‘Why should I be like bloody Rain Man?!’ Navigating the autistic identity

Abstract

This article explores the views of six higher education students with autism/Asperger syndrome. The research draws upon social identity theory to explore how participants made meaning of their label. There was consensus that information given at the point of diagnosis generally did not reflect their individual experiences. First‐hand accounts tended to be perceived as more personally relevant. The ‘Asperger’ identity was generally framed as fragile and inconsistent, leading some individuals to distance themselves from it. This may be problematic for a group that is already disadvantaged and isolated. However, participants conveyed strong self‐images regardless of how and whether they identified with their diagnosis, which was attributed to their relative privilege in achieving higher education and therefore experiencing success and achievement related to their personal strengths. In this article, Andrea MacLeod, Ann Lewis and Christopher Robertson, from the University of Birmingham, call for researchers and relevant services to involve autistic individuals directly in fostering a constructive ‘autism identity’.

Autistic people’s perspectives on stereotypes: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

“…Furthermore, IPA has been shown to be an effective methodology for studies with autistic people as research participants adding to the strength of this approach for the current study (Griffith, Totsika, Nash et al, 2011;Huws and Jones, 2015;MacLeod, Lewis and Robertson, 2013;Punshon, Skirrow and Murphy, 2009). In order to conduct an IPA study, researchers must 'engage in a double hermeneutic', a process whereby the researcher 'tries to make sense of the participant trying to make sense of what is happening to them' (Smith, Flowers and Larkin, 2009, p.3).…”

A qualitative study of specialist schools’ processes of eliciting the views of young people with autism spectrum disorders in planning their transition to adulthood

“…A recent systematic literature review of qualitative studies that aimed to elicit the views of young people with ASD about their educational experiences found an over‐representation of individuals with Asperger's syndrome (AS) or high‐functioning autism (HFA) and a scarcity of studies that evaluated means of communicating with individuals with co‐occurring communication and intellectual difficulties (Fayette & Bond, ). While there has been a recent increase in published studies that used activity‐orientated methods to elicit responses from people with autism (MacLeod et al, ; Winstone et al, ), it is yet to be determined whether these approaches can effectively enable young pupils across the autism spectrum to participate actively in the transition planning process.…”

Listening to young people with autism: learning from researcher experiences

“…Using a participatory methodology with individuals on the autism spectrum. MacLeod, A., Lewis, A., & Robertson, C. (2013)…”

“…. There is detailed discussion of how autistic students in higher education can be involved in the process of data analysis, interpretation and dissemination (MacLeod,Lewis & Robertson 2013;Vincent et al 2017). However, there is comparatively less literature exploring how younger children with autism might be able to participate more fully in the research process.…”