2027 Budget

 In The Politics of Autism, I write about social services, special education, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). 

Julia Metraux at Mother Jones:

President Donald Trump released his budget proposal for the fiscal year 2027. Surprisingly, given the cuts that would be necessary to fund the $1.5 trillion the Trump administration is asking for military spending, the budget also included over $500 million more funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, for a total of over $16 billion. But disability experts are wary of other aspects of what the Office of Management and Budget head Russell Vought, Project 2025’s architect, put forward. Vought wrote in the proposal that the budget “continues the Department of Education’s path to elimination, returning control of education back to America’s families.”

...

The budget recommends removing funding specifically designated for parent information centers, which help equip parents with information and resources they need to advocate for their kids with disabilities, as well as technical assistance for schools. This funding would instead come out of each state’s IDEA budget. Multiple experts I spoke with expressed concerns that this will lead to these parent programs not getting the funding they need.

... 

The Trump administration tried the same move last year, but Congress, in a bipartisan fashion, rejected this change to the budget for parent information centers. “Advocates for students and families will call on Congress to do so again,” said Stephanie Smith Lee, former director of the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs during the George W. Bush administration.

Last year, there was also an attempt to put funding for preschool for kids with disabilities in the states through consolidated grants. Though that was similarly rejected, it is again in the budget bill for fiscal year 2027.

...

Disability education is, of course, far from perfect. The federal government has already not followed through on a commitment to fund 40 percent of the cost of IEPs. The new budget proposal says that it will reduce “paperwork burdens on special educators so they can focus their time on serving students.”

But "paperwork burden" is code for the evidence that parents need if they go to due process.

See the Education Department report. 

RFK v. Autistic People

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

David Rivera at The Hill:

Who can forget when Kennedy, along with Trump, promoted the falsehood that Tylenol usage during pregnancy can cause autism? That lie, which has been repudiated by a vast body of research, spread rapidly to the point that about one-third of Americans believe it possible that Tylenol causes autism, according to one survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation. There is no doubt in my mind that this had to do with Kennedy and Trump.

None of Kennedy’s inquiries into autism are good-faith in reality. Not once has Kennedy asked me or any other autistic person for input on autism policy. Inviting us to have a voice at the table is not difficult. Plenty of autistic Americans are eager to share their views on how to make public policy more neurodiversity-affirming.

Kennedy’s false characterization of autism as a “disease” or an “injury” caused by vaccines hurts public perception of autistic people. Since Kennedy is the nation’s top health official, it is inevitable that many people will take his statements seriously and spread them to others.

The autistic community has made tremendous progress in the last decade, but so much progress has unfortunately been reversed thanks to people like Kennedy. I just hope we can make up our progress as quickly as Kennedy is reversing it.

David Rivera is president and founder of Mentoring Autistic Minds.

1,671 Measles Cases This Year

 In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

In early April, the US has already had more measles cases than in all of 2024.

From CDC:

As of April 2, 2026, 1,671 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 1,661 measles cases were reported by 33 jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. A total of 10 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

There have been 17 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 94% of confirmed cases (1,570 of 1,671) are outbreak-associated (374 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,196 from outbreaks that started in 2025).

988, Crisis Counselors, and Autistic People

In The Politics of Autism, I write about the many challenges facing people on the spectrum.  Among many other things, they are at high risk for suicide. (In July, the United States transitioned from 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to 988 – an easy-to-remember three-digit number for 24/7 crisis care. "

Corinne Purtill at LAT:

Free, largely confidential and available 24 hours a day via call, text or online chat, the 988 Lifeline — formerly the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — is among the most accessible and effective suicide prevention tools in the U.S.

But there are challenges for autistic people, who may process information slowly or misunderstand what the crisis counselor is saying.

“Autistic people are misunderstood and have difficulty conveying what they’re going through in a way that’s productive,” said Lisa Morgan, founder and co-chair of the Autism and Suicide Prevention Workgroup, a research collective dedicated to the issue. “The crisis counselors try to help, but end up kind of just landing wrong.”

