4 ms·

Isn't this caused by a general oversimplification of autism to mean "difficulty handling social situations"? I feel that autism is being thrown around as a desc

Isn't this caused by a general oversimplification of autism to mean "difficulty handling social situations"? I feel that autism is being thrown around as a description of this specific, limited set of traits that do not align with its formal definition. And as with everything, if some word is being used for some thing other than it's original definition, it will start to lose meaning (or gain meaning depending on how you look at it).

adeelk93 5y ago
Interesting point. 100 years ago “idiot” and “mental retardation” were medical diagnoses. 100 years from now, both the evolution of language and the advancement of medicine may similarly antiquate the term “autism.” Maybe this is a perpetual cycle when it comes to mental health terminology.
- gruez 5y ago
  >Maybe this is a perpetual cycle when it comes to mental health terminology. yes, the euphemism treadmill. https://englishcowpath.blogspot.com/2011/06/euphemism-treadmill-replacing-r-word.html https://englishcowpath.blogspot.com/2011/06/euphemism-treadm...
  - danuker 5y ago
    Reminds me of George Carlin. Warning: politically incorrect content ahead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUvdXxhLPa8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUvdXxhLPa8
- astura 5y ago
  >Interesting point. 100 years ago “idiot” and “mental retardation” were medical diagnoses. "Mental retardation" was the proper and polite lay term in my lifetime. It was only in 2010 that government agencies started removing the word "retardation" from their names. (See: Rosa's Law)