tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221521936511907324.post3869347216842716149..comments2024-03-04T14:52:36.502-08:00Comments on Autism, Or Something Like It: Why I refer to my son as "Autistic"Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221521936511907324.post-10972433909458935082014-02-09T16:40:22.874-08:002014-02-09T16:40:22.874-08:00I wish to get in here and offer some additional co...I wish to get in here and offer some additional comment.<br /><br />Before I begin, I will tell you one point of disagreement. I do not consider the voices of parents important at all. I, however, am a thirty-five year old man who often wakes up screaming and will not talk to either of his "parental units" anymore. Too many parental units think their voice is more important than that of autistic individuals, or even that of their own children.<br /><br />So far as I am concerned, and I do not believe I am alone in this, any autistic adult who tells us they prefer what I call "separationist language" is misguided and ignorant.<br /><br />They are ignorant of the fact that separationist language is exactly that. Designed to make us view our neurology as something separate to us, ergo removable.<br /><br />This weekend, I was once again forced to explain to someone, a police officer no less, why "suffer from autism" is not merely unacceptable, but a slur. As far as I am concerned, "person with autism" is a stepping stone alone that bridge. Autism Speaks For Etc Etc want the autistic population saying "…with autism" so that they and other curebies can start phasing in "suffers from…". Which is simply not on.<br /><br />We do not live in vacuums. People's choices in everything have consequences for others. And when someone choose "…with autism" or "suffers from…", it has consequences for other autistic people. I encounter real physical sickness when someone even writes "…with autism" in front of me.<br /><br />If any one of the children related to me were told they "have autism", I would be stepping right in and telling the person who uses such language they are not welcome around that child anymore, and explaining good and hard to the child why.<br /><br />Because we do not live in a perfect world. We live in a world where a villain with more money than I will ever hear of in my life wants us to only be read about in history books in future (her words), and separationist language is something that furthers her goals.<br /><br />I will share this post with as many as I can.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com