Neurodivergent Autism researchers

Post Reply New Topic

One such researcher is Monique Botha at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. In delving into her research on the high incidence of mental health problems in the autistic population, she found articles within the last twenty years likening autistic children to “great apes,” surmising that their language problems stemmed from “a failed domestication of the human brain,” and a prominent linguist likening them to robots. These writings lead her to immediately hypothesize that stigma contributes heavily to the emotional travails of autistic individuals.

Autistic scientists have been paramount in prioritizing research in areas that are of most concern to the neurodivergent population and are helping to change the tone of how neurodivergent individuals are described. More and more, neurotypical researchers are coming to terms with the fact that their participatory scientific work is actually being reviewed by the people they are talking about. So not only are neurodivergent researchers bringing focus to bear on matters that are of most concern to their own community, their presence is striking at the heart of deeply held, yet often unconscious biases held by the neurotypical scientific community.