Skip to main content

Autie, Aspie, Autistic, with Autism...

There is no "right answer" to the following, and generally I don't think as much about this as others do.

I don't like many of the labels people with ASDs have adopted. I have no idea why, but I don't care for autie, aspie, aspergian, or several other terms I've seen online and in print.

But, I don't also don't know if it is better to write: "person with autism" or "autistic person" because to me these are like comparing "person with blue eyes" and "blue-eyed person." I suppose a better comparison is "person with deafness" and "deaf person."

My traits are "autistic," but several people have responded negatively to "autistic" as an adjective. I don't know that "autism" is a great noun, though, since we have no idea what that means. Autism itself is defined by traits -- it is necessarily an adjectival label.

I believe there are likely many "autisms" with various causes. The similar traits are "autistic" traits. That's why I'm okay with "The Autistic Me" compared to "The Me with Autism." That implies there are times when I'm not with autism -- maybe I'm with hyperactivity. (I certainly could be called "The Hyperactive Me.")

As I said, I don't have any answers, only personal preferences.

Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 6, 2010 at 10:58 PM

    "Aspergian" definitely rubs me the wrong way. The least we can do is preserve all the syllables of the poor guy's name!
    My friend Michael Wilcox used to use the term "Aspergian", until I mock-threatened to engage him in discourse about "Jeffersian democracy" :-) -- in response to which he started to use "Aspergerian" instead.
    As for "person-first" language regarding autism, I agree with Jim Sinclair.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PoetCSWJune 7, 2010 at 3:35 PM

    I have to agree… "autistic me" is me. With autism implies I can leave it behind from time to time.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments violating the policies of this blog will not be approved for posting. Language and content should be appropriate for all readers and maintain a polite tone. Thank you.

Popular posts from this blog

Autistic Burnout

Summer demands a lot of social energy, especially for parents. For autistics, the never-ending social calendar of summer can cause serious autistic burnout. Host C. S. Wyatt discusses his need to find a balance between social demands and self-care. Check out this episode!
Post a Comment
Read more

ABA and NARTH

There must be something better out there. I'm not sure what, but the more I interview functional adults with autism who received ABA-based or similar therapies, the more I know there must be a better approach. The problem is, I have no idea what that "better approach" is. I'm not a psychologist. I'm a language arts and autism specialist. My research is on how autistic students learn to master written communication (which doesn't really mean "written" in all cases). I am not a therapist. I am not a counselor. But there has to be a better way to help students and young children. I am not suggesting all ABA-based therapies in use today are bad. I sincerely believe ABA must be revised, researched, and ideally all connections to anything Lovaas did forgotten to history. I'd even like to see whatever evolution occurs to have a name other than "ABA-based therapy." The history and associations are that troubling. So, understand I'm ca...
19 comments
Read more

More on Autism Puzzle Piece Logos, Symbols, Ribbons

I joined Twitter on the first day of 2011 ( @autisticme ). I also joined a Twibe (seriously?) and registered with WeFollow.com to learn more about what autism-related Twitter feeds might exist. Within a few days, I was already observing a familiar debate. In fact, it the debate I described in the single most-viewed blog entry of The Autistic Me, which dates back to 2008 (see " Logos, Symbols, and Ribbons "). Various "Aspie Advocates" are still protesting the puzzle piece. I'm sure they will be protesting the puzzle piece next year, in five years, and a decade from now. The "neurodiverstiy" (ND) movement doesn't like the puzzle piece. (Everyone's brain is different: neurological diversity is a fact of life.) Honestly, I don't care for the puzzle piece either. I've written and said that I find it personally off-putting. If I am a puzzle, I'm not more or less of a puzzle than most human beings. I'm told, "Oh, no, it is autism ...
10 comments
Read more