'Autistic person' or 'person with autism'? Person-first language preference in Dutch adults with autism and parents.
Riley Buijsman, Sander Begeer, Anke M Scheeren
PMID 35957517WHAT IT FOUND
Most Dutch autistic adults and parents prefer 'person with autism' over 'autistic person'.
Younger adults and those with higher IQs were more likely to choose identity-first language, but it remained a minority preference. Ask each patient which term they prefer.
Key findings
01A majority of both autistic adults and parents preferred person-first language, with parents showing a stronger preference than adults.
02Among autistic adults, younger age, more autistic traits, and higher intellectual ability were associated with a relatively stronger preference for identity-first language.
03Parental terminology preference was not predicted by the child's gender, IQ, or autism traits, nor by the parents' own age or education.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted in the Netherlands, and cultural norms regarding modesty and conformity may drive the preference for person-first language, making results less applicable to other countries. The survey options did not include 'person on the autism spectrum', which might have influenced the distribution of preferences. The Netherlands Autism Register website historically used person-first language, which may have attracted participants who already preferred that terminology. The phrasing of the question ('Which label do you prefer...') might have subtly primed a person-first response.
Declared interests
Funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The authors declared no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the majority preference for person-first language as a rule to avoid identity-first language. The study found that younger adults and those with higher IQs were more likely to prefer identity-first terms, and the authors explicitly advise checking each person's individual preference in one-on-one interactions.