Familiarity versus Favorability: Exploring Formal Autism Terminology in Chinese Language Discourse

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Metadata sources used for this reference

OpenAlex Crossref OpenCitations
Learn more about the sources used

Lao, U., Liang, F., Dai, J., Cao, W., Chen, Q., Zou, X., & Zhu, H. (2023). Familiarity versus Favorability: Exploring Formal Autism Terminology in Chinese Language Discourse [Preprint]. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/cp73f

Publication date: 10 Oct 2023 Added to AutiHub: 22 Sep 2026 Type: Preprint Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
7
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 7 (14.3%)
  1. Uchong Lao *
  2. Fengjing Liang
  3. Jiamin Dai
  4. Wei Cao
  1. Qian Chen
  2. Xiaobing Zou
  3. Huilin Zhu

Abstract

The emergence of the neurodiversity movement has stimulated robust dialogues about autism-related terminology in Western societies, yet this subject remains largely unexplored in China. Considering that distinct sociocultural contexts can engender diverse perceptions of autism, it is crucial to foster discussions on appropriate language within the Chinese framework. This will not only enhance understanding and acceptance but also contribute to a more inclusive society for individuals on the autism spectrum. In the Chinese language context, especially Simplified Chinese, two translations for “autism” coexist: “孤独症” (GuDuZheng, GDZ, “GuDu” means “isolation/loneliness” and “Zheng” means disease/symptoms) and “自闭症” (ZiBiZheng, ZBZ, “ZiBi” means “self closing-off”), reflecting a crucial aspect of the localization of autism-related language. Using mixed-methods, four Simplified Chinese formal terminologies (GDZ, GDZ spectrum disorder, ZBZ, ZBZ spectrum disorder) were searched and analyzed in academic databases, search engines, and social networks, while the rankings of the terminologies and reasons for autistic people (n = 91), autistic people with an autistic child (n = 14), non-autistic people with an autistic child (n = 291), specialists (n = 141), the public (n = 441), and undefined identities (n = 38) were also being surveyed. Results revealed that participants expressed a strong preference for GDZ spectrum disorder, with an aversion to ZBZ, which was more prevalent in publications and online discourse. Thematic analysis revealed that preferences and offensiveness were primarily driven by semantic concepts, associations and familiarity with the terms. This study highlights disparities in familiarity and favorability of formal autism-related terminologies in Chinese language, underscores the need for increased awareness and education on autism language choices in East Asian cultures, and enhancing global understanding of autism language dynamics and neurodiversity.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 08:12.

