The two phrasings
- Person-first: "person with autism"
- Identity-first: "autistic person"
What the autistic community prefers
Multiple surveys of autistic adults — across the US, UK, Australia, and the Netherlands — consistently find a strong majority preference for identity-first language (Kenny et al., Autism, 2016; Bury et al., JADD, 2020; Taboas et al., Autism, 2023).
Reasons commonly given:
- Autism is not a disease or accessory; it's a fundamental part of identity
- "With autism" implies it can be removed — like "with cancer"
- Identity-first parallels other identities (Deaf person, gay person)
- It rejects the framing of autism as inherently negative
Where person-first comes from
Person-first language emerged from disability advocacy in the 1980s with good intent — to push back on dehumanizing language. It remains preferred by some self-advocates, particularly in intellectual disability spaces, and is still standard in many medical and educational settings.
Major organizations
Identity-first is now the stated style of:
- Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)
- Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network (AWN)
- National Autistic Society (UK)
- AP Stylebook (as of 2021, both are accepted)
- The Lancet and many academic journals (Botha et al., 2023)
What to do
- Ask the individual when you can — preferences vary
- Default to identity-first in general writing about autistic people
- Don't correct an autistic person who uses one or the other about themselves
- Avoid functioning labels ("high-functioning," "low-functioning") — they are inaccurate and harmful; describe support needs specifically instead
- Avoid "special needs" and "differently abled" — most autistic adults dislike both
Language to avoid
- "Suffers from autism" / "afflicted with"
- "Symptoms of autism" (use "traits" or "characteristics")
- "Cure," "treatment for autism" (treat co-occurring conditions, support autistic people)
- Puzzle piece imagery (originated from a deficit framing; widely rejected by autistic community)