I’m only ½ hour into this so far, but it’s an interesting conversation. All people think differently, yes, but autists think differently in similar ways to each other. We have our own culture, our own norms, values, and behaviors. To say ‘everyone is on a spectrum’ erases that culture, in a similar way to the melting pot theory erasing individual cultures within the greater group.
As for terminology, discussion of autism has long been framed through the perspective of the allistic, and any terminology created by people who are treating other people as a subject, an ‘other’, is going to be problematic.
I didn't want my son to get labeled during his school years, so never told him he's on the spectrum. We just dealt with each issue as it came up.
I’m only ½ hour into this so far, but it’s an interesting conversation. All people think differently, yes, but autists think differently in similar ways to each other. We have our own culture, our own norms, values, and behaviors. To say ‘everyone is on a spectrum’ erases that culture, in a similar way to the melting pot theory erasing individual cultures within the greater group.
As for terminology, discussion of autism has long been framed through the perspective of the allistic, and any terminology created by people who are treating other people as a subject, an ‘other’, is going to be problematic.
Your feedback is very interesting! Thank you 😊