Autism Glossary
Here are some terms and acronyms that may be unfamiliar to readers- some are specific to autistic and disability culture, others from psychology, education and other related fields. This is a work in progress.
AC- autistic cousin- a person seen as having autistic traits, a similar or related condition (OCD, Tourette's etc) and included in the autistic community
Aspie, Aspergian- self-identified nicknames for people with Asperger's Syndrome.
Aspie-dar- (like gaydar) sensing autistic traits in someone.
This term is used among my friends, I'm not sure how common it is elsewhere.
Autie- another nickname used by autistics
Autistic- noun- self-identifier used instead of "person with autism" by many self-advocates. Sometimes capitalized like "Deaf".
Crip- (cripple) reclaimed self-identified label for folks with physical disabilities.
Congenital disability- disability that one is born with- used instead of "birth defect" since that implies the person is defective/inferior.
Curebie- (adj or noun) pejorative term for people or organizations that seek to cure autism
Intellectual disability- disability that includes or causes a low IQ. This has replaced the term "mental retardation". Some (not all) autistics have an intellectual disability. See also developmental disability
Intersectional(ity)- the intersection of different identities, and forms of oppression
Neurodiversity- human mental wiring in all it's varieties, an idea of accepting different ways of thinking rather than labeling some as abnormal or inferior
Neurotypical- A person considered to have a "normal" brain by psychological/neurological standards. Author John Elder Robison uses a short form "nypical"
Social Constructionism- the idea of things like race, gender and disability being created by culture rather than being inherent parts of being human. (the nurture side of Nature vs. Nurture) The opposite of this is Essentialism.
Social vs. Medical Model- a central concept in disability rights of disability as a social construct as opposed to the medical model- the mainstream view of disability as a medical problem and focusing on curing it, over adapting society to be more disability friendly.
TAB- temporarily able-bodied- used by disability activists to point out that anyone can become disabled (by accident, development of disease etc) or in the aging process
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