Early-Career Autism Researchers Are Shifting Their Research Directions: Tragedy or Opportunity?

Reporting community involvement in autism research: Findings from the journal Autism

LAY ABSTRACT

There has been a growing push for the Autistic and autism communities to be more actively involved in autism research. From January 2021, the journal Autism made it a rule for authors to report whether they involved community members in their work; and if they did, how they had done so. In this study, we wanted to see how this new rule has changed things. Our team of Autistic and non-autistic researchers read all 283 articles published in Autism in 2019, about 2 years before the rule was in place, and in 2022, about 1 year after. We recorded what each article was about and how the community was involved. We found there was an increase in how often articles talked about community involvement - from about 10% before the rule to over 50% after. Most of these studies, however, only involved community members giving advice, with the researchers making most decisions about the research. This was especially true for applied research (like wellbeing) rather than basic science (like causes of autism). Also, some of these articles were unclear or did not give enough information for us to understand how the community was involved. This tells us that while it is promising that more community involvement is reported, researchers need to describe this involvement more clearly. It is also important for community members to have a bigger say in research by sharing power with the researchers or even leading the research themselves.

Autistic Perspectives on Employment: A Scoping Review

PURPOSE

Inclusive recruitment and employment of autistic adults has garnered recent attention in research and policy. To address a need to better understand the experiences of autistic adults in relation to paid employment, we asked the literature, what are the experiences of autistic individuals (from their perspectives) in competitive employment?

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted to summarize and consolidate the findings across research to date. A systematic search and screen of the literature resulted in 32 relevant studies.

FINDINGS

Key study characteristics, participant demographics, and thematic findings are shared, along with considerations and recommendations for future research and practice. Six key themes were described by autistic participants across the 32 studies: (1) accessibility of employment, (2) workplace relationships and communication, (3) role alignment, (4) sensory needs and/or mental health, (5) colleagues' knowledge and beliefs about autism, and (6) family and community context.

CONCLUSION

It is anticipated that the results of this review will be beneficial for stakeholders engaging in discussions and decision-making across research and employment contexts.

'We have so much to offer': Community members' perspectives on autism research

LAY ABSTRACT

Autism research is changing. Autistic activists and researchers want Autistic people in the community to have more of a say about what is researched and how. But we haven't asked people in the community what they think. This study used the information obtained from 55 community members, including Autistic people, their families, and professionals working with Autistic people, from an existing study on their priorities for autism research. We re-looked at what was said to see if we could understand community members' views and experiences of autism research. People agreed strongly that research can play a powerful role in shaping good Autistic lives. They also felt that big changes were needed for research to do this. Some of these changes were that researchers should stop thinking about autism narrowly and in a negative way, where Autistic people are seen as the problem. Researchers need to think more about how to improve systems, experiences and how other people respond to Autistic people. They also want the autism community to be more involved in what is researched and how it is researched. The findings from our study here highlight the potential for research to be positive when Autistic people and their families are listened to, approached with understanding, and are respected and valued as individuals in the research process.

Anti-ableism and scientific accuracy in autism research: a false dichotomy

It was recently argued that autism researchers committed to rejecting ableist frameworks in their research may sacrifice "scientifically accurate" conceptualizations of autism. In this perspective piece, we argue that: (a) anti-ableism vs. scientific accuracy is a false dichotomy, (b) there is no ideology-free science that has claim to scientific accuracy, and (c) autism science has a history of false leads in part because of unexamined ableist ideologies that undergird researcher framings and interpretations of evidence. To illustrate our claims, we discuss several avenues of autism research that were promoted as scientific advances, but were eventually debunked or shown to have much less explanatory value than initially proposed. These research programs have involved claims about autism etiology, the nature of autism and autistic characteristics, and autism intervention. Common to these false leads have been ableist assumptions about autism that inform researcher perspectives. Negative impacts of this work have been mitigated in some areas of autism research, but these perspectives continue to exert influence on the lives of autistic people, including the availability of services, discourses about autism, and sociocultural conceptualizations of autistic people. Examining these false leads may help current researchers better understand how ableism may negatively influence their areas of inquiry. We close with a positive argument that promoting anti-ableism can be done in tandem with increasing scientific accuracy.

Ethical challenges in autism genomics: Recommendations for researchers

Equitable and just genetic research and clinical translation require an examination of the ethical questions pertaining to vulnerable and marginalized communities. Autism research and advocate communities have expressed concerns over current practices of genetics research, urging the field to shift towards paradigms and practices that ensure benefits and avoid harm to research participants and the wider autistic community. Building upon a framework of bioethical principles, we provide the background for the concerns and present recommendations for ethically sustainable and justice-oriented genetic and genomic autism research. With the primary goal of enhancing the health, well-being, and autonomy of autistic persons, we make recommendations to guide priority setting, responsible research conduct, and informed consent practices. Further, we discuss the ethical challenges particularly pertaining to research involving highly vulnerable individuals and groups, such as those with impaired cognitive or communication ability. Finally, we consider the clinical translation of autism genetics studies, including the use of genetic testing. These guidelines, developed by an interdisciplinary working group comprising autistic and non-autistic individuals, will aid in leveraging the potential of genetics research to enhance the quality of life of autistic individuals and are widely applicable across stigmatized traits and vulnerable communities.