A common and controversial topic often discussed in society regarding individuals who possess autism syndrome (ASD) is their sense of identity and how they tend to regularly be defined by their physical disabilities. On one hand, there are people with ASD who prefer to use person-first language, in which a person is not described as “autistic” but rather is described as an individual who has “autism”, therefore liberating the affected from being defined by their physical limitations. However, there are others who view their diagnosis not as something to be cured, but as an integral part of their identity. In other words, they accept the term and choose to use the former, “identity-first” language with which society refers to them as “autistic people”(Roxas). Instead of characterizing their cases as a debilitating mind disorder, they refer to them as being expressions of a unique cerebral trait and connecting their symptoms to their strengths and capabilities in certain areas.

Interestingly enough, the mindset of the latter has proven to be mentally healthy and has revealed numerous autistic prodigies that have portrayed exceptional talent in certain areas. In Stephen Wiltshire’s case, while he struggled to develop his motor abilities at an early age and became extremely reclusive, he utilized his incredible memory and artistic talent that came with his disorder to become one of the many examples of how having ASD can be used to their advantage and incorporated in their identity.

​By Cesar Arduino