Autism Vocabulary

How to Talk About Autism?
En bref

Some words are respectful when talking about autism, and others can hurt. Words like “retarded” or “abnormal” damage autistic people’s self-esteem and don’t actually describe autism. The word autistic should never be used as an insult. Being autistic isn’t doing something wrong — it’s a different way of functioning. Most autistic people and autism researchers agree today that autism isn’t an illness to be cured, even though the official clinical term (“autism spectrum disorder”) is still framed differently. This guide presents the terms recommended by the autistic community, while flagging the points that are still debated.

Autistic vocabulary

The Importance of Accurate and Respectful Terminology

The words used to describe autism directly shape how society views this difference. They also influence how autistic people see themselves. Inappropriate language can lead to serious consequences: unnecessary, costly, or dangerous treatments, discrimination, and abuse.

How to Talk About Autism?

Autism is a condition, a variation, or a neurodevelopmental difference. The autistic community and the neurodiversity movement reject the words “disorder” and “deficiency,” which they consider stigmatizing.

Going further
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This framing isn’t scientifically neutral. The DSM-5-TR (the diagnostic manual used by health professionals) still classifies autism as “autism spectrum disorder,” and a clinical diagnosis remains necessary to access services and accommodations. The debate between the medical model (a disorder to treat) and the neurodiversity model (a difference to accommodate) is a matter of values and perspective, not something science has settled. Many autistic people and researchers take a middle-ground position: autism involves both neutral differences and real challenges that deserve support (Kapp et al., 2013).

Neurodiversity

The concept of neurodiversity reflects the diversity of neurological functioning, just as diversity exists in every other biological system.

Levels of Autism

A person either is autistic or isn’t — there’s no in-between. It’s incorrect to say someone is “a little autistic” or “severely autistic.” The DSM-5-TR’s levels (1, 2, and 3) describe how much support a person needs, not a degree of autism.

Autism Is Not an Illness

Confusing autism with an illness fuels misinformation.

Danger

Some people and companies exploit this confusion to sell fake autism “cures.” These products have no validated scientific basis and can be dangerous — sometimes seriously so — to autistic people’s physical health, on top of costing families a significant amount of money. No approved treatment “cures” autism, because autism isn’t an illness.

Insult or Negative Connotation

Describing someone’s inappropriate behavior as “being autism” is unacceptable. This word should never be used as an insult or a derogatory label.

Tragedy

Describing autism as a tragedy or a social ill is stigmatizing and doesn’t reflect the lived reality of autistic people.

Asperger

The Asperger diagnosis was removed from the DSM-5 in 2013 and from the ICD-11 (the World Health Organization’s classification system): it is now folded into the single diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. This change was meant, in part, to avoid ranking autistic people as “good” or “bad,” a distinction considered discriminatory.

In practice, usage is more nuanced than this official change suggests. Some countries still use the ICD-10, where Asperger’s remains a distinct diagnosis, and many people who were diagnosed before 2013 continue to identify as “Aspie” or “Asperger’s,” whether out of attachment to the term or simple habit. The name also comes from Hans Asperger, whose documented ties to the Nazi regime — including selecting children for a euthanasia program — give some people an additional reason to move away from the term. The key principle: the current clinical diagnosis is autism, but personal self-identification deserves respect.

How to Talk About the Person

Saying that someone is autistic or that they’re an autistic person are both good ways to put it.

ASD

The acronym ASD stands for autism spectrum disorder. It’s the medical term, but it doesn’t refer to a person. A human being can’t be a disorder.

Autism Is Part of the Person

A person doesn’t “suffer from” autism. They are autistic — it isn’t an accessory, it’s a way of being and functioning.

