Warning: Major thread drift here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by APToddlerMama  I do appreciate that you are looking for ways to help on this board, but have to say, it isn't about being politically correct. It is about being respectful and sensitive to parents who have children with autism.
The idea is that the child is not "autistic" with autism defining who that child is, but that this child is a person who also has autism. I realize that some people just don't know the difference but it is like a punch in the gut to a lot of parents who have kids with any sort of special needs to hear their child defined that way.
|
I know that many people feel strongly about this and I respect that. But please be aware that not everyone feels this way. While the idea of "person-first language" is noble in a way, in reality it becomes awkward and presents its own set of problems.
English grammar is such that adjectives are placed in front of the nouns they describe. That doesn't mean the speaker/writer placed a greater importance on the adjective; it's just how English is set up. When you purposefully disrupt this conventional order to stick in a relative clause (ie "person who has autism"), the unnatural sentence structure can actually be seen as putting undue emphasis on the disablility.
Most of the time, people are not criticised or corrected for saying thing like "a pretty child", "a smart child", "a tall child", "a happy child", "a blond child", etc. These particular qualities are generally seen as either positive or nuetral, so no one complains that the adjective is in its usual place before the noun. When you (the general "you", not anyone specific here) make sentance structure changes to avoid adjectives like "autistic", "disabled", "visually impaired", etc, you are saying that these adjectives are somehow different. In fact, it can be interpreted that you are emphasing the idea that these are considered negatives and therefore need to be downplayed. This awkward sentence structure focuses attention on the disability in a different way.
My son is a smart child, a blond child, a happy child, and an autistic child. None of those words define him, but they are all part of who he is.
Generally when writing and talking, I do try to use person-first language, becuase it's become the norm in diability etiquette, even if it is unnatural and seems over-defensive at times. Mainly I do it to avoid having conversations like this over and over. But personally,I don't have a problem with people who use the usual syntax of English.
Like I said, I respect that there are people who feel strongly about this; I simply don't agree. In my mind, there are more important issues out there than getting hung up on the conventions of English grammar. Especially in situations like the OP, where there is no ill intent.
I'm not interested in a debate on this issue - just presenting another point of view.
OP - sorry for the thread drift.
