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How to confront a co workers language surrounding ASD

Caiel

Hi,

so basically I’m an autistic adult working within CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health service). My coworkers are all amazing in general and they know I’m autistic as it’s not something I keep very hidden. One of my coworkers has worked with autistic individuals for years and has developed some rather ableist language surrounding autistic people often saying that “it’s all about them” and making other generalisation about this. As someone who is autistic and tends to put others before themselves I find this frustrating and know it’s wrong. I want to better educate my coworker about this but she’s of a higher stance than me and I’m worried she may take it to offence when I genuinely don’t mean any rudeness by it but rather more that if I feel this way how do our young people feel? We’re so used to using stereotyped language and assuming there’s no one around to hear it. I otherwise get on really well with this coworker and she has been a great support to me and is a great nurse with great experience but her language is outdated and ableist. Any advice? Am I over reacting?
thanks

Parents

  • No you're not over re-acting. But as an ex E and D trainer, I know there are two sorts of discrimination; the fully cognizant and willful - not to be tolerated and tackled head on, and the unwitting, by possibly the pre-disposed to want to actually learn and to want to be supportive. This person sounds like the latter. In which case; the choice is have a quiet word in private, or if you are worried it won't come out right, express it in an e-mail telling the person you think a lot of them professionally and you hope your honesty will be helpful.

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  • No you're not over re-acting. But as an ex E and D trainer, I know there are two sorts of discrimination; the fully cognizant and willful - not to be tolerated and tackled head on, and the unwitting, by possibly the pre-disposed to want to actually learn and to want to be supportive. This person sounds like the latter. In which case; the choice is have a quiet word in private, or if you are worried it won't come out right, express it in an e-mail telling the person you think a lot of them professionally and you hope your honesty will be helpful.

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