...

Morgan, who is herself autistic, and her research partner Brenna Maddox, a clinical psychologist and co-chair of the workgroup, set out to help the 988 system do just that.

In 2023, they published a guide to help crisis workers assess whether the person they are talking to could be on the autism spectrum. It also offered specific conversation strategies that could improve the call: asking if the person has any special interests; asking clear, short, direct questions; allowing ample time for the person to respond; and being open to the caller’s own suggestions for what works for them. The final page of the guide is a single sheet of tips that crisis workers can print out and hang by their desk.

“An autistic individual may say that spinning quarters is a good distraction technique for them,” reads one tip. “Even if that sounds unusual to the crisis center worker, it is still a valid and acceptable answer.”

The following year, they published a detailed guide for autistic adults on what to expect when contacting 988. This includes the likelihood of a wait time (the 988 number connects to a network of more than 200 individual call centers around the U.S. and it can take a few minutes to find an available counselor) and how to sign off on a call or text chat. Earlier this year, the workgroup released a version for autistic youth and their caregivers.

Then last year, they achieved a goal long in the works: direct training for 988 counselors. Morgan and Maddox conducted three one-hour webinars for Vibrant that covered the fundamentals of autism, autism-specific suicide warning signs and support strategies for autistic people in crisis.

 

Autism, Genetics, and Ancestry

  In The Politics of Autism, I discuss various ideas about what causes the condition. Genetics plays an important role. 

From Mount Sinai Hospital:

A new study, co-led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published March 30 in Nature Medicine, demonstrates that genes associated with autism risk are largely the same across people of different ancestries. The findings, based on one of the largest genomic studies of Latin American individuals to date, provide strong evidence that the genetic architecture of autism is consistent across diverse populations. They underscore the importance of expanding genetic research beyond individuals of European ancestry.

Over the past decade, scientists have identified numerous rare genetic variants that confer substantial risk for autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. However, most of these discoveries were made in cohorts composed predominantly of individuals of European ancestry, leaving open the question of whether autism's genetic underpinnings differ across populations. This knowledge gap has contributed to disparities in genetic testing, including higher rates of inconclusive results among non-European individuals due to limited reference data.

To address this issue, the research team analyzed exome and genome sequencing data from more than 15,000 Latin American individuals across North, Central, and South America, including approximately 4,700 individuals diagnosed with autism. Latin American populations represent the largest recent mixed-ancestry group globally, with heritage that frequently includes Indigenous American, West African, and European origins. This rich genetic diversity provides a powerful opportunity to refine gene-disease associations, which can improve health outcomes for all populations.

The study examined more than 18,000 genes for enrichment of rare, deleterious coding variants—genetic changes that can have immediate and profound clinical implications for diagnosis, treatment, and family counseling.

Consistent with prior research, rare, deleterious variants in highly conserved genes—genes that remain similar across species and populations over long periods of time—were disproportionately observed in individuals with autism. Researchers identified 35 genes significantly associated with autism in the Latin American cohort. These genes showed extensive overlap with those previously identified in genome-wide studies of individuals of European ancestry. The findings also provide support for several recently identified "emerging" autism-associated genes.

"Our results indicate that the core genetic architecture of autism is shared across ancestries," said study senior author Joseph D. Buxbaum, Ph.D., Director of the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai. "This suggests that the biology underlying autism is universal and reinforces the importance of ensuring that diverse populations are represented in genetic research."

Autism Depictions and Autistic People

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss depictions of ASD in popular culture. 

White, J.M., Snape, S. Effect of Autism Portrayal in Television and Film Media on Viewers With Autism. J Autism Dev Disord (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-026-07305-4.  Abstract

Purpose

Representation of people with autism in television and film media is increasing. However, inaccurate or stereotypical representations can be potentially harmful to the world’s view of people with autism. This has been widely explored in previous literature. However, less attention has been given to analysing how people with autism perceive these representations and the effect that these representations have on people with autism themselves. The current study therefore explored the perceptions of people with autism on representations of autism in television and film media and the effects that these representations have on them.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 10 participants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on this topic. Thematic analysis was then carried out.

Results

Thematic analysis identified three key themes: ‘neurotypical actors in autistic roles leads to feelings of discomfort’; ‘autism representation is well-meaning, but lazy’; and ‘harmful effect of the autistic savant’.

Conclusion

Overall, rather than empowering and including people with autism, the representations of autism in television and film media that they encountered were often found to be distressing. These findings have clear implications for how autism representation in television and film media could be improved.

From the article:

The current study aimed to directly elicit and analyse the views of people with autism on representations of autism in television and film media and to explore the effect that these representations have on them. Through interviews with people with ASD and subsequent thematic analysis three key themes were identified: neurotypical actors in autistic roles leads to feelings of discomfort; autism representation is well meaning, but lazy; and the harmful effect of the autistic savant.

The currents study’s findings that viewing neurotypical actors playing autistic characters was perceived negatively by the viewers with autism and as a missed opportunity for greater autistic representation furthers the idea that more consideration should be given to casting actors with autism in roles that portray autism. This is consistent with the suggestions of many critics of autism media (e.g. Bastow, 2021; O’Keeffe, 2017; Thomson, 2021) and supports the endorsement of casting actors with autism by autistic survey respondents in previous research by Orm et al. (2023). The current study’s findings further expand on these ideas, by suggesting that a clear underlying reason for viewers with autism’s rejection of neurotypical actors playing autistic characters may be that viewing this can cause significant discomfort in viewers with autism. Some may even view these representations as offensive. Mimicking autism related behaviours, such as stimming by these non-autistic actors was seen to be particularly discomforting to the viewers with autism, which supports suggestions that seeing this on screen can be perceived as harmful and a mockery of those with autism (e.g. Draaisma, 2009; Brady & Cardin, 2021).

The current study’s finding that viewers with autism felt that the depictions of autistic characters in television shows and films tended to be somewhat lazy, relying on stereotypical representations supports the claims of critics that media portrayals of autism are often stereotypical (e.g. Nordahl-Hansen, 2017; Lee & Deng, 2020; Ressa, 2021). Stereotypical representations may feed into the potential association between how autism is represented in the media and stigma (e.g. Broderick, 2010; Holton, 2013). The current study also highlights that in addition to the lasting societal impact that inaccurate information and poor portrayals of autism can have (Brede et al., 2017; Black et al., 2020) these stereotypical or negative representations can potentially create unease or even anger in viewers with autism. Therefore, the rejection of stereotypical representations of autism by viewers with autism may be motivated not only by a desire to see accurate representations, but also by the discomfort that inaccurate representations provoke within them. Viewing these inaccurate portrayals could have potential effects on the individual’s sense of self, as what they are seeing on screen is supposedly a representation of the group that they belong to. Where the focus is on negative depictions of autism this may even affect the individual's mental health (Cage et al., 2018).

Additionally, the current study’s findings that viewers with autism feel that the frequent featuring of the ‘autistic savant’ stereotype is not representative of people with autism supports previous research which highlights its overuse (e.g. Anjay et al., 2011). This also further validates criticism of one of the earliest representations of autism in film Rain Man (Levinson, 1988) for its stereotypical focus on the ‘autistic savant’ trope (Hannam, 2014). In addition, the current study expands upon the overuse of the ‘autistic savant’ stereotype by highlighting the potential effect that the overuse of this trope can have. Specifically, it can lead to the unrealistic expectation in others that all people that they encounter with autism will essentially be geniuses. This can lead to confusion in individuals with autism when they encounter people who have formed this view, as they may not understand why this expectation is being placed upon them. When they are subsequently unable to live up to this unrealistic expectation they may be left feeling negatively about themselves or may even not understand why they are not able to do the things that they see autistic characters do in television and film media.

