Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. Autism is not a mental health condition, but many autistic adults and children develop mental health problems, and too many reach crisis points avoidably.
Research done by the National Autistic Society together with Mind suggests that this situation with the development of mental health problems is driven by a lack of community mental health services that are adjusted and adapted to support autistic people’s needs.
Good practice guide for mental health professionals shows that many autistic adults prefer to use ‘identity-first’ language to describe themselves.
Being described as an autistic person is generally favored by those who view autism as a central and defining element of identity, similar to gender or race. ‘Person with autism’ is favored by those who see autism forming just one element of their identity. As these terms can be emotive for individuals, it is best to follow the lead of the person you are speaking to − using terminology that they prefer and giving them control over how they are spoken about. For their resource, they have chosen to use identity-first language throughout this research.
This project aimed to establish how to make mental health talking therapies better for autistic people. This guide incorporates the views of over 1 500 autistic people and almost 1 000 family members who responded to the mental health surveys in October and November 2020. It is also based on in-depth discussions with 17 autistic people, eight family members, and 15 mental health professionals.
You can find and download the full guide here.