Most autistics prefer to be called just that: autistic. A lot of parents and professionals on the other hand, are taught that it’s better to say ‘person with autism’ – so-called person-first-language. They think that by addressing us this way, they’re saying we’re a person too, not just our autism. Many autistic people disagree, because they feel that ‘autistic’ is who they are: their autism is an essential part of their being. That’s identity-first-language. To them, ‘person with autism’ sounds like ‘person with a disease’. Something that needs a cure. They don’t need a cure, they need
...more
