How to talk about autistic ways of being.
So I saw this post on Twitter, the other day from Ann Memmott PgC MA @AnnMemmott, that I thought was just wonderful so I wanted to share it.
“Dear public, I'm afraid there is no line with 'high functioning' and 'low functioning' at each end of it, for autistic people. Nor are those who are able to speak/write 'mild', 'fashionable' 'attention seeking' or 'uncaring about those with REAL problems'. It's just nonsense.
Unfortunately, as we know from excellent research, autistic people of all kinds end up with much shorter lives than others, much worse healthcare, far fewer Human Rights, far worse educational opportunities & employment, far greater risk of suicide. It's not a game.
One of the best protective factors against poor outcomes is a sense of community, & positivity for whatever a person can do well and can enjoy. That is why identity & the language we use is often so vital - a factor v well supported in research.”
The third tweet contains a link to Community Against Prejudice Towards Autistic People (CAPTAP) showing just some of the huge amount of research which supports what Ann’s saying. They have two documents free to download that explain “How to talk about autistic ways of being…Learning from autistic people about what language to use and the reasons behind these choices…We have created a free and downloadable guide that can be used by anyone who talks to or about autistic people.”
I can’t copy them, but I recommend people go and check them out. Maybe print a few copies and leave them in doctors’ offices, schools, autism organizations,etc. 😊
Here's a couple screen shots from the poster:
Here's a couple screenshots from the larger document:
Here’s the link again to the poster and the explanatory text document that can be used by anyone who talks to or about autistic people.
I thought the information was bang on. At one point the document says
Having recently taken all those tests for my diagnosis, I think that's accurate. I remember questions like 'do other people think your routines are weird.' I responded that I live alone and others would not be familiar with my routines but that shouldn't make me any more or less autistic. 😉
Anyway, I think these are fabulous documents with a lot of information and the last few pages contain links to other sites and research with even more information. Check it out!