“Neurodivergent person” or “A person with Neurodiversity?” Let’s talk about that!

• Person First Language is useful and important; however, when someone doesn't see their difference as a disability or an impairment, this starts another conversation.

• I use both. I am Autistic, and I have ADHD.

• Labels exist to help us better understand ourselves and our place; however, the meaning they have to you is a personal experience.

  
  

• Helpful infographic, and more on Identity vs Person First here from the YWCA!

In conclusion, some people identify with their Neurodivergent identity as it being part of who they are, and others see it as a small piece of them. There are multiple viewpoints on how this is discussed. I can understand why both are used. The relationship with a label or identity is a personal experience. Additionally, the use of Person First Language can help reduce stigma. It is valuable to see that people are more than a diagnosis, that is only a piece of them. However, it is not our right to assign what meaning that identity or label has to an individual.

I challenge you to think, How does the language we use to define individuals with 'disabilities' change our perception? Is it important how we talk about people and disabilities?

I believe that often a disability is what society tells someone they cannot do; we may be different, but we are not less, to quote Temple Grandin.

"Different... Not Less"

-Temple Grandin

Great book she wrote, linked here!

What is the "right way" to talk about Autistic people?

How to talk about people with disabilities?

What do I say? How do I say it?

These are not straightforward questions. Different lines of thought consider "Person First Language" and "Identity First Language."

Person First Langauge:

The belief that a person is not defined by their diagnosis.

Identity First:

The approach of identity is to facilitate a more empowered approach. Fostering a belief that differences are not something to be ashamed of, but embraced.

 

When we refer to a person who has a mental health issue, we often say a "Person with a Disorder."

For example, "I have OCD" instead of "I am OCD", the same for ADHD. Saying "I have ADHD" instead of "I am ADHD." However, Autism is different. Autism, I argue, is not a mental health disorder; it is a developmental difference. In the community, some people use Person First Language, saying "I have Autism." There is another line of thought that, because autism affects how someone is hard-wired, there is more resonance with the statement "I am autistic."

As an Autistic person, I relate to "I am autistic." The reason is that I do not think of my Autism as separate from who I am; I view it as an integral piece of who I am. It is part of my identity.

Autism impacts how a person learns, communicates, and interacts with the world. I view Autism as one of the lenses through which the world is seen.

What is the right way to talk about this?

There is no "right way" it depends on the relationship someone has with the diagnosis. When I was in graduate school I was taught that Person First Language is always the "right way." However, ASD and Neurodivergence is its own culture. Looking at Autsism through the lens of culture can lend another point of view. (Neurodivergence is a culture: Click here!)

I have seen this used in the deaf community as well. I am not a deaf person. I am a hearing person who learned ASL.

Before learning sign, I was taught to call a person who was hard of hearing " a person who is deaf." Or even trained when I worked as a CNA to call someone hearing impaired. However, after being active in the community, I met people who identify proudly as a "deaf person," as some people see it as part of their identity and not a disability.

The teacher I had for ASL was a deaf man, and he shared with me that he viewed himself simply as a linguistic minority, not as someone who was disabled. That he was not hearing impaired, but that others were impaired because they did not understand sign language. Deafhood is another example of a community that, from the outside, may be seen as a disability, but has a rich history and culture. Check out more on Deafhood here!