Abstract/Statement
This article examines the ways in which language and conceptions of neurodivergent conditions, autism and ADHD, are connected in a Danish context. As in other Western countries, there are significant increases in diagnoses, and particularly women are being diagnosed in adulthood. The article focuses on how these conditions are perceived and talked about, utilizing concepts such as othering, labeling, and performativity. The analysis suggests that when individuals feel othered and stigmatized by diagnostic labels, it has less to do with the labels themselves and more to do with the connotations and pathologization connected with the labels. Furthermore, the analysis shows generational differences in terms of both terminology and perceptions of neurodivergence.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Bechsgaard, Katrine K.
(2025)
"The Significance of Labels: From Shy and Lazy to Autistic and ADHD,"
Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture: Vol. 6:
Iss.
2, Article 16.
DOI: 10.9707/2833-1508.1221
Available at:
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/ought/vol6/iss2/16
Included in
Anthropological Linguistics and Sociolinguistics Commons, Disability Studies Commons, European Languages and Societies Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons