Okay I’m not a big time blogger (although I aspire to be hehe). I was looking at my Google Analytics results for today and noticed a jump in hits - a lot were coming from CNN.com. The thing that was different from past cnn.com hits is that these were referrals, not a result of someone using the web search function at cnn.com.
So of course, being the curious kitty that I am, I decided to go take a look for myself.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/04/02/autism.faces/index.html
I spent a few minutes on the page and could not figure out where the link was coming from. Then I decided to click on “From the Blogs” and there it was. Yay!
You may have noticed that I use the term “autism spectrum conditions” (abbreviated to ASCs) an awful lot. I still sometimes slip and use the more commonly-known phrase “autism spectrum disorders” (abbreviated to ASDs) but I do try to use the word condition as opposed to disorder. To some, this may not matter but after spending some time reading and conversing with several adult autistics, I have decided to make a concentrated effort to use the word conditions.
Let’s look at the definitions from dictionary.com
Condition:
1.a particular mode of being of a person or thing; existing state; situation with respect to circumstances.
2.state of health: He was reported to be in critical condition.
Disorder:
4. a disturbance in physical or mental health or functions; malady or dysfunction: a mild stomach disorder.
Okay, so the two words can be used interchangeably. Now what? The word disorder tends to have a negative connotation whereas condition is neutral.
Here are some of my favorite neurodiversity-friendly sites:
The Autism Acceptance Project
The Autism Hub
Neurodiversity.com
Autistics.org