 

Good News: RFK Jr. Hits Speedbumps

 In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

In March, the US has already had more measles cases than in all of 2024.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg at NYT:

A string of developments over the past several weeks have put Mr. Kennedy’s vaccine agenda at risk. The confirmation of Dr. Casey Means, President Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, is stalled on Capitol Hill, where three Republicans on the Senate Health Committee, including its chairman, have expressed concern about her views on vaccines.

On Thursday, Mr. Trump missed a deadline to nominate a permanent director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leaving the agency officially leaderless. The White House is trying to find someone who fits with Mr. Kennedy’s broader health agenda but whose views of vaccines are conventional enough to win Senate confirmation.

Last week, a federal judge blocked Mr. Kennedy’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. And on Wednesday, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who is running the C.D.C. even though his time as acting director has expired, made the new normal clear.

“I think it is vital that every kid in this country get the measles vaccine — absolutely vital,” he said, according to a recording obtained by The New York Times, adding, “Bobby’s fine with me saying that.”
...

Polls now show that Mr. Kennedy’s vaccine agenda is a dud, unpopular even with Republicans. And that has created discomfort inside the White House, which has made clear its desire for Mr. Kennedy to downplay talk of vaccines while emphasizing his more popular healthy-eating agenda.

“Our poll highlights strong bipartisan support for routine childhood vaccines in the nation’s most competitive House districts, with majorities across political affiliations acknowledging their benefits and safety,” the Republican pollsters Tony Fabrizio and Bob Ward reported in December.

They added that although the Make American Healthy Again agenda was “broadly popular” regarding food and agriculture, “vaccine skepticism stands as an outlier, rejected by most voters even within the MAHA movement.”

 

1,575 Measles Cases

 In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

In March, the US has already had more measles cases than in all of 2024.

CDC:

As of March 26, 2026, 1,575 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. Among these, 1,566 measles cases were reported by 32 jurisdictions: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. A total of 9 measles cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.

There have been 16 new outbreaks** reported in 2026, and 94% of confirmed cases (1,483 of 1,575) are outbreak-associated (359 from outbreaks starting in 2026 and 1,124 from outbreaks that started in 2025).

Georgia Legislature Passes Rio's Law

In The Politics of Autism, I write:

[M]any police departments have trained officers and other first responders how to spot signs of autism and respond accordingly.  Some organizations have also published identification cards that ASD adults can carry in order to defuse potential conflicts. Virginia provides for an autism designation on driver licenses and other state-issued identification cards. Once again, however, the dilemma of difference comes into play. One autistic Virginian worries: “Great, so if I get into an accident, who’s the cop going to believe, the guy with the autistic label or the guy without it?” Clinical psychologist Michael Oberschneider is concerned about the understanding level of first responders: “I think many people still think of Rain Man or, more recently, the Sandy Hook Shooter, when they think of autism even though very few people on the autistic spectrum are savants or are homicidal and dangerous.”

Nark Niesse at Capitol Beat:

When police pull over someone with autism, those stops can quickly escalate into confrontations because of miscommunications and stress.

The General Assembly gave final approval Wednesday to a bill designed to alert police so they handle those situations better.

The legislation, which is now heading to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk, would create a specialty license plate for people with autism or developmental disabilities. It also calls for police to receive training in effective communication and using alternatives to handcuffs.
...

The bill is called “Rio’s Law,” named after a boy with autism whose mother, Layla Luna, advocated for a similar law that passed in South Carolina after a difficult traffic stop.

“This is a tool for law enforcement. It allows responders to approach a vehicle with situational awareness before escalation into a sensory overload with an individual with autism,” said Rep. Eddie Lumsden, R-Armuchee.

Under Senate Bill 433, the autism license plate would include a symbol to represent autism. It would be issued only to Georgians whom medical practitioners swear have autism or a developmental disability.

Prevalence and Severity Levels

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the uncertainty surrounding estimates of autism prevalence. 

