“Autisitic” v “Autism
Written by Alisyn Van Note, 2026
When I first started providing therapy with the Autism population, I was unaware of the biases in the search or the implications of saying “you have Autism” versus “you are Autistic.” The longer I have been a counselor, the more I have learned neither of these are actually very human-centered, they are more accurately diagnostic-centered. Despite Autism Spectrum Disorder being listed in the DSM as a diagnosis, the neurodivergence is not a disorder.
So what exactly is Autism if it is not a disorder? Well, researchers are still in the process of fully understanding the answer to that question. Autism, the mental health and medical diagnosis, is a series of traits beginning from early childhood and lasting throughout the lifetime, presenting struggles in the areas of social-emotional skills, non-verbal communication behaviors, relationships, restrictive-repetitive behaviors, inflexible thinking patterns, and hyperfocus (American Psychological Association, 2022). ASD as this Autism diagnosis is often referred to as, is not an intellectual disability (though they can co-occur), and it is listed as a developmental disability.
The biggest challenge in identifying ‘Autism’ is the labeling effect which often supports the biases, stereotypes, and ableist views of the scientific researchers, the clinical evaluators and clinical support professionals, community, families, and eventually becomes the primary language of the person with Autism. Autism is a diagnosis of ‘deficits’, incapabilities, differences with those who are not diagnosed with Autism, and hurtful language that identifies people as other or less than the non-Autism community. The language has been devastating for the Autistic community and for individuals and has lead to the pervasive belief that a ‘cure’ is needed and that Autism needs to be ‘eradicated’ (Dunn, 2021).
For the community of researchers, clinicians, medical professionals, education professionals, etc., using the term “Autism” has lead to a significant increase in ableism, lack of empathy, dehumanization, objectification of the Autistic person or their brain, and biases that Autistics have less social value, less intellectual ability, and are incapable of independence (Botha & Cage, 2022; Monk et al., 2022). For the Autistic person, believing these biases about themselves can create an increase in depressive symptoms and thoughts/ actions of self-harm or suicide, it has lead to an increase in learned helplessness and self-and-other victimization, fewer supportive resources provided, and a significantly reduced quality of life (Luyster et al, 2022).
With the rise of internet-based platforms, the Autistic community has gotten much more vocal about their own unique experiences, and their desire to change the language and focus on their experiences and wants/ needs rather than the biased, stereotyped diagnostic language has also been mirrored in the therapy room.
Autistics want to be seen and heard (in whatever verbal or non-verbal capabilities they have), not for weaknesses, but also strengths. Autistics want to be treated with dignity without a pre-formed bias about what their traits are and how they experience them from all professionals, especially therapeutically, academically, and within their medical teams. Autistic families are asking to be seen and heard, and for resources to help their Autistic loved one achieve a quality of life that they want. These are all realistic and achievable goals if we can change our perspective from “they have Autism Spectrum Disorder” and into asking questions like, “what is your Autistic experience?”
Autistics are incredibly capable and our abilities, skills, and traits of the Autistic experience change throughout the lifetime, sometimes getting significantly better, and sometimes getting worse, especially when co-occurring medical diagnoses complicate brain and body functioning for long periods of time. It is always best practice to ask the Autistic person themselves what their experience of their world is, but before expecting an answer verbally, offer non-verbal options, and take time and energy to get to know the person well so it builds stronger trust and a deeper sense of comfort. Without developed trust or a safe space to communicate, Autistics simply will not communicate in healthy ways; it is an adaptive functioning toward safety (Cairney et al., 2023; Matyjek et al., 2025; Cummins et al., 2020; Strömberg et al., 2022).
Just like I learned throughout my career to change my language to be more human-supportive, we can all make small changes in interactions, communication, and our own ableism to better support the Autistic individual and community.
References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Botha, M., & Cage, E. (2022). "Autism research is in crisis": A mixed method study of researcher's constructions of autistic people and autism research. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 1050897. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1050897
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36506950/
Cairney, B. E., West, S. H., Haebig, E., Cox, C. R., & Lucas, H. D. (2023). Interpretations of meaningful and ambiguous hand gestures in autistic and non-autistic adults: A norming study. Behavior Research Methods. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-023-02268-1
Cummins, C., Pellicano, E., & Crane, L. (2020). Autistic Adults’ Views of Their Communication Skills and Needs. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 55(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12552
Dunn, D. (2021, December 15). Understanding ableism and negative reactions to disability. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psychology-teacher-network/introductory-psychology/ableism-negative-reactions-disability
Luyster, R. J., Zane, E., & Wisman Weil, L. (2022). Conventions for unconventional language: Revisiting a framework for spoken language features in autism. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 7, 239694152211054. https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415221105472
Matyjek, M., Kita, S., Cuello, M. T., & Faraco, S. S. (2025). Multisensory Integration of Naturalistic Speech and Gestures in Autistic Adults. Autism Research, 18(6), 1156–1169. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.70042
Monk, R., Whitehouse, A. J. O., & Waddington, H. (2022). The use of language in autism research. Trends in Neurosciences, 45(11), 791–793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2022.08.009
Strömberg, M., Liman, L., Bang, P., & Igelström, K. (2021). Experiences of Sensory Overload and Communication Barriers by Autistic Adults in Health Care Settings. Autism in Adulthood, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0074
