Identity-first language: why many Autistic people say “Autistic person”
By Helen Edgar and David Gray-Hammond · From the Re-Storying Autism workbook, Module 2
Much of the neurodivergent community prefers identity-first language (“Autistic person”) over person-first language (“person with autism”). Identity-first language recognises that:
- Autism is not separate from the person
- Neurodivergence is not a disorder
- Being Autistic shapes experience, culture, embodiment, and worldview
- Personhood does not need rescuing from disability
Medical models position autism as an external pathology, a disorder that clings to an otherwise “normal” person, that needs fixing or curing. Identity-first language disrupts this narrative, it reframes autism as an integral part of a person’s identity, something to understand, honour, and celebrate rather than something to distance from or move away from. People who adopt identity-first language often find themselves making an internal shift; away from fear, away from deficit-based thinking, and toward recognition of their family member’s whole self. This can help your loved one’s sense of well-being, empowering them rather than them growing up thinking being Autistic is something shameful or that they need to hide or recover from. It is important to always communicate and ask your loved one how they identify and which words they prefer to use.
Keep going in the course
This is a short extract. The full lesson in Module 2: Identity, Language and Disability Models includes the video teaching, the rest of the workbook text, reflection questions for parents, carers and Autistic people, and progress tracking.