Preference of terminology

That is why I am on this forum - to share useful ideas and hints to make life a little bit more bearable for everybody here - even people who are MENTAL IDIOTS like us?  Too much?.....considering the title of this thread?  Ah well, WTF - we only live once, no matter what the hell we are - or wish call ourselves!

Happy Wednesday evening everybody !

My Leige! How may I serve??

Crikey, it works!

Breathe deep into your lungs.....hold it......and then launch like this;

I am SPERGLORD, peon !   Bow to my Power !

See - it's easy when you try.

If I had a more Brian Blessed kind of voice, at some point I would have to bellow, "I am SPERGLORD, peon! Bow to my power!!"

JT said:

I am neurodiverse which allows me to identify, but also remain allof and a little bit of a question mark.

This is how I "prep" clients at an early stage of a new relationship so that if I "S**t the bed" (so to speak) as a result of misjudging a situation due to misunderstanding communications, they will be more likely to ask more rather than just dump me.  If mysteriously add lines like "My way of thinking is not typical / I am known to approach problems differently to the norm." etc.

This has saved my skin a couple of times.

I Sperg said:

You need to tell the people who have been putting up with your quirks for years, sure, it really helps them to know that you suffer too, and are not just a "selfish twat", but with strangers, I'm not so sure it needs to be disclosed straight away.

This is how I am address my reality too.

Whenever I need to talk about it, or disclose it I say simply: ''I'm autistic''.

I've never said ''I've got autism'', first time I tried It got stuck in my mouth or ''I'm on a spectrum'', that one sounds like I'm saying ''I'm a happy bunny, when on pills'', because there couldn't be something less specific, if you stretch your imagination you can easily include alll people on a spectrum. So, it's just an excuse to get pills from GP, when you're healthy and want a day off or happy pills.

Semantically: 

It doesn't soundf correct to say it in englsh  ''I've got autism'', because it isn't something that can be attached or detached when you feel like it, e.g. broach, hat, make-up. It has a feeling of being correct to say  ''I'm autistic''.

Just like:you say:

Bearded person, instead of person with a beard

White/Black/Other person instead of pperson with whiteness/blackness/otherness

woman instead of person with womanness

and so on

And most of all, being called ''disordered'' over and over, makes me grind my teeth, there isn't many left though, without them I might just loose it next time and go on killing spreee.

I have a friend that is really not happy at the demise of Aspergers.  It's what he was diagnosed with.  He hates any reference to Autism.  I know others that are uncomfortable with The Spectrum and identify as 'having' high functioning autism. Kind of like if Hyacinth Bucket was autistic! I like that the D is now a C for obvious reasons, but to use it you have to 'have' ASC. Hope that makes sense. Saying that I 'am' Autistic, gives me ownership.

I just say I am neurodiverse which allows me to identify, but also remain allof and a little bit of a question mark.

The reasons I do this, is because if I say I'm on the spectrum I can immediately see people's behaviour change towards me, and I really dislike that.

I don't consider myself to be disabled in any way because of it. I have some challenges, but I also have many things I can do at a higher level than others, so does that then not mean others are disabled if they don't have my beneficial attributes?

It's all discriminatory if you ask me, and I won't have it

I am Autistic. 

Identity first. I am British, too. Not a woman with Britishness, or a woman who has Britishness. Nor analogous with a GP who wrote "I suffer with Autism", I do not not "suffer with Britishness". No, I do NOT suffer with Autism, either.

I am simply Autistic. It happens to accurately describe one intrinsic facet of who I am in the same way as saying I am a woman or I am British.

I am just Autistic. 

I do like the word "Autist"... 

I was diagnosed last year and was surprised that my official diagnosis was Asperger's Syndrome, as I also thought it had been abandoned.

In terms of telling people, I think every term has disadvantages. I think "autism" sounds scary and off-putting to some people; it makes people think non-verbal and non-functional, and I think I've had people judge my abilities negatively as a result. However, Asperger's is less well-known (which has pros and cons) and I feel uncomfortable using the name of a Nazi sympathiser. It might also possibly lead to people assuming you're a Steve Jobs-type genius, which could also be unfortunate. Often I say something like, "I have high-functioning autism, which used to be called Asperger's Syndrome" which is a mouthful, but covers all the bases. To be honest, choosing the "right" term probably depends most of all on unknowns, particularly the preconceptions the person you're telling has about each term.

Indeed, I’m autistic. To “have” something suggests illness and “disorder” suggests it’s somehow wrong. 

as for spectrum I’m bored of explaining that it’s not linear  and no we aren’t “all a little bit autistic”

You are very welcome. I feel very passionately about being autistic. 

’Identity first language is very important in my opinion’

Yes I certainly agree, it is so important to be proud of our autistic identities and by using identity first language we can show that.  Identity first language is important in other cultures such as the LGBTQIA+ community so there is no reason why it wouldn’t be important in our own autistic culture. Language shapes perceptions and therefore actions after all.

However I understand that there are many different stages of autistic discovery and that it can take a long time to reach the embracing your autistic identity stage (and not everyone of us in our community does, this is perfectly valid).

I appreciate this reply. I like the passion of it. Identity first language is very important in my opinion. Which is why I favour the phrase ‘I’m autistic’

I too tailor based on who I’m talking too. Friends and family I can be far less formal (and very jokey) with, so I get what you mean. 

I say I am autistic because that’s who I am. Being autistic is my neurology and my identity firstly. I am proud to be autistic, I love it. Using any other terminology feels incredibly wrong and it would distance me from my own experience and community.  We are not ‘disordered’ individuals, we are a perfectly autistic minority group.

Knowing that I am autistic and describing myself as such gives me a sense of confidence, belonging and self understanding that I never had before. This is why identity first language is so important, the sooner we know we are autistic and describe ourselves as such sooner we can belong to our own community, no longer feel isolated and finally know we are. There is a better explanation of this in the video below.

You may like this article and video:

https://aucademy.co.uk/2021/11/25/resources-supporting-preference-but-importantly-wellbeing-properties-of-identity-first-language-we-are-autistic/

https://youtu.be/0iwm6mPNZXk

I tailor my presentation to the needs of my audience, Informally, I've described myself using terms I dare not post her for fear of triggering a violent reaction for "comedic" value, but I generally use terms like "I have a touch of aspergers", or "Apparently, I am quite Autistic". Try and be creative...

Hans Asperger apparently was a Nazi who came by his knowledge via the abuse of children, so there is pressure to use teh descriptives "Autism" Or "Autism Spectrum Disorder" in polite conversation. 

I went through a couple of years of "wow! I am Autistic" when I first got diagnosed, but that seems to be fading now. You need to tell the people who have been putting up with your quirks for years, sure, it really helps them to know that you suffer too, and are not just a "selfish twat", but with strangers, I'm not so sure it needs to be disclosed straight away... 

It seems to be a fairly recent development, but the wording of diagnoses is moving in that direction. I think that the opinion of autistic people and autistic advocacy is having an effect.

Martin said:

The use of 'disorder' is really inappropriate for autistics, as we are amongst the most ordered and logical people around.

An interesting take that I most definitely agree with. Do you think the move to ’condition’ as I diagnosis is a recent one? Or is it one that differs based on those who perform the diagnosis? Perhaps there will be a general move away from ‘disorder’, which would, in my opinion be a positive one.