‘An Association for All’—Notions of the Meaning of Autistic Self‐Advocacy Politics within a Parent‐Dominated Autistic Movement

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Bertilsdotter Rosqvist, H., Brownlow, C., & O’Dell, L. (2014). ‘An Association for All’—Notions of the Meaning of Autistic Self‐Advocacy Politics within a Parent‐Dominated Autistic Movement. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 25(3), 219-231. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2210

Publication date: 7 Oct 2014 Added to AutiHub: 4 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Hanna Bertilsdotter Rosqvist *
  2. Charlotte Brownlow
  3. Lindsay O’Dell

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, we seek to explore the tensions between advocacy and self advocacy autistic movements in a Swedish context with a special focus on the meanings that enable the production of particular understandings of autism and the autistic subject. Drawing on articles written for the Swedish advocacy magazine Empowerment written for and by people with autism, the discourse analysis explores two competing discourses: a reformist and a radical. The reformist discourse underlines a goal of (political) representation expressed in Empowerment. It may be understood as an important part of producing a legitimate autistic political subject–positioned as a full member, with a full membership–within a parent‐dominated autistic advocacy movement. The reformist discourse can be viewed as a result of a negotiation, where full membership is conditioned on the parents' terms and granted on specific terms. These include working together (neuro‐inclusively), advocacy based on interest rather than identity/position as a specific target/member group, agreement upon a definition of autism as a disability (a deficit) a person has rather than an identity. In relation to this, an alternative legitimate autistic subject is produced through invoking the counter‐hegemonic radical discourse. Such a narrative produces the ‘Asperger’ or ‘Aspie’. Here, the ‘full membership’ refers to a sense of identification with sense of belonging to and being at home with other people with autism. It contains a certain amount of autistic solidarity within the group of adults with autism. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Cited references
28
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
1 / 28 (3.6%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
1 / 42 (2.4%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 1 / 9 (11.1%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 1 / 39 (2.6%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
9 / 42 (21.4%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 7 / 39 (17.9%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
8 / 9 (88.9%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 8 / 42 (19.0%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 6 / 7 (85.7%).
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