ECHO Autism Communities is a virtual learning community for a variety of professionals who serve autistic people and people with other disabilities. ECHO Autism is committed to building global communities where people see possibilities in all abilities. We provide professional development focused on best practices for clinicians, health professionals, educators, and advocates who work with individuals on the Autism spectrum and their families.
ECHO Autism Communities recognizes that there are different opinions and positions on the language used within the autism community. Person-first language puts the person before their condition or disability (i.e., “children with autism”) to avoid defining or categorizing someone based on a condition or trait, whereas identity-first language puts the person’s condition or disability before the person (i.e., autistic people). We acknowledge people’s personal preferences and individual rights to decide how they’re described. Many autistic people, autism experts, as well as advocates, prefer identity-first language because it indicates that being autistic is an inherent part of a person’s identity. Therefore, we will use both person-first and identity-first language indiscriminately to include all opinions and respect personal choice in the matter.
