Re: Autism!
 

I think that is what Ozzidoc meant. Refering to someone as an autistic person, a deaf person is fine, but just saying that they are an autistic, or a spastic, or a deafie isn't. Though I do call myself a deafie!

Re: Autism!
 

Generally "person with autism" is desperately PC for "autistic person" in any context. Obviously few auties are able to express an opinion. In fact, we might say that the ability to have an opinion on the matter is disproof of being autistic (or being with autism).

Re: Autism!
 

I think I understand. You can use the word autie, but anyone who doesn't have a close connection would be wise not to I think. Sometimes the PC phrases work, ie a "person with MS" is probably better than an "MS sufferer", but "a person with deafness" is just plain weird and clumsy. You could say that I am a "deafness sufferer" but the Deaf person would argue strongly against that. I think its OK to say that I am hearing impaired, but again a Deaf person would hate that description. Also Deaf people have told me that I shouldn't describe myself as deaf.

MOH is the real deafness sufferer, especially over the next 4 weeks when my very very deaf mum is visiting. I have bought him so ear plugs....

Re: Autism!
 

I wouldn't ordinarily use that expression. It's a reaction to being offended by Ozzidoc's assault on the language. I've never heard anyone actually say "autie" but autistic people sometimes use it to describe themselves on discussion boards. The formulation preferred by the politically correct in Ontario is non-NT, which derives from the idea of describing most people being NT, neurologically typical, as if that was a problematic condition with autism being the default state of being. There's quite a funny website out there somewhere describing to autistics how best to deal with people with neurological typlicalism.

Understand that I'm usually quite careful to attempt to use the terms people prefer to describe themselves, gay, Black, aboriginal, whatever. However, autistic person vs. person with autism, is hair splitting and it's nonsense since the people being described necessarily do not care. It's not political correctness or politeness in the sense that describing someone as "gay" rather than "queer" is an attempt to avoid offending that person. This is describing the gay person as a person with gayness in order to please a straight third party. It's patronising bollocks.

Re: Autism!
 

We're on a bit of a learning curve with our son. He's autistic (sorry "with autism") and at age 4 he's showing some advancement but cannot speak and is not potty trained. The up side is he's a lot less destructive than he used to be and is quite manageble. And we love him to bits despite the challenges for everyone concerned.

Still, my only point in contributing here is the little anecdotal story we have of when he was first diagnosed. He was described as being somewhere on the autism spectrum and having developmental delay. We didn't realise that developmental delay is the new term for mentally retarded. I mean I know that it's forced us to learn a lot and to understand a lot more about mental retardation and developmental delay and what it all means blah, blah, blah. It's all these terms and being careful about how things are said and not to offend and political correctness. It does help to get completely lost in translation.

Re: Autism!
 

stepnek... about being lost in translation...

... developmentally delayed isn't the new term for 'mentally' retarded. It merely means a delay in one or more areas of development (which may or may not include a learning disability). My daughter has developmental delays and is cognitively not impaired at all - what she does have are physical delays - ie a motor condition (cerebral palsy).
Global developmental delay, however, is generally accepted to mean across the board, and this would of course incorporate a learning disability, or 'mental retardation'....

dbd33 - the non-NT thing I find VERY confusing - my daughter isn't NT either, but isn't autistic, or 'with autism', so glad we're not planning on shipping to Ontario ;)

Re: Autism!
 

...although I think paediatricians make up the definitions as they go along. I know ours does, which is why I take her attempts at explaining cp to me with a pinch of salt. I've kept the letter where she made a valiant attempt to attempt to explain 'the three types - spastic, hypotonic and hemiplegia' and then went on to explain that spastic cp always affects all four limbs...
ummm... except for spastic diplegia presumably, or monoplegia, or triplegia...

Fortunately she's the fourth in a row, and the other three have been eminently more sensible. Not planning on getting her to write the report for the Immigration medical to kick off the burden investigation...:blink:

Re: Autism!
 

What on earth did I do to upset you? I was simply sharing my experiences, and certainly those of the many patients that I meet. I constantly hear parents and patients guide me as to how they wish to be described in a healthcare setting. I always wait for them to use their preferred term....and then reflect this in my conversation.

Secondly, how is my opinion offensive yet yours is not?

Re: Autism!
 

Plainly not patients with autism, or autistic patients, as the essence of autism is not knowing that you form a description of those patients.

I suppose all opinions are offensive to some NT person somewhere. Yours, on the proper manner of describing people with autism, offends me because it puts artful wording ahead of clarity. The head patting manner of the delivery was particularly irksome; it's not as if I haven't heard that idea 1,000 times before. Feel free to be offended by my converse view.

Re: Autism!
 

In practise there really isn't a problem, use "autism" when you want to convey an impression of disability (perhaps when claiming a grant) and "spectrum disorder" when you want to convey the opposite idea (such as for immigration). No one can actually know much about your child without spending time with her so you can play with perceptions just by juggling the description.

Re: Autism!
 

I will do.

Meanwhile, I like your blog....we'll the pictures - no time to read! I prefer the big print wallpaper, but maybe it depends on the size of the room? :)

Re: Autism!
 

No, no, wrong end of discussion, sorry! She's not on the spectrum at all, but she's definitely not NT - I was just using it as an example of how easy it is to misconstrue things by attempting to avoid offence... (which on balance, it probably did lol)... she's not NT, but she's not AS, she's developmentally delayed but not 'mentally retarded', etc etc. In less 'enlightened' terms she's an old fashioned spastic... except she's not, because her spasticity has now reduced to almost nothing, and it's the fluctuating tone that causes the balance issues... but the mere fact that she has 'cerebral palsy' stamped all over her file means the expectation is that she sits in a wheelchair and drools (which she does occasionally), but there's a lot more to an individual than a label, etc etc... but there's not much you can play with around a cp label... short of 'mobility disorder'...
<didn't mean to hijack, only popped in because of the initial question and we're obviously another family waiting out on a burden ruling etc... although not for the same reason...>

Re: Autism!
 

Almost everyone preferred the large print. For reasons lost on me we now have a box of the small. I'll hang it and we'll see if it appeals to autistic people (sample of one, massive generalisation follows).

Re: Autism!
 

Exactly the issue with autism. One doctor said "this is autism but I'm not going to give that diagnosis as it's the kiss of death, you won't even get a cold treated for an autistic person". He was quite right even though no two autistic people are the same. Those at the extreme end of the spectrum share several of a list of traits but the variations between the traits e.g. finger twirling and head banging are so extreme as to make even "low functioning, deeply autistic" an uninformative description.

Re: Autism!
 

Hi
My daughter is 16, has Aspergers Syndrome and we are currently applying for PR. She is in main stream school, has a teaching assistant but not full time, is doing extremely well. My cousin has a child of the same age with the same diagnosis and became PR earlier this year. I plan on going to the medical when called with all the information that i hope they will require. I don't think it will be an issue as i have the backing of the school and educational pshychologist here. My advice to you is to get every piece of information that you can, be totally honest and present your case.....good luck to you.:thumbup: