Autobiography on the Spectrum: Disrupting the Autism Narrative

by Beth A. Myers

Series edited by Marilyn Cochran-Smith, and Susan L. Lytle

Published by: Teachers College Press

Imprint: Teachers College Press

Sales Date: 2019-05-17

Paperback

CA$43.95
Hardcover

CA$129.95

Published: May 2019

Product Details

Imprint: Teachers College Press

Page Count: 128 Pages

Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.00

128 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 x 0.25 in

Paperback

CA$43.95

ISBN: 9780807761458

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Description
Authors
Contents

Autobiography on the Spectrum challenges prevailing notions about autism by offering a critically unconventional perspective?the viewpoint of adolescents who are themselves on the spectrum. Examining a year-long inquiry, Myers highlights the autobiographical works of the students through writing, photography, poetry, art, and more. She argues that autistic youth are not being accurately depicted in current research, not because they are unable to represent their own experiences but because their experiences are not always valued. In contrast, this book explores how autistic youth can (and do) represent themselves and shows educators how to create a space for the voices of these students. Offering a deep look into a world that is rarely seen, Autobiography on the Spectrum is a critical resource for teacher preparation and professional learning in any field that interacts with individuals with autism or other disabilities.

Book Features:

Introduces alternative views of autism derived from first-person perspectives.
Offers a critical disability focus that is accessible to classroom teachers.
Describes how to support adolescents in building their own representations of their lives.
Explains how deficit constructions marginalize individuals both in and out of school.
Demonstrates that students with autism, when given opportunities and support, display capabilities that often go unnoticed.

Beth A. Myers is an assistant professor and director of the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education at Syracuse University.

Acknowledgments vii

Preface ix

1. ?I swam too far in the sea and drowned?: A Different View of Autism 1
The Prevailing Deficit Model of Autism 2
An Alternate View: Critical Disability Theory 4
Autobiography and Autism 5
Creating a Space for Inquiry 8

2. ?The walls of my room?: Representations of Home and Family 16
Opening Up: An Introduction to Billy 17
Making Connections 22
Exploring Relationships 25
Expectations: The Way Things Are Supposed to Be 28
Taking Risks: Telling Versus Not Telling 31
Locating Self 36
Claiming Ownership 39

3. ?I hope school starts to calm down so I can too?: Enduring, Resisting, and Reframing School Experiences 41
Imaging and Imagining: Looking Out at Others Looking In 43
Charlie: Enduring Oppression 45
Elizabeth: Resisting Oppression 50
Cody: Reframing Oppression 55
Making Space for Inquiry 60

4. ?Nobody?s normal in a way?: Writing Ourselves into the Story of Autism 62
(De)Constructing Autism 62
Interrogating ?Normal? 66
Exploring the Potential of Narrative Works 68
Disrupting the Autism Narrative 69
Managing a Stigmatized Identity 70
Autobiography as a Counternarrative 72

5. ?I can do more than people think I can do?: On Discovering What We Seek 75
Autobiographical Lives 76
Creating for Agency 77
Autobiography as a Counter-Practice 78
Practitioner Inquiry: Making Meaning from Our Work 79
How We Move Forward 81
Multimodality and Access 88
Considering My Own Place 90

Notes 93

References 95

Index 101

About the Author 107