• Replies 76 replies
  • Subscribers 94 subscribers
  • Views 2534 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Terminology

B

Are there any particular aspects of autism related terminology that bother you?

Here are some of mine:

1.

ND -v- autistic

NT -v- allistic

The above terms seem (from reading here) to have become interchangeable but, to my mind, they shouldn't be.

Autism is under the umbrella of neurodiversity but so is Tourettes (for example).

Here is a wheel of ND but I've seen some with more 'conditions' included:

If ND is used instead of 'autistic' (when it's actually autism in particular that is probably the subject) I find it hard to follow the arguments/discussion.

2.

Another is the autism spectrum.

I don't know how it was meant when it was first termed, but my understanding of it isn't that there are ends of it that are less autistic, and more autistic, ie becoming more extreme, but rather than we (autistic people) can be less and more extreme as we dip in and out of the symptoms/characteristics:

Below is a link to an article that I think explains it well:

https://neuroclastic.com/its-a-spectrum-doesnt-mean-what-you-think/

3.

Also, if other people say 'we are all on the spectrum, all a little bit autistic etc' then I think it's important to bear in mind that a diagnosis is only given if the characteristics of autism that we match to are disabling to us.

How do others see the above and also, are there any other terms that you find difficult/confusing?

Parents

  • I have recently read here 'ND spectrum'.

    It isn't.

    It's an autism spectrum.

  • in reply to B

    Some time ago, I posted that my pet peeve was the confusion between neurodiversity and neurodivergence. Perhaps I should add that I am also irritated by the use of 'spectrum' in this context. Perhaps it is because once upon a time I was an astronomer, but to me the word 'spectrum' very strongly conveys the notion of a continuum (from low to high frequency, etc.). But our autistic (or other neurodivergent) experiences can't be pinpointed somewhere on a continuum. For example, my usual experience might be (badly) described as very much at the 'high functioning' end. But what about when I have a shutdown and become more or less completely non-verbal? The idea of a constellation of traits has been suggested as an alternative. I'm not entirely sure about that, but it does convey the sense of the spikiness of our experiences.

Reply
  • in reply to B

    Some time ago, I posted that my pet peeve was the confusion between neurodiversity and neurodivergence. Perhaps I should add that I am also irritated by the use of 'spectrum' in this context. Perhaps it is because once upon a time I was an astronomer, but to me the word 'spectrum' very strongly conveys the notion of a continuum (from low to high frequency, etc.). But our autistic (or other neurodivergent) experiences can't be pinpointed somewhere on a continuum. For example, my usual experience might be (badly) described as very much at the 'high functioning' end. But what about when I have a shutdown and become more or less completely non-verbal? The idea of a constellation of traits has been suggested as an alternative. I'm not entirely sure about that, but it does convey the sense of the spikiness of our experiences.

Children
No Data