Understanding language preference: Autism knowledge, experience of stigma and autism identity.
Ask each autistic adult their language choice—identity-first terms feel right to those with strong autism identity, wrong to those facing stigma.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team sent an online survey to 198 autistic adults.
They asked how strongly each person felt autism was part of their identity.
They also asked how much stigma the person felt and which words they liked.
What they found
People who said "autism is a big part of who I am" liked identity-first words like "autistic."
People who felt more stigma disliked those same words.
No factor predicted liking person-first words such as "person with autism."
In short, you cannot guess preference from the outside.
How this fits with other research
Kenny et al. (2016) saw the same split: most autistic adults like "autistic," many pros like "person with autism."
Vassos et al. (2023) goes deeper by showing why the split happens—identity strength and stigma, not role.
Ferenc et al. (2023) adds that seeing autism as a difference, not a disorder, links to higher self-esteem.
Together the three papers say: ask first, then use the words that match the person’s identity view.
Why it matters
When you write reports, ask each autistic adult or parent, "Which words do you want me to use?"
Record the answer and use those terms in goals, notes, and team meetings.
This tiny step cuts stigma and shows respect, which builds better therapy teamwork.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
There is ongoing discussion around what language is acceptable when talking about someone with an autism diagnosis, especially regarding person-first (e.g. person with autism) or identity-first (e.g. autistic person) language. We asked 198 Australian adults with an autism diagnosis what terminology they prefer and what they find offensive. We also asked questions to understand their experience of stigma, their autism knowledge and how much they endorse an autism identity, to investigate if these factors were associated with their language preferences. Overall, there was no significant association between these three factors and person-first terminology. For identity-first terms, those who endorse a stronger autism identity tended to find identity-first terms more preferable and less offensive, whereas those who reported greater experiences and internalisation of stigma tended to find identity-first terms less preferable and more offensive. Previous research has tended to ask what language participants prefer. The findings of this work help provide some context as to why people prefer or find offensive specific terms, at least for identity-first language.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2023 · doi:10.1177/13623613221142383