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Critical Autism Studies

Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Synonyms

Critical autism studies; Emancipatory autism studies; Transformative autism studies (Woods et al. 2018)

Definition

Introduction

Critical Autism Studies (CAS) is the only autistic-led community of practice, within autism studies, and it has a few proposed definitions. A recent entry by notable autistic CAS scholars reviewed the main definitions and its ontology to propose a more inclusive approach between autistic and non-autistic academics; the preferred definition put forward is:

The ‘criticality’ comes from investigating power dynamics that operate in discourses around autism, questioning deficit-based definitions of autism, and being willing to consider the ways in which biology and culture intersect to produce ‘disability’. (Waltz 2014, p. 1337)

For a discussion on the other primary CAS definitions, see Woods et al. (2018). This essay outlines key concepts from disability studies and the nature of the neurodiversity movement before explaining how CAS is relevant to...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Independent Scholar, Nottingham, UK

    Richard Woods

  2. Tizard Centre, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK

    Krysia Emily Waldock

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  1. Richard Woods
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  2. Krysia Emily Waldock
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Correspondence to Richard Woods .

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  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

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Woods, R., Waldock, K.E. (2020). Critical Autism Studies. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102297-1

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    Critical Autism Studies
    Published:
    22 June 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102297-2

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    Critical Autism Studies
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    07 December 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102297-1

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