Step Aside Neurotypicals: Analyzing the Autistic Narrative
Ari Ne’eman, founder of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, critiques the academic ableism within autism studies with his paper “Dueling Narratives: Neurotypical and Autistic Perspectives about the Autism Spectrum.” Ne’eman admits that his writing is more biased than scholarly, but argues that there is a lack of real representation of autism in academic writing and research. Ne’eman states his purpose is: “to provide new information and analysis to the academic community that will help build a better understanding of an important and growing issue: the autism spectrum, how to define it, what it entails and what to do about its growing visibility in the world today . . . an insider perspective should be welcome” which successfully supports Ne’emans reasoning for the importance of his own lived experience. As an autistic individual and prominent self-advocate, Ne’eman’s voice is important to acknowledge. Ne’eman cites a lack of autistic perspective within studies as another reason for his paper to show “the biases inherent in the . . . image of the autism spectrum, as defined by family members of autistic children and medical professionals, and explain how these biases have negatively impacted both parents and people on the spectrum;” thus, the reasoning for Ne’eman’s title of dueling narratives in reference to the autism spectrum. Ne’eman’s paper demonstrates how neurotypical dictatorship of perspectives on autism are damaging to autistic individuals and their families.
The medical spectrum of autism is very wide. A diagnosis of autism can vary in form from Asperger’s Syndrome to Nonverbal Learning Disability. With such a wide range of diagnoses within the label of autism, it is hard to really narrow down a concrete definition. Autism advocacy is also very politicized with neurotypicals like Jon Shestack, founder of Cure Autism Now, declaring war on autism, and searching for a cure as if autism is cancer to society (Ne’eman). The war on autism gained political traction when the bill “Combating Autism Act” passed in the House with a $1 billion dollar research budget to find a cure for autism. These public acts reinforce the damaging narrative that autism is a disease. Theories that mothers cause autism by acting cold towards their children can autism also circulated. This places the blame of a genetic condition from birth upon the parents of any neurodiverse child.
Treating an autism diagnosis as a negative enforces the fallacy of the missing self. Ne’eman defines the fallacy as an: “overarching message of most portrayals of the autism spectrum and the people on it reflect a tragedy that robs humanity, leaving behind something –someone – that must, implicitly, be sub-human,” meaning that people who are autistic are unable to possess a sense of self. The fallacy of the missing self dehumanizes people who are autistic by making autistic individuals appear as soulless creatures. Ne’eman quotes Shestack again with: “this is the special curse of autism. You have your child, and yet you don’t have him. You have a shell, a ghost of all the dreams and hopes you ever had.” Shestack and his organization present autism as an evil force that steals away the true child. This kind of impaired thinking from the neurotypical narrative pressurizes educators, parents, and professionals to believe that autistic individuals are never capable of independence – which hinders autistic people in their strive for individual freedom.
The fallacy of the missing self continues to fail autistic people who are nonverbal. Ne’eman references an autistic woman who runs her own website called “Getting the Truth Out,” to share her narrative as a neurodiverse individual. The site contains a photograph of the woman wearing a shirt that reads: “not being able to speak is not the same as having nothing to say.” According to Ne’eman, “Getting the Truth Out” serves as “a condemnation of the simplistic and inaccurate view of autistics as voiceless tragedies.” The woman who runs the site does not share a message of despair, but rather of the normalcy of the life she lives.
In order to enact real change, Ne’eman calls upon the autistic community to “continue to condemn language and advertising that implicitly endorses eugenics.” The condemnation of organizations like Cure Autism Now will reveal the truth behind the harmful neurotypical ideologies. On the other hand, Ne’eman does acknowledge that autism advocates have been trying to spread the effects of cure rhetoric upon the autistic community. The way to improve this tactic is to “advance a positive image of the autism spectrum” by showing the strengths of a non-neurotypical diagnosis to the public. Ne’eman calls upon the autistic community to present a clear definition of autism to the neurotypical narrative so that individuals who are autistic can be understood by society as a whole. It is frustrating to admit that the neurotypical community cannot understand autism without a clear-cut definition – especially since autism can present itself vastly different from person to person.
The major roadblock for advancement is the clash between the narrative of the autistic community and the neurotypical script. Ne’eman writes: “The autistic community recognizes the grieving process that parents go through after receiving their children’s diagnoses and learn that the life of an autistic individual can be very different from what parents expected for their child.” However, that grieving process cannot last for the child’s entire life, or else the autistic child will grow up believing the fallacy of the missing self. Parents, educators, and the rest of society need to reject the neurotypical narrative that has dominated the meaning of an autism diagnosis for too long. Ne’eman’s evidence of the damaging effects of organizations like Autism Speaks, Cure Autism Now, and legislation such as the “Combating Autism Act” show how the neurotypical narrative can rip away autonomy from autistic individuals. Ne’eman also cites the need for more supports for families and individuals with disabilities; “by improving special education and funding for transition and adult supports, we can reduce the perceived and actual difficulties on families. On the whole, it is clear that the neurotypical community needs to step aside to allow the autistic community to share and explore their narrative.
Word Count = 1024
I hereby pledge upon my word of honor that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this work – JML
Works Cited
Ne’eman, Ari. “Dueling Narratives: Neurotypical and Autistic Perspectives About the Autism Spectrum.” The Society for Critical Exchange , 2007, case.edu/affil/sce/Texts_2007/Ne’eman.html.
