"I have autism" or "I am autistic"

[ToadsJustFellFromTheSky]

Which one do you prefer?

I usually just say that I have autism and that is what I tell myself. I know that people also on MN tend to prefer saying that someone has something rather than they are something which I understand as you're not defining someone purely by their disability. That is something I've always went along with to.

However I have been thinking about it and I actually think I would prefer to say that I am autistic and that people said that Toads is autistic rather than I have autism/Toads has autism .

I feel like it would help me to accept myself the way I am which is something I have struggled with but I'm not entirely sure why it would help me.

Is that bad that I would prefer to be described as an autistic rather than someone with autism? I feel like it would offend some people but then I think if it helps me then why shouldn't I be allowed to do that?

Sorry about the typos

I class myself as an autistic person. If I wasn't autistic, then I wouldn't be me and I would be a completely different person, so I don't view myself as 'having autism'. It's not something that could ever be removed without destroying my entire being ifyswim.

I'm glad it's not just me then.

I think I do prefer "I am autistic" but I'm always scared to use it in case people tell me it's wrong. But I don't think how I feel should be wrong iyswim

I use both.
"I'm autistic" has less syllables than "I have autism" so one is useful if i'm in a rush.

I lean towards I'm autistic but I have Asperger's.

I much prefer "I am autistic" for me personally saying "I have autism" makes me feel like im sick iyswim? Like "I have the flu". It's not like I can make it go away (and lord I tried before I knew what it was).

I also prefer High Functioning Autism to Aspergers but that's just personal preference and also because I'm just a touch more 'severe' if that's the right term than someone with Aspergers and for some reason if I say Aspergers (which isn't my official diagnosis but is interchangeable with HFA for the most part) people seem to think it's "not that bad"