Table of Recommended Terms

Words to Use

Words to use when talking about autism, autistic people, and traits

  • Autism
  • Autistic
  • Autistic person
  • Autism spectrum
  • Neurodivergent
  • Neurodivergence
  • Neurodiversity
  • Disabled (as a neutral descriptor)
  • Condition
  • Difference
  • Neurodivergence

Talking about the traits of an autistic person

  • Stimming (self-stimulatory behavior)
  • Meltdown
  • Shutdown
  • Focused or passionate interest
  • Sensory sensitivity
  • Support needs
  • Co-occurring condition
  • Traits, characteristics, or features
  • Masking or camouflaging
  • Executive functioning differences
  • Communication differences
  • Repetitive or self-regulating behavior
  • Fonctionnement autistique
  • Variante
  • Intérêt de prédilection, particulier, spécifique ou spécial
  • Diversité

Words to Avoid

Words to avoid when talking about autism, autistic people, and traits

  • Retarded
  • Suffers from autism / afflicted with autism
  • High-functioning / low-functioning
  • Special needs
  • Comorbid (outside a clinical context)
  • Handicapped
  • At risk for autism
  • Abnormal
  • An ASD (using the acronym as a noun for a person)
  • Autism symptoms
  • Tragedy
  • Epidemic

Talking about the traits of an autistic person

  • Challenging behavior / problem behavior
  • Special interest (increasingly discouraged; “focused” or “passionate interest” is preferred)
  • Restricted interest
  • Obsession
  • Tics (when the behavior described is actually stimming)
  • Mannerisms
  • Impaired / impairment
  • Deficits
  • Non-compliant
  • Resistant to treatment

Note

This choice of vocabulary isn’t a rule. It reflects the majority opinion of autistic people and their allies, with strong consensus around identity-first language (“autistic person,” “autistic”). That consensus isn’t unanimous, though: depending on the study, between 4% and 39% of autistic people surveyed say they prefer person-first language (“person with autism”) (Schuck et al., 2025). Some autistic people also prefer to use specific terms like ASD, for instance for the sake of privacy. It’s always best to respect the terms each person chooses when speaking about themselves. This guide is a safe starting point for communicating respectfully, not a universal rule.

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Pour aller plus loin

Aut’Créatifs – Telling the Story of Autism Differently: Recommendations for Autism Terminology in the Media

Collectif autiste de l’UQAM – The Importance and Impact of Words

Quebec Federation for Autism – Vocabulary

Autism Alliance of Canada – Autism Terminology Guide (July 2025)

Scientific Sources (Peer-Reviewed)

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

Bottema-Beutel, K., Kapp, S. K., Lester, J. N., Sasson, N. J., & Hand, B. N. (2021). Avoiding ableist language: Suggestions for autism researchers. Autism in Adulthood, 3(1), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0014

Kapp, S. K., Gillespie-Lynch, K., Sherman, L. E., & Hutman, T. (2013). Deficit, difference, or both? Autism and neurodiversity. Developmental Psychology, 49(1), 59–71. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028353

Kenny, L., Hattersley, C., Molins, B., Buckley, C., Povey, C., & Pellicano, E. (2016). Which terms should be used to describe autism? Perspectives from the UK autism community. Autism, 20(4), 442–462. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361315588200

Schuck, R. K., Chetcuti, L., Dwyer, P., Milosavljevic, K., Bury, S. M., Hedley, D., Begeer, S., Vivanti, G., & Uljarevic, M. (2025). Preferences for identity-first and person-first language: A systematic review of research with autistic adults/adults with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-025-07174-3

Notes sur les autres sources

Several claims in this article draw on community and clinical sources rather than peer-reviewed studies. These sources are just as valid, but different in nature:

  • The terminology recommendations from Aut’Créatifs and the Collectif autiste de l’UQAM come from the testimonials and community writing of autistic people in Quebec.
  • The Autism Terminology Guide (July 2025) from the Autism Alliance of Canada was developed from consultations with nearly 200 people during Francophonie Week and the 2025 Leadership Summit, in partnership with the Quebec Federation for Autism.
  • The “Vocabulary” page from the Quebec Federation for Autism reflects that organization’s editorial charter, developed in line with recommendations from autistic people.
Editorial Approach

This article takes a neuroaffirming approach: autism is presented as a neurodevelopmental difference rather than a deficit to be corrected, in line with the preferences expressed by the majority of the autistic community. Nuances and ongoing debates are flagged where they exist. This vocabulary guide doesn’t replace support from a professional trained in adult autism.