Abstract
Autism may be a single diagnosis, but the characteristics of autistic people are highly heterogeneous. These heterogeneous characteristics include phenotypic traits, predictive factors, and biomarkers that contribute to the neurodiversity of autism. This neurodiversity transcends biological diversity to include a variety of medical, social, ecological, and Indigenous models (and their combinations) of disability and difference. However, a unifying theoretical model of autism, the Broader Autism Phenotype Constellations-Disability Matrix Paradigm, may resolve tensions between these models of disability and controversies of autism. These challenges could also be supported by biological studies of autism that include broader perspectives and topics, as well as enhanced communication and resources.
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Notes
- 1.
The terminology around autism is controversial (Baron-Cohen, 2017; Dwyer, 2022; Kenny et al., 2016). Controversy regarding this terminology is deeply embedded with concepts from various models of autism and disability described within this chapter. Based on the documented preferences of the autism community, (Dwyer, 2022; Kenny et al., 2016), this chapter uses the neutral term “autism” instead of autism spectrum disorder.
- 2.
The term “risk factor” is defined as something that increases the chance of developing a disease. Although the designation of autism as a disease or disorder is controversial, there are few neutral phrasings for the concept of “risk factors” for scientific understanding of the etiology, mechanisms, or predictive factors of autistic traits in human populations. Thus, this chapter will highlight common terms that describe scientific phenomena from a disease-centric standpoint.
- 3.
Person-first versus identity-first language: Controversy exists within the disability community regarding which terminology to use when referring to people with disabilities. While it is customary to use the term(s) preferred by specific individuals involved within an interaction, the disability community does not yet unanimously endorse any specific set of terminology (Bogart & Dunn, 2019).
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Meridian McDonald, T.A. (2023). Autism and Neurodiversity. In: El Idrissi, A., McCloskey, D. (eds) Neurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42383-3_15
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