Published in The Guardian as I reflect on language and neurodiversity
6 February 2023
I have today been published in The Guardian newspaper, exploring the language used around neurodiversity and my own personal experience.
Published as part of the paper's Why I Quit opinion series, I spelt out why wording such as "I have autism" can be disabling, and that altering language "can inspire confidence", promoting the idea of difference.
Acknowledging that "others may feel differently", I celebrate many autistic traits while also opening up about a challenging domestic life. I explained that "I experience meltdowns when there are communication challenges, unexpected noises or day-to-day tasks that I just can’t complete."
The Guardian website launched in 1999 and in 2008, it was reported that it had become the first UK newspaper to attract more than 25 million unique users in a single month. I really hope the article creates honest conversations about autistic representation across the world.
You can read the article in full here.