Since 2016, the Autism Education Trust (AET) has been guided by a Panel of Autistic Young Experts (AYE), who share their voices and lived experiences to shape, influence and advise our work.
The AYE Spotlight
We are delighted this month to spotlight our brand-new Terminology Guide - ‘Why Words Matter’ which has been co-produced with our Autistic Young Experts Panel.
The Terminology Guide is more than a resource—it's a call for change.
This Guide is intended to help educators shift from deficit-focused to strengths-based language, promoting understanding and inclusion for autistic students.
Rooted in the belief that autism is a difference, not a deficit, the Guide challenges outdated language that labels or diminishes autistic people and can make autistic people feel that they somehow need ‘fixing’.
By adopting inclusive language, practitioners can reshape perceptions, foster acceptance, and help autistic students feel valued.
Small changes in how we speak can make a big impact.
We encourage all educators to read the Autistic Young Experts ‘Why Words Matter’ Terminology Guide and embed change in language that empowers our autistic students and creates classrooms where every learner feels valued.
Introducing the Autistic Young Experts...
We’re a group of autistic young people (aged 17-25) from across England and we sit on a Panel that meets every month.
Each of us has different experiences of education, and of being autistic.
The education settings we have attended vary, and include home education, mainstream, specialist, alternative provision, college and university.
We are all autistic but that doesn’t mean that our experiences are the same.
Many of us have struggled with the education system.
One of the main reasons we are on the panel is to ensure that our individual experience of being autistic is shared. We want to make sure that other autistic young people, have a better time in education than we did.
As well as advising on AET materials and strategy, we also speak at events, co-deliver training and support autism education networks.
Check out our YouTube Channel for autistic insights and experiences.
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