It can sometimes be confusing to know how to refer to someone with autism.
Generally speaking, disability advocacy organizations (like Autism New Jersey) prefer the use of “person-first” language since it puts the focus on the person and not his or her disability. Many self-advocates and their allies, however, prefer “autistic” or “autistic person,” since they see autism as an essential part of their identity.
A great rule of thumb is to always speak to and about someone respectfully. Here’s a great post that gets to the root of the issue.
Identity-First Language
ASAN – Autistic Self Advocacy Network
By Lydia Brown
(The post was originally posted on the blog “Autistic Hoya” under the title “The Significance of Semantics: Person-First Language: Why It Matters”)