hm.
well i personally consider it to be "autistic",not "to have autism":this bugs some people,and they ask me to say it the second way-tough luck.
I am autistic.
Saying "I have autism" doesn't sound right to me.
I am autistic.
Saying "I have autism" doesn't sound right to me.
"I have autism" sounds a temporary, as if you can get rid of it or give it back at some time; or that it is something that will clear up of it's own accord: "I have a cold..."
"I am autistic" is a statement of fact, and something as defining of the person as "I have blue eyes."
As a parent, I prefer "is", not "has" simply because I don't see ASds as something to fix. My child does not have a disease. He does not need treatment. He IS who he is and part of that is Aspergers. He is also intelligent, creative, introverted, etc.
My parents initally freaked when I told them that my son is an Aspie (now that I think about it, I am sure I said "has Aspergers" but only because I don't know an adjective for Aspergers like "autistic" to use - Aspergeric?). My Dad said - don't let those doctors misdiagnose him with something. For years the doctors tried to tell my cousin that he had Lupus... I said Dad, this is not a disease. This is part of his personality - who he is. My dad said, "Oh, well, okay". Clearly it was less of a "big deal" to think of it in terms of personality and who he "is" than a disease that my son "has". |