Perspectives on “Person-First” Language

This afternoon Erin, MC, and I were presenting at Sir Winston Churchill High School.

W.C.H.S’s grade 12 psychology classes are learning about different disorders and wanted us to come and speak about Autism.

We will generally jump at the chance to do a presentation in situations like this, because it gives us the perfect opportunity to demystify common misconceptions and deconstruct stereotypical views of the disorder.

We pride ourselves on the wonderfully crafted positive and person-first language of our script. We understand that words are powerful and the use of them can change a person’s perception for better or for worse.

That is why when I came across this article tonight, it made me shake my head a little and think….

What are we saying when we use person-first language? Rather than saying, “My Autistic son”, I would say, “My son with Autism”. This implies that he is a person first, and the disorder (Autism) does not identify him.

Sounds great, right?

Well, this perspective  is a little different so I thought I would share it.

After all, we at Friend 2 Friend embrace and accept all differences!

Feel free to share your comments and thoughts below.

Cheers!