Anti-ableist language is fully compatible with high-quality autism research: Response to Singer et al. (2022)

Singer et al. (2022) argue that the current lexical shift within autism research towards more neutral terminology hinders accurate scientific description of the wide range of autistic experiences, particularly within clinical and medical contexts. In this Letter to the Editor, we present an examination and criticism of these claims. This letter is authored and co-signed by a diverse group of autistic researchers, scholars, clinicians, and self-advocates with a wide range of clinical presentation and support needs, as well as non-autistic researchers, scholars, clinicians, and loved ones of autistic people.