Since When Has “Autism” Become the Newest Slur in Schools?

This week, I received a phone call from my daughter’s teacher. She had been upset in class, and the teacher wanted me to know.

When we spoke afterwards, my child told me what had happened. Two boys sitting behind her in the class had said, “This class is so autistic, especially … and said my daughter’s name,” before going on to list all the ways they believed my child was autistic. What made it even worse was that some of the girls nearby laughed along.

For my child, this wasn’t just a throwaway comment. It cut deeply. Autism is not an abstract concept in our family, it’s part of our everyday life. Whilst she isn’t autistic herself, two of her siblings are. One of her siblings is autistic and has epilepsy, and as a family we have watched the emotional toll it has had, on all our kids when they have witnessed not just the seizures, but the after effects of them. Another sibling, who will start at high school next year, is also autistic and has ADHD.

My child has also seen the way their younger brother has been extensively bullied over the years simply for being who he is, and now worries constantly about how he’ll be treated in a new school environment.

Sadly, this wasn’t an isolated incident. My child told me that this year alone they’ve heard “autism” and “epilepsy” used as insults more times than they can count. It’s as though these conditions, real, lived experiences for millions of people, have become the latest playground ammunition.

And that raises the question: Since when did “autism” become a slur?

It’s not just about political correctness or protecting feelings. It’s about respect, empathy, and the fundamental truth that no one should be mocked for their differences. Words have power. When children use “autistic” as a put-down, they are reinforcing stigma, ignorance, and discrimination. When they pretend to have seizures in class they further reinforce the stigma.

When I was a child the word, ‘Retard’ was used, and I thought as a society we were better than that. But obviously I was wrong, as Children are still learning, often from adults, media, or online spaces, that it’s acceptable to reduce someone’s worth to a label.

The school years are when values are shaped. If students learn that disability terms are jokes or insults, they carry that lesson into adulthood. But if they learn instead that diversity, neurological, physical, or otherwise, is something to be respected, they will grow into more compassionate, inclusive humans.

With this week being Bullying no way week, we need it to become more than a hashtag #BeBoldBeKindSpeakUp

We need to start having these conversations openly, both at home and in schools. We need to teach that autism is not an insult, epilepsy is not a punchline, and difference is not something to laugh at.

For families like mine, this isn’t just theory, it’s personal. My children live in a world where labels can either be badges of understanding or weapons of cruelty. And right now, too often, they’re being weaponised.

It’s time to take the power back from those who use these words to hurt, and give it back to the people who live these realities with courage, resilience, and dignity every single day.