I thought it would be interesting to see what various individuals, professionals and non, have to say about us. Here is what I found:
Medical Institutions and Programs tend to view us from a broad neurological or developmental perspective. The word ‘disability’ is regrettably brought into play by the CDC.
National Institute of Mental Health: Autism spectrum disorder is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave.
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.
Other institutes and services see us as having a condition, needing support. But then doesn’t everyone need support? Friends, family, therapists even?
Cleveland Clinic: Autism is a condition that affects how your child socializes and behaves. Early signs include limited eye contact and body language and repetitive motions …
National Health Services, UK: Autism is different for everyone. Autism is a spectrum. This means everybody with autism is different. Some autistic people need little or no support. Others …
Reading from Wikipedia, I wonder if we are neurodevelopmentally disordered, or if perhaps it’s everybody else? “Persistent deficits” seems a rather unhelpful terminology.
Wikipedia: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or simply autism, is a neurodevelopmental disorder “characterized by persistent deficits in social communication…”
And then we come to the researchers–finally, a ray of hope!
Bright Autism: “The future of autism research is not just about finding a cure, but about understanding and embracing the diversity of the human brain.”
Psychology Today, May 13, 2024 : Autistic people may be more likely to voice concerns when made aware of inefficient processes and dysfunctional practices in the workplace than non-autistic…https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/women-with-autism-spectrum-disorder/202404/are-autistic-people-more-likely-to-speak-up-at-work
This last quote looks interesting. Well worth following up in a future blog.
What have you heard about autism? And how does it affect you? Does what other people say affect you? I know a book that can help you with that: The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. But that’s another blog altogether.
And how do we prefer to be described? A UK study gave the following results:
Sage Journals: On the preferred language to describe individuals on the spectrum: The term ‘autistic’ was endorsed by a large percentage of autistic adults, family members/friends and parents but by considerably fewer professionals; ‘person with autism’ was endorsed by almost half of professionals but by fewer autistic adults and parents.https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1362361315588200
And finally, two riders of the spectrum address the issue:
Jordan Hilkowitz Autistic Canadian CSI: “Autism is not a tragedy. Running out of bacon is a tragedy.”
Alexandra Forshaw: “Autism is not a disease. Don’t try to cure us. Try to understand us.”
Yours truly,
Margaret Jean
Margaret Jean 