Potentially Ableist Terms and Discourse That Commonly Appear in Autism Research and Suggested Alternatives Potentially ableist term/discourseĪreas of interest or areas of expertise, focused, intense, or passionate interestsĭescription of specific needs and disabilitiesĬhallenging behavior/disruptive behavior/problem behavior 7, 37, 102, 103 Finally, we provide practical strategies for avoiding ableist language and provide suggested alternatives in Table 1, which will be discussed in detail in the Suggestions for Researchers section. Fourth, we discuss recent language debates, focusing on objections made by autism researchers to some nonableist language options.
Third, we review empirical research on the language preferences of the autistic community. Second, we discuss the ramifications of ableist language choices and give a historical overview of how such language persists in autism research. First, we discuss the relevance of ableism to autism research. In an effort to improve researchers' language practices, we discuss these issues in five sections. 10, 12, 17–19 Although there has been progress on these fronts, 20 some of the language used to describe autism and autistic people within published research continues to increase marginalization. The autistic community advocates for autism research that is accessible, inclusive of autistic participation and perspectives, reflective of the priorities of the autistic community, of high quality, and written in such a way that it does not contribute to the stigmatization of autistic people. 16 Autistic adults have led advocacy against ableist language, with broad applicability across age groups. 10–15 We prioritize the perspectives of autistic people because they have first-hand expertise about autism and have demonstrated exceptional scientific expertise. 2–6 The motivation for this article stems from ongoing discussions between autism researchers and the autistic community, 7–9 with noteworthy contributions from individuals who belong to both groups. According to the Center for Disability Rights, ableism “is comprised of beliefs and practices that devalue and discriminate against people with physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities and often rests on the assumption that disabled people need to be ‘fixed’ in one form or the other.” 1 The effects of ableism on autistic people include, but are not limited to, underemployment, mental health conditions, and victimization. The purpose of this commentary is to define, describe, and offer alternatives to ableist language used in autism research.
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