How raisingchildren.net.au talks about autism

On raisingchildren.net.au, we:

• use identity-first language when we talk about autism, which means we talk about ‘autistic children’ and ‘autistic teenagers’
• talk about ‘autism’ and use the term ‘autism spectrum disorder’ only when we refer to a diagnosis
• refer to therapies and supports for autistic children, rather than treatments.

Identity-first or person-first language: what’s the difference?

Identity-first language puts a person’s condition or disability before the person – for example, ‘autistic children’.

Person-first language puts the person before their condition or disability – for example, ‘children with autism’.

Identity-first language: why we now use it for autism

raisingchildren.net.au has moved to identity-first language for autism from person-first language after feedback from readers and consultation with autism experts and advocates.

Many autistic people and autism experts and advocates prefer identity-first language because it indicates that being autistic is an inherent part of a person’s identity, not an addition to it.

Many people also feel that autism is a different way of seeing and interacting with the world, rather than an impairment or a negative thing. This difference is part of neurodiversity, which is the natural variation in how people’s brains  work.

We recognise that there are different opinions about and positions on autism language. We also acknowledge people’s personal preferences and individual rights to decide how they’re described. For example, in our videos, you’ll come across various approaches as individual parents and practitioners use autism language according to their own preferences. And of course, if we’re referring to an individual person, we’ll use that person’s preferred language.

Other organisations, including Amaze and the National Autistic Society in the UK, also use identity-first language.

Autism or autism spectrum disorder?

raisingchildren.net.au talks about ‘autism’ in most situations. We use the term ‘autism spectrum disorder’ only when we’re referring to a diagnosis. This is because professionals like psychiatrists and psychologists refer to the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) when they’re diagnosing autism. DSM-5 uses the term ‘autism spectrum disorder’.

Therapies and supports for autism

raisingchildren.net.au talks about ‘therapies and supports’ for autistic children, rather than ‘treatments’. This is because ‘therapies and supports’ help children to get the most out of life and meet their own individual goals. ‘Treatments’ might imply that autistic children can or need to be cured.

We’re making these changes over time, so you’ll still see some articles on our site that use person-first language or that refer to ‘autism spectrum disorder’ or ‘treatments’.