In the autism community, and the disability community as a whole, there is much disagreement over the order of just a few small words: person with autism or autistic person. So which is it? People first language implies that it is the person with autism but many adults with a form of autism say that it is far more appropriate to say autistic person.

So why say autistic person? What's the difference? People first language, the person WITH autism language, implies that people with disabilities are people first--not their label. However, there is always the flip side to this and it may be difficult for some people to understand, most especially parents. Adults often find that everything about themselves is tied in to being autistic, and they find this to be a very good thing. They look at being autistic as no different than gender. You ARE either a woman or a man, boy or a girl. In their view, you either ARE autistic or you are not. To them, it as much a part of their identity as the color of their hair and the color of their eyes.

I generally defer to the wishes of the individual or group I am talking to. If one group tends to find more identity with people first language, great. If they find more pride in using the term autistic, great. The only thing I hope for in both groups is that they have a healthy sense of self-esteem in who they are, what they can do, how they think, and can see themselves as valued part of community and society. The Deaf culture has seen its own ups and downs throughout history while Autistic culture is still in it's infancy. My only hope is that one day we see as much value in an Autistic culture as we do in being neurotypical.

I'll leave you with a perspective you may not have heard yet from Jim Sinclair:
"Autism is a way of being. It is pervasive; it colors every experience, every sensation, perception, thought, emotion, and encounter; every aspect of existence. It is not possible to separate the autism from the person--and if it were possible, the person you'd have left would not be the same person you started with. This is important, so take a moment to consider it: Autism is a way of being. It is not possible to separate the person from the autism" (Don't Mourn for Us, 1993).