As an autistic person with several autistic family members, friends, and associates, I’ve never met someone who used it or liked it
Perhaps it’s a US vs UK thing? I’ve only seen US and Canadian people use it, in the same way that I’ve only seen US people use the term “blacks“ when referring to black people
It has that connotation to me. And the fact that it’s the term of choice to use as an insult in places like 4chan and other edgelord spaces doesn’t help
Seems like it’s one of those things like “autistic person be ”person with autism“ where there’s no consensus within the community
I am in the “i dont have autism, i am autism” camp because i consider stereotypical autistic behavior to be “autisms”.
When neurotypicals start saying “they or everyone also have a little autism” what i understand is they have 1 or 2 autisms but besides those scenarios they are completely within classic norms. The difference then with someone like me is there is no situation in my life where i am not actively experiencing one or more autisms. I have never known anything else and i therefore developed my identity with autism as a core part of who i am.
This said, i would so much prefer that everyone used the term neurodivergent instead and left the term autism for professional medical diagnosis only. Its so much more inclusive, and vague enough people don’t stereotype it in assuming rainman/savantism.
In my experience living with an autistic husband and having working with many autistic people, they don’t mind the word at all and use it themselves.
As an autistic person with several autistic family members, friends, and associates, I’ve never met someone who used it or liked it
Perhaps it’s a US vs UK thing? I’ve only seen US and Canadian people use it, in the same way that I’ve only seen US people use the term “blacks“ when referring to black people
It has that connotation to me. And the fact that it’s the term of choice to use as an insult in places like 4chan and other edgelord spaces doesn’t help
Seems like it’s one of those things like “autistic person be ”person with autism“ where there’s no consensus within the community
I am in the “i dont have autism, i am autism” camp because i consider stereotypical autistic behavior to be “autisms”.
When neurotypicals start saying “they or everyone also have a little autism” what i understand is they have 1 or 2 autisms but besides those scenarios they are completely within classic norms. The difference then with someone like me is there is no situation in my life where i am not actively experiencing one or more autisms. I have never known anything else and i therefore developed my identity with autism as a core part of who i am.
This said, i would so much prefer that everyone used the term neurodivergent instead and left the term autism for professional medical diagnosis only. Its so much more inclusive, and vague enough people don’t stereotype it in assuming rainman/savantism.