Anti-Ableism and Scientific Accuracy in Autism Research: A False Dichotomy
Bottema-Beutel, Kapp, Sasson, Gernsbacher, Natri and Botha (2023)
Content Warning: Ableism
It was argued that Autism researchers committed to rejecting ableist frameworks in research may sacrifice “scientifically accurate” conceptualizations of Autism. This article argues that: anti-ableism vs. scientific accuracy is a false dichotomy, there is no ideology-free science that has claim to scientific accuracy, and Autism science has a history of false leads in part because of unexamined ableist ideologies. The authors discuss several strands of Autism research that were promoted as scientific advances, that were then debunked. These research programs have involved claims about the nature of Autism and Autistic characteristics, and Autism intervention. Negative impacts of this work have been mitigated in some areas of Autism research, but these perspectives continue to impact the lives of Autistic people, including the availability of services, discourses about Autism, and how non-Autistic people view Autistic people societally. Examining these false leads may help current researchers better understand how ableism may negatively influence their research.
