When Disability Is Defined by Behavior, Outcome Measures Should Not Promote “Passing”
Ne'eman, A. (2021). When Disability Is Defined by Behavior, Outcome Measures Should Not Promote “Passing”. AMA Journal of Ethics, 23(7), E569-575. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2021.569
Publication date:
1 Jul 2021
Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026
Type:
Article
Article language: English
This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:
Authors
Publication authors
1
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 1 (100.0%)
Abstract
When disability is defined by behavior, researchers and clinicians struggle to identify appropriate measures to assess clinical progress. Some choose the reduction or elimination of diagnostic traits, implicitly defining typical appearance as the goal of service provision. Such an approach often interferes with more meaningful, person-centered goals; causes harm to people with disabilities; and is unnecessary for dealing with traits that are intrinsically harmful or personally distressing, such as self-injury. Disability stakeholders should reevaluate outcome measures that seek to eliminate disability-related traits that are stigmatized but not harmful. Using autism and the emergent neurodiversity movement as a case study, this article explores ethical challenges in selecting outcome measures in behaviorally defined disability diagnoses.
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Cited references
35
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
9 / 35 (25.7%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
19 / 204 (9.3%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 19 / 82 (23.2%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 9 / 164 (5.5%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
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Distinct linked cited authors: 56 / 164 (34.1%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
63 / 82 (76.8%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 63 / 204 (30.9%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 47 / 56 (83.9%).
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