Layperson! Thanks for your comment. You may already realize it: you've landed on the controversial topic of how medicalized language is used in relation to people and their bodies and experiences! Two models of disability are relevant: the medical model of disability (a framework that focuses on impairments, and views conditions as meant to be cured/"normalized") and the social model of disability (views disability as a result of social barriers and prejudice beyond any inherent impairment). The medical model tends to favor words like disease, disorder, and impairment. These words aren't always correct or incorrect, but the language we choose can have other consequences that impact the dignity of those involved. As a physician, I care about those impacts. In the context of disability, we have made choices to require people to be categorized in certain ways, such as with diagnoses, to qualify for services. I do not identify as a person with autism, and so I rely on autistic people to help me understand their experience of the world and how I can be supportive as a physician. In my practice, I work with children and young adults across the ASD spectrum. Gisselle Ramirez's (a neurodivergent person who is raising neurodivergent children) essay offers a perspective that I find valuable and informative - she is pushing back against RFK Jr's heavy reliance - almost exclusively - on the medical model of autism - which frames autism as a problem to be solved, something with no positive or beneficial aspects. His framing and dismissive language around the illness are then used to imply, implicitly and explicitly, that people with autism do not have lives worthy of life. The social model of disability recognizes that society makes choices that can make differences and impairments disabling, making it more challenging for individuals to participate fully in life. With appropriate social support, the disabling nature of various conditions and differences can be mitigated and sometimes eliminated. Autism - as an identity and a diagnosis - encompasses many different experiences. The medical community has a long way to go towards using specific language that accurately reflects a patient's experience without using language that perpetuates harm and stigma. Medical gaslighting is when a medical professional gaslights a patient about their own experiences. It would be medical gaslighting if I were to meet Ms. Ramirez and completely discount her use of language to describe herself.
Layperson! Thanks for your comment. You may already realize it: you've landed on the controversial topic of how medicalized language is used in relation to people and their bodies and experiences! Two models of disability are relevant: the medical model of disability (a framework that focuses on impairments, and views conditions as meant to be cured/"normalized") and the social model of disability (views disability as a result of social barriers and prejudice beyond any inherent impairment). The medical model tends to favor words like disease, disorder, and impairment. These words aren't always correct or incorrect, but the language we choose can have other consequences that impact the dignity of those involved. As a physician, I care about those impacts. In the context of disability, we have made choices to require people to be categorized in certain ways, such as with diagnoses, to qualify for services. I do not identify as a person with autism, and so I rely on autistic people to help me understand their experience of the world and how I can be supportive as a physician. In my practice, I work with children and young adults across the ASD spectrum. Gisselle Ramirez's (a neurodivergent person who is raising neurodivergent children) essay offers a perspective that I find valuable and informative - she is pushing back against RFK Jr's heavy reliance - almost exclusively - on the medical model of autism - which frames autism as a problem to be solved, something with no positive or beneficial aspects. His framing and dismissive language around the illness are then used to imply, implicitly and explicitly, that people with autism do not have lives worthy of life. The social model of disability recognizes that society makes choices that can make differences and impairments disabling, making it more challenging for individuals to participate fully in life. With appropriate social support, the disabling nature of various conditions and differences can be mitigated and sometimes eliminated. Autism - as an identity and a diagnosis - encompasses many different experiences. The medical community has a long way to go towards using specific language that accurately reflects a patient's experience without using language that perpetuates harm and stigma. Medical gaslighting is when a medical professional gaslights a patient about their own experiences. It would be medical gaslighting if I were to meet Ms. Ramirez and completely discount her use of language to describe herself.