The Experiences of Stigmatization and Discrimination in Autistic People of Different Genders and Sexualities

Khudiakova, Valeria; Chasteen, Alison L.

doi:10.33921/isnu8742

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 35 publications

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“…So, there must be something in addition to experiencing differences in executive processing that limited our participants' opportunities to be self-determined. Autistic people are among the most discriminated and stigmatized groups of people (37)(38)(39)(40), which we suspect is the primary reason for decreased self-determination.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Toward understanding and enhancing self-determination: a qualitative exploration with autistic adults without co-occurring intellectual disability

Thompson-Hodgetts,

Ryan,

Coombs

et al. 2023

Front. Psychiatry

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IntroductionSelf-determination is a fundamental human right positively related to quality of life. However, Autistic people are reported to be less self-determined than non-autistic people. We aimed to (1) understand what self-determination means to Autistic people from their perspective, (2) explore their perceptions of current barriers to being self-determined, and (3) learn from Autistic people about how they would like to be supported to be self-determined.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were done with 19 Autistic adults without co-occurring intellectual disability. Data were analyzed by three Autistic and two non-autistic researchers through an iterative process of data familiarization, coding, and theme development, informed by reflexive thematic analysis. Autistic Community Partners (ACP) were also engaged throughout the study, and provided substantive feedback on all methods and results.ResultsSelf-determination held the same meaning for Autistic people as non-autistic people. More specifically, participants discussed having the opportunity and support to make choices and decisions in life without unnecessary control from others. Experiences of self-determination were centered around: (1) lack of opportunity, influenced by ableist expectations and discrimination, and (2) executive processing differences that interfered with choice and decision-making. Desired areas of support related to providing opportunities to (1) make choices and exert autonomy, (2) be supported to unmask and be valued as one’s authentic Autistic self, and (3) offering pragmatic support for executive processing differences.ConclusionAutistic adults desire to be self-determined and can flourish with support, as they determine to be appropriate, which might look different from support commonly offered or sought by non-autistic people. Although individualized support was discussed, the ideal desired support was for an inclusive society that values and respects their neurodivergence, rather than imposing ableist expectations. An inclusive society is only achievable through reduced (or eliminated) stigma and prejudice against Autistic people.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Toward understanding and enhancing self-determination: a qualitative exploration with autistic adults without co-occurring intellectual disability

Thompson-Hodgetts,

Ryan,

Coombs

et al. 2023

Front. Psychiatry

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Associations between autistic traits, depression, social anxiety and social rejection in autistic and non-autistic adults

Gurbuz,

Riby,

South

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Autistic people frequently experience negative judgements from non-autistic people, often fuelled by misconceptions that autistic people lack empathy. Understanding responses to negative social judgement among autistic people is crucial because of the potential negative impact on wellbeing and future interactions. We investigated the role of autistic traits, social anxiety, and depression on behavioural indices of social rejection in 20 autistic (AUT; 11 males) and 40 non-autistic (N-AUT; 21 males) university students. Participants completed the Social Judgement Task (SJT) where they predicted whether they were liked by another person, then received feedback on whether those evaluations were correct. Participants also completed an Age Judgement Task (AJT) where they estimated the age of the pictured person. The AUT group had lower positive expectation scores, meaning less tendency to predict being liked. Across the whole sample, higher social anxiety predicted greater tendency to anticipate rejection from others, not autistic traits. These findings suggest early experiences of rejection might lead to a negative self-bias in autistic people and emphasise the importance of using a transdiagnostic approach by showing that social anxiety rather than autistic traits is associated with expectation of social rejection.

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‘These Made-Up Things Mean Nothing to Me’: Exploring the Intersection of Autism and Bisexuality in the Lives of Young People

Toft

2023

Journal of Bisexuality

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The Experiences of Stigmatization and Discrimination in Autistic People of Different Genders and Sexualities

Cited by 6 publications

References 35 publications

Toward understanding and enhancing self-determination: a qualitative exploration with autistic adults without co-occurring intellectual disability

Toward understanding and enhancing self-determination: a qualitative exploration with autistic adults without co-occurring intellectual disability

Associations between autistic traits, depression, social anxiety and social rejection in autistic and non-autistic adults

‘These Made-Up Things Mean Nothing to Me’: Exploring the Intersection of Autism and Bisexuality in the Lives of Young People

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