Systemic Mislabeling in Healthcare:
Autistic people are labelled “abusive” far too easily — especially in medical settings.
Being in pain, crying, shutting down, or struggling to communicate is not abuse.
Autistic distress is not aggression.
I’ve had medical records filled with claims that I was “abusive” while I was literally immobilised in hospital — unable to move, in severe pain, and being shouted at. I couldn’t have hurt a fly. Yet I’m the one who left with bruises as a disabled patient.
Those labels don’t just disappear. They follow you. They affect how future professionals treat you, whether you’re believed, and whether you get help at all.
This is what happens when systems mistake disability and trauma responses for “bad behaviour”. It’s harmful, it’s lazy, and it puts disabled people at risk.
Distress is not abuse.
Crying is not violence.
Autism is not a character flaw.
Sarah Wingfield
Independent Disability Advocate
#chronicillnesswarrior #autismawareness #disabilityinclusion #strongertogether #disability #disabilityawareness #disabilitysupport #disabilityrights
Alt text:
Black background with white bullet-point text explaining systemic mislabelling of autistic people in healthcare. The text reads: “Autistic distress ≠ aggression, but many professionals aren’t trained to tell the difference.” “Crying, raised voice, or emotional dysregulation is wrongly framed as ‘challenging behaviour’.” “Disabled patients are often disbelieved by default, especially when traumatised.” “Once one clinician writes ‘abusive’ in notes, it contaminates the entire record.” The image is credited to "KawaiiDollDecora.uk".
