AIBU to want posters to stop saying that someone 'is' ASD?

[JigglyTuff]

It's not a taat because it's across multiple threads. Someone can have an ASD or have autism or even, if you must, be autistic. But no one is ASD.

Disorder is quite apt for my two. Chaos and disorder is their "special talent" :o DS2, in particular is the embodiment of entropy in child form.

Mum to autistic child. I couldn't give a monkeys OP.

Disorder works for me too, I am disordered. That doesn't mean disorder is a bad thing.

That's not the phraseology under debate polter.

Do you say that you ARE a disorder?

And are you happy for the rest of us to refer to you as being a disorder?

Thank god for that

I just think these things do matter. Words matter. Every equality movement hasn't thought so and there's a reason for that.

Of course anyone can opt out and call themselves whatever they like or reclaim perjorative terms or whatever. But the fact that some people are happy to call themselves queer, or disorder, or Nigel does NOT make it okay for generalised use.

HAS thought so^

Off topic a bit but as a parent of an eight year old with ASD, I find it really reassuring and hopeful that there are so many MN'ers functional enough to comment on this thread, have jobs, partners etc.
It's so worrying as a parent to think too far into the future. It's easy to imagine the worst case scenarios and worry yourself sick.

Re: the special needs vs disabled. My family member who is an aspie much prefers special needs to disabled. He does not consider himself disabled, he considers himself a perfectly good square peg that the round holes are trying to squeeze him into. He only needs extra needs because society forces him to conform to a NT world. If the majority of people were autistic then NTs would have special needs.

We talked one time about a cure for ASD and he said that even if there was an easy cure he wouldn't want it, why would he want to change something so fundamentally him? I agree totally.

Isn't this thread a reason why the 'professionals' tried to introduce the term ASC into common usage? Why the DSM - (IV/V?) removed the terminology Aspergers and stated 'autism' as the term for the whole spectrum of autism? To avoid confusion and argument. I refuse to criticize Polter for anything simply because I feel a loyalty to someone who has given so much advice to so many over the years but 'chaotic' is a term used by the professionals who try and define the 'reasons' why our dc had problems in school(s) - chaos is a term used to describe dc who may be suffering from neglect - "chaotic households". Our dc didn't have/were/is/are autistic - it was us, the parents, that created their problems.

I'm now further down the line but all along I used to say (truthfully) that my home is one of the least 'chaotic' I've known, it's really boring (unless you find autistic meltdowns, etc exciting), nothing goes on, there is no revolving door of boyfriends (I've been on my own for over 15 years now). Chaos is a true thing and part of the make-up of life, even NT life, though it's a stick that the educational profs try to beat us with.

Yeah I would be first in line for a cure.

Agree with polter I'm not sure if nt in a world where majority autistic would have special needs but I think it would make people a hell of a lot more understanding then they currently are

Polter spread your wings, you have more to offer us all, not just things 'autistic'. Having an open mind and not being 'fixed' to ideas is an admirable quality.

DS1 (11) has ASD. If he was to use the phrase "I am ASD" I'd be concerned because I'd want to know that he understood that he's a million other things aside from a disorder which if I'm honest, can make his life more difficult at times. We aren't enjoying the anxiety and stress ASD can add to his life at the minute one bit and if I was offered a cure I'd absolutely take it today.

Unsure if I'd correct anyone on here for using the phrase "is ASD". I doubt it, though, because horses for courses and all that and as phrases go, it's pretty harmless.

"As someone on the spectrum, I spend a lot of time (correctly) managing how my condition impacts others.

I'm not going to add additional stress to their lives by making them struggle over phrasing."

Huge respect to Mephistopheles for the above.

Agreeing with Down - and huge respect from me to every poster on this thread.

I'd better go now and prepare the k'zillionth tin of strained Mulligatawny soup (Heinz) with bread and cream cheese cut in a certain way

I cringe when I hear Aspie. Horses for courses and all that.

Recently on the radio I heard the presenter (?) refer repeatedly to "a Down Syndrome child". I meant to phone in and make them aware of the person-first approach but forgot

I say my daughter 'is autistic' Like it or not her autism is a huge part of who she is, how she behaves and how her personality is shaped.

Like other parents on this thread thought I have never given it a second thought. I really don't have the time to give a shite

Can I ask a genuine question on here that I've wanted to ask for a long time but was afraid I would insult someone by asking in some way?

Why do you think there are so many children (and adults I presume) who have been identified as having ASD, autism, aspergers etc. Are they all the same thing?

I went to school in the 1950s and such a thing did not exist - there may have been one or even two children in the class whom the rest of us considered a bit different, but they were never assigned an adult to work with them. TAs hadn't been invented and each class was ruled by one teacher ably assisted by a cane.

So is the only reason there are so many people identified today purely because of medical advancement or is there any other reason do you think?

I hope I haven't offended anyone by my questions which are asked out of ignorance.

i,m with previous posters my son has severe autism and learning disabiilities quite frankly i dont give a shit what you feel it should or shouldnt be referred to it adds nothing to our lives changing the term

rorty people just didn't have the same knowledge of all of these things in the 1950s. It was just ignorance really.