Russell, L.A., Tinker, S.C., Shaw, K.A. et al. Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Severity Levels From the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. J Autism Dev Disord (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-026-07292-6    

Abstract

Purpose

The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) introduced severity level specifiers for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with minimal description of the criteria for categorizing three levels of severity (1 to 3, with 3 being the most “severe”). The objective of the analysis was to assess the prevalence of ASD severity levels using population-based surveillance data.

Methods

We analyzed severity level data on children with ASD ages 4- and 8-years-old in 2018 and 2020 in the multisite Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. Prevalence of any documented severity level and of each individual level were calculated overall and by demographic characteristics. Prevalence ratios adjusted for sex, race/ethnicity, age, intellectual disability, ADDM surveillance year, and site (aPRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for comparisons.
Results

Less than half (40.4%) of children with documented ASD diagnoses had any severity level specified in their records, with wide variation by site (4.8%-73.2%). Severity levels were more common in records of children aged 4, in surveillance year 2020, and more often missing in non-Hispanic Black children and from records also missing information on intellectual disability (ID). Higher prevalence of more severe (level 3) ASD was observed among non-Hispanic Black children, children aged 4 years, children in 2020, and children with ID.

Conclusion

Utilization of the DSM-5’s severity levels by community professionals varied widely, limiting their potential utility in identifying needed services and supports for children with ASD.

From the article:

Wide variation in use and assignment of severity levels across sites suggest a lack of standard of practice for determining a child’s level of severity. This may be due to differences in diagnostic training, clinical protocols, or documentation practices. The DSM-5 specifies that “the descriptive severity categories should not be used to determine eligibility for provision of services. Indeed, individuals with relatively better skills overall may experience different or even greater psychosocial challenges. Thus, service needs can only be developed at an individual level and through discussion of personal priorities and targets” (APA, 2013). Providers may therefore question the utility of severity levels defined by support needs, when the DSM also advises that service needs be determined on an individual basis. There is at least one documented instance of severity levels being used to determine eligibility for services: Australia requires at least a level 2 designation to receive their National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) (National Disability Insurance Agency, 2022). It is unknown whether and how often severity levels are used by U.S. service systems.

The degree to which autistic people find utility in the severity levels is unclear. Some who had been diagnosed under the DSM-IV with Asperger’s disorder found the Asperger’s descriptor helpful in understanding themselves and in describing their needs, and they reported concern when it was removed from the DSM-5 (Kapp & Ne’eman, 2020). The severity levels introduced in the DSM-5 could provide a similar type of descriptor that some autistic people find useful. However, other autistic people have expressed concern about the use of severity levels because they might be used to limit care access or to inappropriately group people with very different types of support needs (Kapp & Ne’eman, 2020). Similar concerns have been expressed in other attempts at grouping functioning in ASD, notably with the introduction of the term “profound” ASD, coined by the Lancet Commission on the Future and Care and Clinical Research in Autism (Kapp, 2023; Kripke-Ludwig, 2023; Lord et al., 2022; Pukki et al., 2022).

 

Blue Envelopes in Washington State

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between first responders and autistic people.  Some jurisdictions allow autistic drivers to ask for a blue envelope to disclose the driver's diagnosis in case of an accident or traffic stop.  Others have ID cards.

A release from Washington State Rep. Carolyn Eslick:

Legislation aimed at preventing misunderstandings during traffic stops and improving safety for drivers with autism and other neurodivergent conditions has been signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson.

House Bill 2323, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Eslick, directs the Washington State Department of Licensing to establish a statewide Blue Envelope Program. The envelope will hold essential documents, including vehicle registration and proof of insurance, and include printed guidance for drivers and responding officers on how to communicate during a traffic stop.

The concept was first adopted statewide in Connecticut in 2020 and has since been implemented through a mix of state laws and local law enforcement programs across the country.

