Choice of Terminology
ISBN: 978-1-80455-034-2, eISBN: 978-1-80455-033-5
Publication date: 27 September 2022
Citation
Bennett, M. and Goodall, E. (2022), "Choice of Terminology", Autism and COVID-19, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 83-83. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80455-033-520221006
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022 Matthew Bennett and Emma Goodall. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited
There is an ongoing debate in the field of autism spectrum research, as well as in the broader field of disability studies, as to what is the most appropriate use of terminology to address members of the autistic community (Tepest, 2021; Vivanti, 2020). Some people prefer using person-first language (i.e. people on the autism spectrum) while others prefer using identity-first language (i.e. autistic person). Throughout this book we use identity-first language since contemporary research has shown that most autistics prefer this language convention (Bury et al., 2020; Kenny et al., 2016). Furthermore, it is our belief, as autistic researchers, that since the autism spectrum is an inseparable part of a person's identity that the word ‘autistic’ should be used instead of ‘person with autism’ or ‘person on the autism spectrum’.
References
Bury et al., 2020 Bury, S. M. , Jellett, R. , Spoor, J. R. , & Hedley, D. (2020). “It defines who I am” or “it's something I have”: What language do [autistic] Australian adults [on the autism spectrum] prefer? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04425-3
Kenny et al., 2016 Kenny, L. , Hattersley, C. , Molins, B. , Buckley, C. , Povey, C. , & Pellicano, E. (2016). Which terms should be used to describe autism? Perspectives from the UK autism community. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 20(4), 442–462. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361315588200
Tepest, 2021 Tepest, R. (2021). The meaning of diagnosis for different designations in talking about autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51(2), 760–761. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04584-3
Vivanti, 2020 Vivanti, G. (2020). Ask the editor: What is the most appropriate way to talk about individuals with a diagnosis of autism? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(2), 691–693. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04280-x