What’s in a Name?

Trigger Warning! This contains terms you may find offensive

I know that in writing this particular blog I am glazing over the whole topic of ‘Labels,’ but I think that is one for another day. In writing this I consulted with young people awaiting autism assessments. I asked if there were any terms associated with autism which bothered them. The answer was a resounding, no. I find that quite interesting in itself as there is a fantastic amount of literature available to the subject.

Let’s start with ASC versus ASD. I prefer the term Autistic Spectrum Condition; this is because I don’t see my autism as a problem, disorder, or in any way something that is wrong with me. That being said, I have spoken to the parents of children for whom autism is a debilitating disorder. I have taught children with the educational goal for the term of, ‘put on coat unaided.’ For those individuals, I can certainly see why they would apply the term Autistic Spectrum Disorder. It’s the word Spectrum that is doing the heavy lifting, I suppose, covering everything from a condition to a disorder. I also like Speccy as a term of endearment, but there you go. I have also considered having t-shirts printed with ASCAF (you figure it out); interestingly my neurotypical friends and colleagues have been horrified by this idea. My friends with autistic kids love the idea. What’s my point? I don’t have one; we are all different but that kind of is the point, isn’t it?

Neuro-Spicy is another problematic term. I know some teachers find it a handy catch-all term for mild neurodiversity. There is a community who finds the use of this handle to be empowering. The problem with the term is that it has connotations with sexual fetishism around women of black, Asian, and Latin ancestry. Blimey. The dangers of reading too much!

The power of words is in no doubt. I have sat through countless pointless school assemblies but one which stuck with me was on the use of terms specific to diagnoses be thrown around as insults or hyperbole. “Oh, I’m just so OCD…” “I’m a bit ADHD about…” “She went completely mental…” And I sat there in that assembly, in an otherwise unremarkable school, and thought, good point. In a slight tangent from this conversation, whilst speaking with a gay student I discovered that the word gay as applied as a term of derision or insult only became popularised during the 1980s, around fifteen years after the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK. I find that fact stunning and horrific.

My sister has cerebral palsy. She was born in a time when this was commonly referred to as being a spastic. She has always embraced that terminology. She also refers to herself as a Raspberry. This comes from our Cockney ancestry; Raspberry Ripple, cripple. Some people might find those terms offensive but, in my family, we use these as signs of warmth and affection. Again, we’re all different!

So, yeah, we’re all different. We love a bit of carpool karaoke, blasting out Ian Dury’s “Spasticus Autisticus.” We take ownership of the labels medicine and society have given us. Personally, I could watch the rendition from the 2012 Paralympics opening ceremony every day! I’d love to hear what you have to say on this thorny topic!