AIBU to ask you to STOP

[Dawndonnaagain]

using the term 'autistics'. Four fucking times this weekend on different threads. You mean person with autism, people with autism, child with autism. Autistics is not shorthand for any of those. Pack it in.

[waitingforgodot]

The NAS did a consultation recently around this very subject. The findings suggested adults with a diagnosis preferred to be referred to as "autistic" rather than " adult with autism" so for that reason I use autistic. I would however tailor it to my audience so if it offended someone, obviously I wouldn't use it. I still use "with autism" to describe my son though as I see him as a child first. All down to personal taste so OP no you are not being unreasonable

[MilkTwoSugarsThanks]

I take my lead from the person I know who has autism. He uses the term "autistics". I am not in a position to correct him as I don't have autism. I'm not about to start telling him he's wrong when he has already gone to the trouble of explaining to me why he thinks your terminology is wrong.

[PhilPhilConnors]

Ok. I assumed you meant you dislike:

I am autistic

Your last post suggests you mean you don't like:

I am an autistic.

Is that right?

[Dawndonnaagain]

I am trying to say Autistics being used as a collective noun. I have no problem with autism, or autistic.

[Dawndonnaagain]

No Phil. see above. (cross post).

[MrsHathaway]

The Deaf community call each other the Deaf (capital important) though.

I think I get your point, which is about general/collective usage rather than individual descriptions.

Is this prompted by the Autism Awareness stuff for April?

[Dawndonnaagain]

PS. Phil I am Autistic. I'm an Aspie.

[MinecraftyMum]

So it's grammar you have an issue with?

'That article could be helpful to the deaf' or 'That group would be brilliant for the autistic' are perfectly acceptable sentences IMO. Yes, sticking an S on the end would sound stupid but the meaning's still the same.

[IthinkIamsinking]

What Worra said.
You are coming cross really badly OP. Rude and aggressive.

[ProcrastinatorGeneral]

Two ASD boys thanks Dawn, learning as we go but not as naive as some would assume :)

As an aside, I might not have groused so much had you made it clear from the offset that you dislike the word as a collective noun, rather than the word as a whole.

[PhilPhilConnors]

Ok I get it now.

I don't think I've ever seen autistics. Not sure how I feel about it.

[curren]

All down to personal taste so OP no you are not being unreasonable

But the op isn't asking people to stop calling her an autistic. She is saying the phrase needs to stop and be replaced with what she says is acceptable.

I don't find her terms acceptable at all.

Yes it's is personal and she is very reasonable to correct people if she isn't happy, with it.

She is unreasonable to try and impose these terms when many people don't like them either.

[MinecraftyMum]

'Two ASD boys' - you've gone and done it now Procrastinator

[Dawndonnaagain]

Mrs Hathaway, I love you!
Yes it is. I have seen four different threads referring to autistics as a group. We are a heterogeneous group of people, not some sort of homogeneous mass. Autistics doesn't cover it.

[PhilPhilConnors]

And I have no idea if your 14:57 post is informing me that you are autistic or if you're giving an example of language.
If the former, I am too :)
If the latter, yes, me too.

[Dawndonnaagain]

Procrastinator, thank you, you are right, I typed in a hurry because I was fed up, and being Aspie I thought it was clear, I used plurals and everything. Obviously, clear to me only because it was in my head! Thank you for your patience.

[SmallCarrot]

saltlake people do it with medical conditions too, I've heard people referred to as diabetics, asthmatics etc etc.
It's up to the person with the condition how or if they label themselves.

[PaulAnkaTheDog]

Oh good. Another thread where someone tries to tell others what to do.

[Dawndonnaagain]

Phil I received my diagnosis eleven years ago. Dh is also on the spectrum. I have four children, One ASC boy and two ASC girls (twins). Hereditary element, hell yeah!

[waitingforgodot]

I've completely misunderstood this as you can probably tell. I've never heard the term " autistics" being used ever. Need to think about it. Gut reaction is a negative one though

[Dawndonnaagain]

curren. I actually don't think you are getting my point.

[Dawndonnaagain]

waiting take a look at the autism awareness thread, that's just one where it's been used recently.

[NewYearNewToads]

[PhilPhilConnors]

I was diagnosed three weeks ago, ds2 last year, ds1 has a non-clinical diagnosis and we're just about to start the ball rolling with ds3.
Dd is NT but with some traits and a lot of anxiety.
Yes to hereditary element :o

[MinecraftyMum]

We are a heterogeneous group of people

As are the Welsh, the English, the asthmatic, the deaf, the religious, the poor, the academic...shall I go on?

If you share a common anything with another group of people, you'll be lumped together in certain circumstances, for ease of speech.

That's not a slight against the heterogeneity of the autistic any more than it is against the English or the religious.