Research shows interactions with law enforcement are not uncommon for people on the autism spectrum, with a significant share of young adults reporting being stopped and questioned by police. In high-stress situations, some individuals may have difficulty responding quickly or may exhibit behaviors that can be misinterpreted. Sensory triggers such as flashing lights, sirens and rapid commands can heighten stress and complicate communication.

“This is about protecting people in a moment when a simple misunderstanding can have serious consequences,” said Eslick, R-Sultan. “For someone who processes the world differently, a traffic stop can be overwhelming and frightening. Through this bill, we are providing a clear way for drivers to communicate their needs and help officers respond with awareness, patience and understanding so everyone gets home safely.”

Under the law, blue envelopes will be available at no cost at driver licensing offices statewide and by request. Participation is voluntary, and no medical documentation is required. The Department of Licensing will also provide information about the program online.

House Bill 2323 passed the House on a 92-1 vote and the Senate 47-0 before being signed into law. It takes effect June 11.

Neurodivergent: "A single entity is not diverse."

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the neurodiversity movement.   

 Sara Luterman at The 19th:

Neurodivergent” is an umbrella term that describes people whose minds differ from what society considers normal. It can encompass a number of conditions and is most commonly associated with autism and ADHD today.

What was once an extremely niche term in neurodiversity and disability activist circles is now in the purview of pop stars, business leaders and politicians.

Kassiane Asasumasu, an early neurodiversity advocate, is widely credited with coining the term in the late ’90s. The word was the result of “a pedantic, neurodivergent kid (me) having access to the Internet,” she told The 19th. Specifically, she was annoyed that people were using “neurodiverse” as a descriptor for individual people or individual diagnoses.

“A single entity is not diverse,” Asasumasu told The 19th.

...

There were other competing terms, some of which predated “neurodivergent,” according to Ira Eidle. Eidle is a student archivist who maintains The Autistic Archive, one of the only repositories of documents from the early neurodiversity movement. Eidle put The Autistic Archive together prior to entering academia and is in the process of using the knowledge he has gained to update and improve the website. The earliest usage he could find for the word “neurodivergent” was from 2002.

Teaching Self-Advocacy

In The Politics of Autism, I write about social services, special education, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). 

Nadwodny, N., VanHook, B., Esham, B., Larsen, L. N., Levinson, S., & Eisenhower, A. (2026). Good intentions are not enough: Autistic perspectives on structural ableism within the walls of our classrooms. Autism, 0(0).
OnlineFirst https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613261426691

This study aimed to examine how structural ableism affects autistic learners by collecting first-person perspectives of current and former autistic students about how their school experiences shaped their ability to self-advocate. In addition, the study aimed to further highlight autistic perspectives by incorporating a community-participatory research design, which consisted of a primarily autistic research team. Participants consisted of 19 autistic adolescents and adults who represented a wide array of intersectional sociodemographic identities. Participants were engaged in a 90-min semi-structured interview to discuss their school experiences. Interviews were analyzed qualitatively and inductively through a critical constructivist approach to grounded theory. Data analysis highlighted many structural barriers to autistic self-advocacy for our participants. These barriers were described within six distinct domains which emerged as themes in our analysis: erasure, conformity, isolation, oppression, hidden expectations, and authority. This qualitative, community-participatory research study exposes the degree to which systems-level ableism exists within US K–12 systems. Specifically, our participants emphasized ableism that went beyond the individual or interpersonal level. We conclude with a series of recommendations on how to combat these manifestations of ableism in schools.

From the article:

As a whole, our participants described feeling dissatisfied with their K–12 school experiences and having trouble self-advocating at school. Our findings, in which participants expressed that their needs were largely unmet, replicated similar studies that identified significant dissatisfaction among autistic individuals with their school experiences (Brede et al., 2017; Parsons, 2014; Williams et al., 2019). In addition, the fact that our participants experienced difficulty self-advocating aligns with other findings that autistic students are less likely to self-advocate than nonautistic students at school (Santhanam & Wilson, 2023)

.