Category: P

Person-first language places the person before the identity, such as “a person with autism.” It was created to emphasise humanity before diagnosis—and is often preferred in broader disability contexts as a way of affirming personhood and dignity—but many autistic people feel it separates them from their identity.

A brief history

Person-first language gained popularity in medical and charitable contexts during the 1970s–1980s, aiming to reduce stigma by emphasising the person before the condition. Over time, autistic advocates challenged it, arguing that it pathologises autism and erases identity.

Pronouns are words that can substitute for a noun. Personal pronouns are used to refer to a person when their name is not used.

Pronouns are words we use in everyday language to refer to ourselves or others. They can be an important way to express gender identity. ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘she/her’, ‘he/him’ and ‘they/them’ are some examples of pronouns.

Pronouns do not necessarily indicate an individual’s gender identity. For example, someone who uses the pronouns she/her may be a genderfluid or agender person instead of a binary female person. When someone’s pronouns are unknown, using the gender-neutral singular pronoun they/them is recommended.

Other definitions/things to note:

Some people may wish to use more than one set of pronouns to refer to themselves. For example, a gender non-conforming person may feel equally comfortable with they/them, he/him, or she/her pronouns. Other trans and gender non-conforming people may not be out, so they may use different pronouns so they’re comfortable in different situations.

What pronouns someone chooses to use for themselves can be contextual; for example, someone may use different pronouns at work or at home.

Pansexuality, also abbreviated as pan, is a sexual orientation encompassing attraction to multiple genders, with the attraction being physical, romantic, and/or emotional.

Someone who is pansexual may feel that gender does not matter or instead feel it is a factor in the way that they feel attraction. Some pansexuals are attracted to different genders in different ways, or they are more attracted to particular genders.

Panromantic is a term used to describe people who are capable of feeling a romantic attraction toward people regardless of their sex or gender identity (the sexual equivalent of this is pansexual). Someone who is Panromantic may or may not experience sexual attraction for the genders that they are romantically interested in. 

Because romantic and sexual attraction are not necessarily correlated, it is not necessary for someone to be pansexual in order to be panromantic and vice versa.

Other Definitions

Pansexuality is often seen as a part of the bisexual umbrella—anyone who is attracted to more than one gender.

However, Pansexual and Bisexual have nuanced differences that are frequently debated. Which label a person uses is ultimately a matter of personal preference.

Parallel play describes when young children play side by side – for example, one with playdough and the other with building blocks – separately but together. Each child plays independently while being aware of, and sometimes acknowledging, the other. It’s often described as a stage children eventually grow out of.

Many autistic people enjoy parallel play at all ages into adulthood. For adults, it might look like two friends on a sofa, one watching a video and the other reading a book, each doing their own thing while sharing the same space.