Which terms are correct when talking about autism?

Disorder

Disability 

Different ability 

Is one term more correct than the others?

As someone who identifies as disabled, who also accepts and even appreciates the term "disorder," who wouldn't use the term "differently abled" to describe myself... I personally don't think there's a correct answer. 

Because if you ask 100 autistic people which they think is the correct term, you won't get a universal answer. 

And no single autistic person is more correct than any other autistic person... even if their opinion happens to align with the majority of autistic opinions. 

Because minority voices matter too. 

And it's ironic that this point even needs to be made because that's what disability rights is fundamentally about.

Here's my point...

What matters is not how we refer to autism. It's how we treat autistic people. Period. 

Autistic people are not less than.

And even though we need more support than the average nonautistic person... we deserve to be treated with respect. And with care. 

And it's also not our fault that we need more than the average person.

Because our needs are mismatched to the world around us... while the world has been constructed to support people with nonautistic brain wiring. 

Do we deserve support because of that? 

Well, that's the real question we should be addressing as a society. 

Personally, I think anyone who has more needs than society supports by default should be met where they are... with additional supports.

And I think that's where disability advocacy stands as a whole. Which is why I use my platform the way I do. To amplify that message. 

But back to my original point... I don't think condemning terms like "differently abled" is helping anyone.