Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Apr;63(4):381-396.
doi: 10.1111/jcpp.13534. Epub 2021 Nov 3.

Annual Research Review: Shifting from 'normal science' to neurodiversity in autism science

Elizabeth Pellicano  1   2 , Jacquiline den Houting  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Annual Research Review: Shifting from 'normal science' to neurodiversity in autism science

Elizabeth Pellicano et al. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Since its initial description, the concept of autism has been firmly rooted within the conventional medical paradigm of child psychiatry. Increasingly, there have been calls from the autistic community and, more recently, nonautistic researchers, to rethink the way in which autism science is framed and conducted. Neurodiversity, where autism is seen as one form of variation within a diversity of minds, has been proposed as a potential alternative paradigm. In this review, we concentrate on three major challenges to the conventional medical paradigm - an overfocus on deficits, an emphasis on the individual as opposed to their broader context and a narrowness of perspective - each of which necessarily constrains what we can know about autism and how we are able to know it. We then outline the ways in which fundamental elements of the neurodiversity paradigm can potentially help researchers respond to the medical model's limitations. We conclude by considering the implications of a shift towards the neurodiversity paradigm for autism science.

Keywords: Autism; ethics; medical model; neurodiversity; social model of disability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Adams, D. , & Young, K. (2020). A systematic review of the perceived barriers and facilitators to accessing psychological treatment for mental health problems in individuals on the autism spectrum. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Advance online publication, 10.1007/s40489-020-00226-7 - DOI
    1. Akhtar, N. , & Jaswal, V.K. (2013). Deficit or difference? Interpreting diverse developmental paths: An introduction to the special section. Developmental Psychology, 49, 1–3. - PubMed
    1. Alvares, G.A. , Bebbington, K. , Cleary, D. , Evans, K. , Glasson, E.J. , Maybery, M.T. , … & Whitehouse, A.J.O. (2020). The misnomer of 'high functioning autism': Intelligence is an imprecise predictor of functional abilities at diagnosis. Autism, 24, 221–232. - PubMed
    1. Ambitious about Autism (2014). Ruled out: Why are children with autism missing out on education? Available from: https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/sites/default/files/resources‐an.... Accessed 10th February 2021.
    1. American Psychiatric Association . (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th edn). Washington, DC: Author.

Publication types