Cited references
31
With a DOI
28
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
0
5 / 31 (16.1%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
0 / 31 (0.0%)
References with detected author names
31 / 31 (100.0%)
Without detected author names
0
Without a structured title
0
Without a stable identifier
0
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
138
From DOI or external metadata
138
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
61 / 138 (44.2%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 77 / 138 (55.8%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
5 / 138 (3.6%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 5 / 61 (8.2%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 4 / 127 (3.1%).
  1. Sandra L. Harris (1988). Infantile Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia . In Applied Clinical Psychology (pp. 279-300). Springer US.
    Type: Book chapter DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4613-0983-3_12 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W142186830
    OpenAlex
  2. Amanda Taboas , Karla Doepke , Corinne Zimmerman (2023). Preferences for identity-first versus person-first language in a US sample of autism stakeholders . Autism, 27(2), 565-570. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/13623613221130845 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4306157884
    OpenAlex OpenCitations
  3. Francis Heylighen , Jean-marc Dewaele (1999). Formality of Language: definition, measurement and behavioral determinants .
    Type: Article OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W183757929
    OpenAlex
  4. Philippine Geelhand , Fanny Papastamou , Marie Belenger , Élise Clin , Lydia Hickman , Connor Tom Keating et al. (2023). Autism-Related Language Preferences of French-Speaking Autistic Adults: An Online Survey . Autism in Adulthood, 5(3), 275-288. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1089/aut.2022.0056 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4313461306
    OpenAlex OpenCitations
  5. Virginia Braun , Victoria Clarke (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology . Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. Informa UK Limited.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1979290264
    OpenAlex
  6. Riley Buijsman , Sander Begeer , Anke Scheeren (2023). ‘Autistic person’ or ‘person with autism’? Person-first language preference in Dutch adults with autism and parents . Autism, 27(3), 788-795. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/13623613221117914 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4291165536
    OpenAlex OpenCitations
  7. Terry Kit-Fong Au (1983). Chinese and English counterfactuals: The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis revisited . Cognition, 15(1-3), 155-187. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/0010-0277(83)90038-0 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1984140354
    OpenAlex OpenCitations
  8. Luodi Yu , Sheri Stronach , Ashley Johnson Harrison (2020). Public knowledge and stigma of autism spectrum disorder: Comparing China with the United States . Autism, 24(6), 1531-1545. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361319900839 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3019388009
    OpenAlex OpenCitations
  9. Roger W. Brown , Eric H. Lenneberg (1954). A study in language and cognition. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 49(3), 454-462. American Psychological Association (APA).
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1037/h0057814 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1985177116
    OpenAlex
  10. John H. Skillings , Gregory A. Mack (1981). On the Use of a Friedman-Type Statistic in Balanced and Unbalanced Block Designs . Technometrics, 23(2), 171-177. Informa UK Limited.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/00401706.1981.10486261 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1989387183
    OpenAlex OpenCitations
  11. Simon Bury , Rachel Jellett , Jennifer R. Spoor , Darren Hedley (2023). “It Defines Who I Am” or “It’s Something I Have”: What Language Do [Autistic] Australian Adults [on the Autism Spectrum] Prefer? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(2), 677-687. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04425-3 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3007056653
    OpenAlex OpenCitations
  12. Paul Kay , Willett Kempton (1984). What Is the Sapir‐Whorf Hypothesis? American Anthropologist, 86(1), 65-79. Wiley.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1525/aa.1984.86.1.02a00050 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1997760292
    OpenAlex
  13. Rosa A. Hoekstra , Anna A. E. Vinkhuyzen , Sally Wheelwright , Meike Bartels , Dorret I. Boomsma , Simon Baron-Cohen et al. (2011). The Construction and Validation of an Abridged Version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ-Short) . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(5), 589-596. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-010-1073-0 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2130501331
    OpenAlex OpenCitations
  14. Mohsen Tavakol , Reg Dennick (2011). Making sense of Cronbach's alpha . International Journal of Medical Education, 2, 53-55. International Journal of Medical Education.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.5116/ijme.4dfb.8dfd OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2061935394
    OpenAlex
  15. Chelsea W. Morgan , Gregory A. Cheatham , Kyunghwa Kay Park (2022). Follow Their Lead: A Conversation About Person-First and Identity-First Language in Early Childhood Settings . Young Exceptional Children, 25(4), 221-225. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/10962506221130745 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4304889739
    OpenAlex OpenCitations
  16. Hao Zhou , Xiu Xu , Weili Yan , Xiaobing Zou , Lijie Wu , Xuerong Luo et al. (2020). Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in China: A Nationwide Multi-center Population-based Study Among Children Aged 6 to 12 Years . Neuroscience Bulletin, 36(9), 961-971. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s12264-020-00530-6 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3037693266
    OpenAlex OpenCitations
  17. Winnie Yu Pow Lau , Susan Shur-Fen Gau , Yen-Nan Chiu , Yu-Yu Wu , Wen-Jiun Chou , Shih-Kai Liu et al. (2013). Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) . Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34(1), 294-305. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2012.08.005 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2167835104
    OpenAlex
  19. Lorcan Kenny , Caroline Hattersley , Bonnie Molins , Carole Buckley , Carol Povey , Elizabeth Pellicano (2016). Which terms should be used to describe autism? Perspectives from the UK autism community . Autism, 20(4), 442-462. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361315588200 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2227393071
    OpenAlex
  20. Paul Yin , Sy-Keng Yang (1974). A Behavioral Study of Early Infantile Autism in Taiwan .
    Type: Article OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2272606002
    OpenAlex
  21. Giacomo Vivanti (2020). Ask the Editor: What is the Most Appropriate Way to Talk About Individuals with a Diagnosis of Autism? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(2), 691-693. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04280-x OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2988128310
    OpenAlex OpenCitations
  22. Ching-Long Yeh , Hsi-Jian Lee (1991). Ambiguity Resolution Of Serial Noun Constructions In Chinese Sentences.
    Type: Article OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2786808990
    OpenAlex
  23. Ting Zhou , Yiting Wang , Chunli Yi (2018). Affiliate stigma and depression in caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in China: Effects of self-esteem, shame and family functioning . Psychiatry Research, 264, 260-265. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.03.071 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2795761333
    OpenAlex
  24. Lindsay M. Oberman , Walter E. Kaufmann (2020). Autism Spectrum Disorder Versus Autism Spectrum Disorders: Terminology, Concepts, and Clinical Practice . Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 484-484. Frontiers Media SA.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00484 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3032686308
    OpenAlex
  25. Jiedi Lei , Lauren Jones , M. Brosnan (2021). Exploring an e-learning community’s response to the language and terminology use in autism from two massive open online courses on autism education and technology use . Autism, 25(5), 1349-1367. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361320987963 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3128740123
    OpenAlex
  30. Hannah De Laet , Annabel D. Nijhof , Jan R. Wiersema (2025). Adults with Autism Prefer Person-First Language in Dutch: A Cross-Country Study . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 55(6), 2027-2033. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-06192-3 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4390141755
    OpenAlex
  31. Grey Raber , Megan Spokas (2025). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . The Sage Encyclopedia of Mood and Anxiety Disorders. SAGE Publications, Inc..
    Type: Other DOI: 10.4135/9781071886229.n145 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4405283870
    OpenAlex