The Use of Person-Centered Language in Scientific Research Articles Focused on Autism

Abstract

Editorials are not included in this analysis. x 2 determines associations between PCL adherence (yes/no) to the categorical study characteristics. No results listed here were statistically significant (p , 0.05).

Stigma, Incommensurability, or Both? Pathology-First, Person-First, and Identity-First Language and the Challenges of Discourse in Divided Autism Communities

“…If researchers based such classifications on their own community's approach to language use, they could conclude that other communities following different approaches use terminology in a stigmatizing way simply because people in these communities follow different approaches than the researchers' own. This may be a limitation of the study conducted by Arnhart et al 12 Fortunately, the challenge of incommensurability need not reduce us to relativism. Kuhnian incommensurability has not prevented science from being generally progressive, nor has it prevented historians of science from understanding outdated paradigms.…”

“…Another example is "disabled." Arnhart et al 12 suggest that "disabled" should be viewed as a stigmatizing term. This is perhaps because, for many people, the term "disability" refers to what a person cannot do.…”

“…28,29 Thus, although I personally encourage researchers to use IFL when collectively describing autistic people, I acknowledge the current lack of consensus and that it is likely appropriate at this point for researchers to use PFL if they feel there are good reasons for doing so. Alternatively, there exist compromise positions: mixing PFL and IFL, using "person on the spectrum" or-as proposed by Arnhart et al 12 -saying "person who is autistic. "…”

Does Person-Centered Language Focus on the Person?

“…The findings of the study by Arnhart et al 5 suggesting that the use of identity-first language in professional journals is associated with increased stigmatizing language are, therefore, quite intriguing. However, by considering "disabled person" and "neuroatypical" as stigmatizing language and conversely including "person who is autistic" as person-first language, the conclusions may be somewhat less clear.…”

Naming Autism in the Right Context

“…We wanted to draw attention to how in medicine and clinical settings, but also in the wider public, we have been trained to use person-first language in most settings (including medical journals) 6 without fully considering the views of autistic people and their civil rights struggle for acceptance, agency, and human rights. A recent study suggests that while there is heterogeneity and differences of opinion, most autistic people favor identity-first language ("autistic") and referring to the condition as autism.…”