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"I am Autistic" / "They are Autistic" vs "I have Autism" / "They have Autism"

NAS90609

I recently felt the need to correct someone for describing one of their colleague's children as 'having autism' - as opposed to 'being autistic' - but since then I've noticed a lot more examples of people describing others and themselves as 'having autism' so I'm starting to wonder if it's just a matter of personal preference or whether it's a regional difference or an Americanism that's spread - or whether it's another example of a lack of awareness of what autism is?

Thoughts?

Parents

  • I still struggle with either. Although I am clearly autistic. But is it something that I have? Or does it have me?

    Or, again, is it something that other people lack? 

    I don't understand social norms like feigning interest in what others are saying etc but on the other hand I don't understand other social norms like militarism, cruelty, listening to terrible music, building retail parks, and destroying the natural world in order to have exponential population growth. Is it necessary to explain what is wrong with me?

    I strongly suggest that autistic people should be valued and listened to far more than we are. Because it is neither a disease, nor a deficiency. In many cases, it brings various riches of insight, talent, and moral and legal integrity.

    We are told that everyone is on the spectrum somewhere. Clearly we understand very little. I expect that in a more enlightened future, we will be as concerned with how to classify those unfortunates who struggle to score highly in autism assessments, as how to describe ourselves. Controversially, I would suggest that this is the true nature of our project.

  • in reply to Deepcake
    Deepcake said:
    Clearly we understand very little. I expect that in a more enlightened future, we will be as concerned with how to classify those unfortunates who struggle to score highly in autism assessments, as how to describe ourselves.

    I would vote for 'U-boat commander", as they are sub-autistic. Every diagnosis to come with a long black leather coat. Sorry!

  • in reply to Martin

    Sub-autistic... Very good!

    I read that some psychiatrist coined the term 'normotic' for people who are abnormally normal. A useful word...

  • in reply to Deepcake

    I recall one interesting quiz a form tutor put us through in senior school (he was interested in psychology). The questions were all rather random, like which of four things we liked better. The idea was to find who was more average and who least average. I was least average by a long way. The person who was most average was a boy who usually got overlooked and nobody really noticed. I guess he might have been normotic!

  • in reply to Martin

    Yes, abnormotic, that's the diagnosis for me!

    Psychiatry is nice work if you can get it. You could take the rest of the day off after inventing a nifty word such as 'normotic'

  • in reply to Deepcake

    Nice. Would the antonym be 'abnormotic', I wonder? Psychiatrists, almost as good at making up words as Shakespeare!

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