It’s been awhile since I’ve taken a stand on something like this because normally, I just don’t have the energy. This time however, I’ll make an exception because this drives me crazy.
I mean this with the utmost love and respect but the Autism community is fickle and petty.
Of course this doesn’t apply to everyone but in general, it’s a pretty fair observation.
We spend so much time splitting hairs, arguing over semantics and judging others for their personal thoughts and opinions. This really needs to stop because all it does is drive a wedge between people who should be working together.
Here are a few example of terminology that ruffles people’s feathers:
- With Autism vs Has Autism
- Autism vs Autistic
- Obsession vs Hobby
I’ve been called out many times for saying my kids have Autism. I’m told that I should say my three kids with Autism. Okay, I’m just going to address this in a simple straight forward way. Who the fuck cares. Seriously, if you have enough time in the day to criticize people’s word choice as it relates to talking about their own children, you need a fucking hobby.
Regardless of how you choose to arrange the word Autism and your child’s name in a sentence, it doesn’t change a damn thing. Your child will be just as Autistic at the end of the day as someone who’s word choice is different.
What does it fucking matter? Seriously people. We need to grow up.
I use the words Autism and Autistic interchangeably. They both mean the same thing as far as I’m concerned.
When it comes to my own children, I use whatever term fits better within the context of the conversation.. That being said, I prefer to call my kids by their first name. Autism or Autistic is a descriptive term that’s used to describe a condition, they present with. Autism or Autistic is not who they are.
I really get tired of people saying that saying my son with Autism is obsessed with whatever.
Here’s the reality. People with Autism, my kids included, have a propensity for hyperfocusing on one thing for long periods of time. There is a quote on Instagram that I responded to because I really dislike this type of statement.
This isn’t