, possibly curable.

 

[Misty Avich]

It's difficult to write the right thing when people have different preferences, so the best thing is to just not take such terms literally and to focus on the whole post, not how someone has used ''autism'' and ''person'' in a sentence.

I prefer to be called Aspie, and I don't refer myself as autistic or with autism at all, because the word autism sounds too serious for me and I am against Asperger's being taken out of the autism criteria thing. But I also know that people can't read my mind and so are going to call me autistic on autism forums with no ill intent, so I don't bother correcting them each time. The best I can do is just refer to myself as Aspie in my posts.

 

[Masaniello]

It's difficult to write the right thing when people have different preferences, so the best thing is to just not take such terms literally and to focus on the whole post, not how someone has used ''autism'' and ''person'' in a sentence.

I prefer to be called Aspie, and I don't refer myself as autistic or with autism at all, because the word autism sounds too serious for me and I am against Asperger's being taken out of the autism criteria thing. But I also know that people can't read my mind and so are going to call me autistic on autism forums with no ill intent, so I don't bother correcting them each time. The best I can do is just refer to myself as Aspie in my posts.

The murky past of Hans Asperger seems to be one reason for the move away from the term Asperger's syndrome. The term syndrome is also loaded.

 

[Au Naturel]

I tend to use the term autistic to describe myself. A person with autism (or living with autism) seems awkward. As I've shared here, I am also gay. I wouldn't describe myself as a person living with homosexuality. And because describing myself as autistic seems perfectly natural, I often refer to other people as autistic. If someone prefers to be called a person with autism, that's fine. The last thing I want is an argument over such a matter.

There are people who try to gin up a difference between the two and then plant their flag on a hill of their own making. The difference between the two is entirely subjective.

Subjectively, a person "with" something does sound like a disease or injury and not something inherent to you. Imagine I am a broken leg person rather than a person with a broken leg. But that's just my subjective interpretation. Since I understand that it's subjective, it doesn't effect anything.

 

[Outdated]

I also dislike the term Disorder. I always believed I was blessed and better off than most. From my point of view it's about 95% of the populaion that have a disorder and I'm one of the lucky few that skipped.