Disorder or difference? Autism researchers face off over field’s terminology, 2023, Rachel Zamzow

Science.org

Disorder or difference? Autism researchers face off over field’s terminology

Rachel Zamzow

Excerpt

A long-smoldering debate among scientists studying autism has erupted. At issue is language—for example, whether researchers should describe autism as a “disorder,” “disability,” or “difference,” and whether its associated features should be called “symptoms” or simply “traits.” In scientific papers and commentaries published in recent months, some have decried ableist language among their colleagues whereas others have defended traditional terminology—with both sides saying they have the best interests of autistic people in mind. The vitriol is harming the field and silencing researchers, some fear, but others see it as a long-overdue reckoning.

Full article at link: https://www.science.org/content/art...ism-researchers-face-over-field-s-terminology

 

It’s odd that the article doesn’t touch on the Aspie debate. It was only recently that Aspergers was deprecated from the DSM in favour of ASD - autistic spectrum disorder being supposed to cover the relevant cohort as well. This wasn’t universally seen as helpful, especially as “high functioning” is a strange term for people whose verbal, cognitive, social and practical skills are often poorly (even inversely) correlated.

 

I was originally diagnosed with Asperger’s, but personally I’m glad that terminology has been dropped - Mr Asperger was a Nazi.

 

Oh this is the same “silencing” bullshit that BPS researchers say about ME patients. It’s very simple - non-autistic autism researchers are unhappy that their autistic colleagues and autistic advocates disagree with them. There was a horrid article published recently about the mean autistic people being mean to the poor researchers, rang a lot of ME bells.

 

Eponyms are so handy for complex conditions, though.

I’d massively prefer “Ramsay’s syndrome” to either ME or CFS, and for all I know Ramsay was a Duginist who regularly stole sweets from small children.

 

It’s not just a thing of “he was a bad person separately to his medical work”. He literally sent autistic children to be killed.

 

It's my diagnosis too, but I refuse to use it for the same reason.

 

OMG.

 

Goodness, had missed that - my family member’s diagnosis happened just before this seems to have become public knowledge.

 

WOW! I didnt know that!

 

Yeah the evidence of this only came out in 2018 I think

 

There's a very long article about him on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Asperger

I haven't been able to read it all, but there seem to be lots of different opinions and interpretations.

 

(Context: I'm autistic)
Autism shouldn't be viewed as solely a disability. Mostly people need psychosocial support for autism. Sometimes autism comes with co-occurring conditions like speech impediments or anxiety that should be treated. Autism support must focus on symptoms the autistic persons find disruptive, for example emotional dysregulation or social difficulties, not what society considers "weird."