Spastic

The word spastic is used differently depending on location, which has led to some controversy and misunderstanding. Derived via Latin from the Greek spastikos ("drawing in" or "tugging"), the word originally referred to a change in muscles affected by the medical condition spasticity, which is seen in spastic diplegia and many other forms of cerebral palsy and in terms such as "spastic colon", with no negative connotation, as it is accurately descriptive of the condition. In India the word "spastic" is also used neutrally, with The Spastics Society of India non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO), working for neuro-muscular and developmental disabilities.

The word in common speech can also be used in a pejorative context. The level of severity depends on whether one understands it as it is used in the United States or the United Kingdom. In the UK it is considered an offensive way to refer to disabled people.