Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Resonant Perceptions: Exploring Autistic Aesthetics Through Embodied Cognition, James Hutson, Piper Hutson

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This study investigates the nuanced realm of aesthetic preferences among individuals with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) compared to neurotypical individuals, addressing a significant gap in understanding the diverse perceptual experiences within the neurodiverse community. The impetus for this study stems from the growing recognition of neurodiversity and the need to appreciate how individuals with ASC uniquely experience and interpret their environment, particularly in the context of aesthetics. Employing a dual-method approach, the research integrates data from comprehensive surveys and in-depth interviews to construct a comparative analysis of aesthetic preferences and experiences. Participants encompassed a broad demographic spectrum, ensuring a diverse …

Critical Autism Studies Beyond Academia: An Annotated List, Alyssa Hillary Zisk

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This is an introduced and annotated list of sources from beyond academia which are, have been, or may yet be important texts for critical autism or neurodiversity studies. The defining actions of critical autism studies, or of critical neurodiversity studies, have been taken outside academia and will continue to be taken outside academia. This list serves as a reminder of this reality through examples.

Listening To Neurodiverse Voices In The Workplace, Lewis Burton, Vicki Carss, Ricardo Twumasi

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

Neurodivergent individuals face many challenges in the workplace, job application process, recruitment process and in the work environment. This qualitative study aimed to gain insight into the experiences of neurodivergent individuals and some of the barriers faced in these domains at work. Twenty-one neurodivergent individuals took part in semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to give voice to interviewees first-person lived experience. Six superordinate themes were highlighted in this study: ‘External Perceptions of Neurodiversity’, ‘Identity Degradation”, ‘Self-Identity’, ‘Organisational Obstacles’, ‘Neurodiversity Empowerment’, and ‘Language Regarding Neurodiversity’. This study found that neurodivergent individuals are impacted by the inaccurate stereotypes and assumptions …

The Fable Of Neuroplastic Lyra, Ricardo Twumasi

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This paper tells a folktale of two tribes and the neurodivergence that brought them together, through language and the patterns of the sounds that surrounded the tribes.

Acknowledgements:

Thank you to Alex Higson for editing an early version of this article. Thanks to Maximin Lange, Lewis Burton, Juliet Foster, Sukhi Shergill and Oliver Runswick for your comments.

Being The Curriculum, Alyssa Hillary Zisk

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This article is a work of creative non-fiction. Part of the work is my reflections on one systemically awkward experience of introducing my neurodivergence, autism, to my classmates in my graduate program in neuroscience. Part of the work engages with theory and neuroscientific/cognitive findings that I either shared during the presentation or encountered since but would have been relevant to the experience. The two parts are intertwined, because life isn't neatly separable.

Ableist Ideologies Stifle Neurodiversity And Hinder Inclusive Education, Marie Adrienne R. Manalili

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This paper makes the case that ableist ideologies hinder trends towards inclusion on a broader global scale and beyond Anglo-American standpoints, as evidenced by key literature and legislations on inclusive education. I also discuss the issues, challenges, and dilemmas generated by these ableist ideologies in my professional context as an autistic speech-language therapist from the Philippines. I conclude with my reflection on how practitioners can help change the trajectory towards emancipatory inclusive practices that are informed by the neurodiversity paradigm. To respect the preference of the communities and the intersection of identities I represent, this paper uses inclusive identity-first language …

I, Too, Sing Neurodiversity, Morénike Giwa Onaiwu

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

The neurodiversity community was envisioned as an inclusive and welcoming space for individuals with neurological conditions such as ADHD, autism, Tourette’s Syndrome, giftedness, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, intellectual disability, NVLD and related diagnoses. The underlying premise of neurodiversity is that people present with various neurological differences and there is value in acknowledging and accepting these differences. Despite efforts made over the past few decades, a growing number of individuals within the neurodiversity community, including people of color, have called for intersectional concepts to be more intentionally and more effectively interwoven into neurodiversity as a whole. Referencing “I, Too,” a decades-old poem …