Cumbria County Council and the NHS have today launched a consultation to find out how people would prefer to speak about autism.
The consultation, which will close on Wednesday, November 9 and only takes 2 minutes to complete, is aimed at autistic adults, young people and children, parent carers and professionals that support autistic people.
The views shared through the consultation will support Cumbria County Council and the NHS to determine consistent terminology that will be used when speaking about autism across services.
The language used when speaking about autism is often inconsistent, with terms such as Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Condition (ASC), autism or autistic being used interchangeably. National guidance, Cumbrian young people, and their families have reported being uncomfortable with the inconsistencies and this consultation is designed to explore ways to change this.
Alex Nancolis, NHS SEND Designated Clinical Officer, said: “Although the vast national research out there suggests that, as a county, we need to change the way we speak about Autism in Cumbria, launching this consultation to find out the views of autistic adults, young people, parents and carers is extremely important."
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