Find out about the different words you hear and come across around autism
Autistic person or person with autism
Some people prefer to use ‘identify-first’ language and say ‘autistic person’ because they consider autism to be an inherent part of their identity.
In the past, others preferred to use ‘person-first’ language and say ‘person with autism’ but recent Autism Education Trust research tells us the majority of people now prefer ‘identify-first’ language and use ‘autistic person’.
For more information about how we talk about autism, please see our recording – Neuroaffirmative Language and Autism.
Good practice is to always ask the autistic person you’re working with, or their family, what they prefer.
For more information visit Telling your child about their diagnosis - a guide for parents and carers.
Autism spectrum
Refers to the variety of ways in which an autistic person might be affected by the areas of difference.
It does not mean that some people are more or less autistic than others.
We no longer use terms such as ‘high-functioning’ or ‘low-functioning’ as they are not accurate and can be seen as offensive by the autistic community.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC)
ASD is the clinical term used for autism. Some people prefer ASC as they feel the word disorder implies suffering and the need for treatment, whereas condition suggests this is how a person is.
You’ll see both terms used and some people simply prefer the word autism or autistic.
Asperger’s Syndrome (or Asperger’s)
Previously used as a clinical term for autistic people who did not also have a learning disability.
However, it’s no longer used as a clinical term due to:
- the the history of Hans Asperger
- new research indicating that Asperger’s is part of the autism spectrum and not a separate condition
Some people with this diagnosis continue to use it to refer to themselves and others may prefer to now use autistic.
It’s no longer possible to receive a new diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome.
Central coherance
A person's ability to link details together in order to understand an entire concept ie, seeing the bigger picture
Autistic people may preferentially attend to the details of an event, place or thing rather than perceiving it as a whole.
Deep or intense interests
Autistic people experience differences in the way they process and attend to information which can include being highly-focussed and knowledgeable about an area of deep or intense interest.
Terms like 'obsessions' and 'fixations' are not used as they suggest deep/intense interests are problematic or wrong.
Many autistic people use their deep/intense interests to gain highly specialised employment or are experts on particular subjects.
Emotional regulation
The ability to recognise your emotions, evaluate possible responses and modulate responses.
Autistic children may find it more difficult to self-regulate their emotions - ie complete this process independently.
Co-regulation refers to supporting someone to emotionally regulate by helping them in moments of emotional distress.
Dysregulation and distressed behaviours
When a person is ‘dysregulated’ they might be experiencing an intense response to an overwhelming situation.
This can lead to ‘distressed behaviours’ such as screaming, shouting, withdrawing and hiding or other physical behaviours. This is not the same as a temper tantrum and is not ‘bad’ behaviour.
Sometimes referred to as a ‘meltdown’ or ‘shutdown’, dysregulated individuals may not be able to communicate in their usual way and may need support to become regulated once more.
Executive functioning
The mental processes which allows us to:
- attend to multiple sources of information
- attend to and process information
- follow and remember instructions
- plan ahead and prioritise tasks
Interoception
The ability to recognise and identify internal bodily states including emotions.
Autistic people may be under or over-responsive to ‘interoceptive’ input (for example, feel excessive hunger or thirst) or under-responsive (for example, not recognise cues that they need to use the toilet).
To find out more about interoception visit Interoception and mental wellbeing in autistic people.
Masking
Autistic people can sometimes hide their differences to fit in socially by mimicking behaviours around them to appear the same as their neurotypical peers.
Masking can be extremely tiring for autistic people and lead to an increase in anxiety.
To find out more about masking visit Masking and identity.
Pathological demand avoidance (PDA)
Some autistic people find it difficult to follow instructions or respond to demands which may be placed upon them. This is known as having a ‘demand avoidant profile’.
There’s not currently enough evidence for PDA to meet the criteria for a separate diagnosis.
To find out about someone with PDA and ‘demand avoidant profile’ visit The PDA Society website.
Proprioception
The ability to recognise where your body is in space. Some autistic people can have difficulties with processing ‘proprioceptive’ input.
To find out more about proprioception visit Understanding sensory processing.
Stimming
Comes from self-stimulating behaviours and can include a variety of physical or vocal behaviours such as:
- hand flapping
- humming or making sounds
- repetitive use of an object
- rocking
To find out more about stimming visit Stimming - a guide for all audiences.
Theory of mind
A person's ability to understand what another person might be thinking or feeling because of their experiences, even when those experiences differ to our own.
For example, getting stuck in traffic and being late, and realising that the person waiting for you might not know there was traffic unless you have told them.
Vestibular system
The vestibular system is responsible for our sense of balance.
In some autistic people it can over-respond and cause them to feel off-balance or car sick more easily. Other autistic people have extremely good balance.
Neurodivergent, neurodiversity and neurotypical
All these terms are used widely.
‘Neurodivergent’ can be used to describe someone who has a neurodiverse condition, for example, autism. This means their brain processes information differently. An autistic young person could identify as ‘neurodivergent’ but so, for example, could someone who has a diagnosis of ADHD or dyslexia.
‘Neurodiversity’ is the idea that the way we think is not always the same. Instead, it recognises all variations of human neurology should be respected as just another way of being and neurological differences like autism, ADHD and dyslexia are the result of natural genetic variation.
‘Neurotypical’ can be used to describe someone not displaying or characterised by autistic or other neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behaviour.
Terminology guide
Download the Autism Education Trust’s Terminology Guide for more information.