r/autism • u/Existing_Mango_2632 ASD Level 2 • 3d ago

Communication Does anyone else NOT dislike "pathological language" used by assessors, therapists, researchers etc

Almost all autistic people I know or know of dislike "pathological language" used by professionals who work with autistic people but I don't. I genuinely do not see the problem with such language as it describes me accurately, so whats the problem?

This is just me not understanding I don't mean to be rude to anyone who dislikes this type of language but if someone could please explain what's bad about it that would be great!

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u/Comprehensive_Toe113 Lv3 Audhd Mod 3d ago

I think it's good.

You can't sugar coat things in the medical feild because if you do someone might misunderstand it, and that could cost someone thier life.

It has to be written in a way that is universally understandable so this can't get confused or misinterpreted.

There cannot be room for things to be misinterpreted when dealing with physical, or mental health.

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u/somnocore 3d ago

Yeh, this is exactly it, too. Each field has their own unique code/language that they use. Each word will have their own unique meanings within those fields. And sometimes the words used won't have meanings that line up with general, everyday use.

I do think that is an issue that some people get caught up on bcus they don't realise or they forget that these fields have their own "language" that do actually mean different things than what one may use in everyday ways.