I see it all the time in the news, on the internet, in the
newspapers, I hear it on the radio.
There is a majority of people who create an instant prejudice against
their child, themselves, or their abilities.
“I have an autistic child.” “We hire autistic adults.” “I have special needs child.” No, you have a child who has autism, or you
hire adults with autism, or your child has special needs in the classroom.
This is called Person
First Language (PFL) and it is one of my biggest pet peeves with parents in
the community of children with disabilities, but especially with Autism. When you say “I have an Autistic child” you are
boxing them into a diagnosis and allowing that diagnosis to define your
child. It drives me crazy when I hear
people say “I am an Autistic Mom.”
Really? You are a Mom. Your child has a disability called Autism…the
autism doesn’t have your child.
You wouldn’t walk around saying “I am a constipated adult.” Would
you? Well, maybe some of you would. When we say things like that we are already
assigning a sigma and limitations to our child and taking away from who they
are as a person. Your child is a sweet
boy who loves music, playing with trains, reading books, and by the way, he
also has Autism.
Children (and anyone) with disabilities deserve the same
respect and dignity you would afford anyone else. So put the person first, not the
disability. It’s like gender, ethnicity,
hair color, temperament….disability is only ONE aspect of many characteristics
of being human.
