Words Matter

There is power in the written and the spoken word.
There is perhaps even more power to be found in the introspective use of language. This self-conversation, regardless of what form (words or pictures), language, or stage of development it occurs in, will have a significant impact on not only our choice of language when we do communicate, but also on our overall view of the world.

As an aside to this, I believe that all of us carry on this internal self-communication, regardless of our ability to indicate this communication to others. This is an important concept for me to present to you, as it is a foundational belief that dictates a lot of my other views of those whose are autistic in such a way that they are unable to speak or, in some cases, communicate via virtually any means at all with others.

In the world of functional behavioral analysis and resulting behavior modification techniques (which combine to form ABA), there are several commonly used terms which collectively can be referred to as the vernacular of the profession. Without discriminating against those who work in this profession, without assigning value-based judgments on those who have, or might, or will use these terms, and while considering the clinical and functional value of these terms (at least as intended) lets review some of the language and present some alternatives as to how we could think of/say the same thing:

"He has shown a 'splinter skill' in regards to his use of the computer mouse."
He likes to spend time on the computer.

"She has a tendency to go 'off task' frequently."
She's taking a break.

"He is 'perseverating' on certain toys at the expense of other 'imaginative play'."
This kid is a world-class 'Cars' fan!

"Her episodes of 'non-compliance' are increasing during the lunch hour."
She is taking a stand that she wants a salad with Italian dressing. Or that the afternoon sun is too bright on that side of the room that we always make her sit.

"His 'episodic severity' has increased significantly since we changed his room."
His former roommate reminded him of home because he looked so much like his brother. And they hugged a lot - the new roommate doesn't do that.

"Ongoing 'food aversion' issues make mealtime such a challenge."
She recognizes that a lot of dairy affects her digestive tract and results in discomfort, so she has decided to only eat dairy for breakfast.

"He has 'regressed'. He used to play chess every day and now just throws the pieces on the floor."
Ever since his long-time chess-playing partner died, his loneliness is intensified each time he sits at the chess table.

I could go on, but perhaps you see the point. Can we, as a community of autistic people and those who love them, presume competence at all times when considering/interacting with those who are unable to communicate in a way that we can easily understand? Yes, we can. And I think that carefully reviewing our language, our words, our internal dialogue and the external result of it, can provide a great place to start.