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.

I get that some people find "the autistics" and "an autistic" offensive but like I said I have never heard anyone use those terms, either here or real life. It is simply "autistic" or "autistics".

I think if I heard someone use the terms "the autistics" or "an autistic" I would probably think they were talking strange and that it was weird wording.

autismmythbusters.com/general-public/autistic-vs-people-with-autism/

That's american Page. Things tend to be different.
Hedgehogs this is not something I have come across with the young people with whom I work. Nor have my (teenage) children. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that I haven't come across it.

We can leave it up if the majority would prefer that?

Yes please

This is also the first time I've heard the word autists.

I am very unhappy about this.

I have learned more about autism from Mumsnet than any other resource and subsequently accessed more support than anywhere else and it's made a huge and positive difference to my family.

Now, I'm worried about mentioning it in case I say the wrong thing.

OP, I posted that link as much to demonstrate that referring to people as "autistics" was widespread enough to have needed addressing by an autistic-specific website, in response to those who stated they had never seen/heard the term being used.

I hadn't noticed that term being used and I don't think it's something that you would naturally say. I think most people would say people with autism.

The National Autistic Society uses the phrase If you're an autistic adult on the front page of their website. I presume that a lot of people think they should be saying if you are an adult with autism

Dawn I know you mean well but you do come across as very bolshy. I think it gets in the way of what you are trying to say.

However apparently it's the singular of autistic. You learn something new everyday.

notamummy10 The language around dyslexia is not that relevant, as dyslexia is not as... stigmatising as admitting that one has ASD.

People do not use dyslexia references to imply that someone is 'broken' or 'not a proper person' and people with dyslexia do not have to consider the social repercussions of making it publicly known they are dyslexic as much as autistic people do about having an ASD.

You've changed from what you said in the op from "autistics" to "the autistic". Agree that the latter is offensive as people are so much more than a condition, but to collectively refer to a group of people with autism as autistics, I don't think it's the same. As pp have said, it's like using the term diabetics for a group of people with diabetes.

YABU. Because i've never used that term. Address it on the thread to the actual people who have said it.

One search of youtube using the terms 'autistics' and 'an autistic' brings up thousands of video posts about autism, mostly of people who are autistic themselves.

These are terms that are popular among the autism community, perhaps more so in other countries than our own, but there are no physical borders on social media and that's where many of these conversations happen. Here we are, after all.

I have friends who refer to "autists" and I find that seems wrong but they have an autistic daughter and I dont.

If it's more commonly used in other countries then I wonder if it's a cultural clash sometimes.

Dawn my DD is 22 and she uses it all the time. It drives me bonkers which is probably why she does it. Maybe it's because her peer group are all pretty successful (undergrad and master's students) and see their autism as something to be proud of. I know my DD thinks her awesome language skills are because of her autism not despite it.

I still wish she'd use a different term though. But then I'm not a successful aspie.

Very likely Toads.

A childish comparison perhaps, but it's similar to if a British person was offended by an American referring to their 'fanny'.

I will admit, and i'm sure i will be told i am unreasonable, but the one thing i hate is having my language re autism policed by people whose DCs are autistic

The thing is, as others have pointed out, some people do prefer to refer to themselves as "autistics." And I think that is fair enough. I have a family member who loathes being called "Aspie" but he wouldn't expect others to stop using that term about themselves or others.

Sorry Stop, I don't mean to.

Dot, if a person with Autism refers to themselves in that manner, it's fine, but to be bunched together as autistics, as a group, is wrong.

Must admit, *hedgehogs, ds (21 at uni) regards his autism as being part of him, but he uses Aspie, as do I. But that's about us and our choices. It's other people using the term in a dismissive and marginalising manner that I object to.

Beyond I'm sorry, I don't understand your post.