Autistic Adult or Adult with Autism? Why?

Some people will say they wear an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini; others will say they wear a bikini with itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dots. It's all a matter of how individuals perceive themselves in relation to each other and their environment.

Grammatically, in English, the proximity of adjectives to the noun (or noun phrase) they qualify is usually attributive, in other words it comes before the noun.

A black dog.

Semantically, an adjective in an attributive position such as a black dog gives equal emphasis both the blackness of the dog and to the dog-ness of the dog. Its colour is an integral part of its being, and distinguishes it from other dogs that are not black. However, if you displace the adjective with a preposition: a dog with a black colouring, you are assigning secondary importance to the colour of the dog. 

Some people see themselves as equally autistic and equally people. An autistic person. In other words, their autism is an integral part of who they are. Some see autism as a secondary characteristic and prefer to give more emphasis to their person-ness. A person with autism. Most people don't care one way or another. It should not be serious, and it should not be prescriptive. It's entirely subjective.

Tassimo,

Great post!

I suspect you are an autistic grammarian who could prove useful to know.

(I hope I got that right)

Ben

Yes! Guilty as accused, Ben! I'm a former linguist by profession. Though it's only ever useful in debates such as these. 

Edgar Allan Poe said “I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.”

Weed turns out very, very badly for me and I don't do it.

Over the years I have had a few friends who simply 'sleep in my bed', and I really did manage to rationalise that to myself.

I am feeling like I am over ... something ... like, 'my mind is different from yours' and this is what I want... I just needed the guts (and the medical diagnostic backing) to be able to say it - and to hell with the consequences.

I don't know who it was, but someone once aptly said: reality is a crutch for people who don't take drugs.

Apart from prescription medication, I've never taken any other illicit drug. I did smoke some weed years ago and that ended up very badly with me feeling very faint and then passing out.

I haven't touched alcohol for over ten years. I realised that I was trying to go to places I didn't enjoy and be with people that I had nothing in common with, and that was the only reason for getting drunk.  Even a small glass would make me feel ill the next day.  So, I stopped drinking and stopped going to places i didn't like and frequenting people I had nothing in common with. 

I have no problem with being attracted to someone and enjoying the romance of it all. I'm a bit like one of those old hollywood movies where they go off to the bedroom and then the door closes. The end. If it could just stop there. I'd be fine!

I don't know who it was, but someone once aptly said: reality is a crutch for people who don't take drugs.

Apart from prescription medication, I've never taken any other illicit drug. I did smoke some weed years ago and that ended up very badly with me feeling very faint and then passing out.

I haven't touched alcohol for over ten years. I realised that I was trying to go to places I didn't enjoy and be with people that I had nothing in common with, and that was the only reason for getting drunk.  Even a small glass would make me feel ill the next day.  So, I stopped drinking and stopped going to places i didn't like and frequenting people I had nothing in common with. 

I have no problem with being attracted to someone and enjoying the romance of it all. I'm a bit like one of those old hollywood movies where they go off to the bedroom and then the door closes. The end. If it could just stop there. I'd be fine!

Edgar Allan Poe said “I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.”

Weed turns out very, very badly for me and I don't do it.

Over the years I have had a few friends who simply 'sleep in my bed', and I really did manage to rationalise that to myself.

I am feeling like I am over ... something ... like, 'my mind is different from yours' and this is what I want... I just needed the guts (and the medical diagnostic backing) to be able to say it - and to hell with the consequences.