‘Let Us Be the Art, Not Just the Entertainment’: A Participatory Zine-Making Study Engaging Autistic Women and Non-Binary People in Discussing Media Representations of Autism

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Dantas, S., Botha, M., Grainger, C., Rafetseder, E., & Jasper, C. (2026). ‘Let Us Be the Art, Not Just the Entertainment’: A Participatory Zine-Making Study Engaging Autistic Women and Non-Binary People in Discussing Media Representations of Autism. Societies, 16(5), 145. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc16050145

Publication date: 29 Apr 2026 Added to AutiHub: 10 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
5
Autistic authors reported by the publication
Number not specified
  1. Sarah Dantas *
  2. Monique Botha *
  3. Catherine Grainger
  4. Eva Rafetseder
  5. Carol Jasper

Abstract

Autistic people experience social stigma, which involves facing negative or false social stereotypes. A prevalent stereotype of autism in society is that it is a male condition, which has led to most traditional representations of autism across different types of media (e.g., characters in films and TV) being predominantly male-focused. In this study, a group of autistic women and/or non-binary people were recruited to speak about how they perceived media representations of autism, as their gender identities did not fit this traditional gendered stereotype. Participants shared their experiences through group discussions and a zine-making activity, where they created different forms of artwork that were then compiled into an independent community booklet and displayed in an exhibition in Central Scotland. Participants’ group discussions and descriptions of their artwork were analysed using IPA techniques, yielding two experiential themes. Participants discussed negative experiences with dehumanising media accounts of autism, which displayed autistic people as a stereotypical ‘other’, as well as positive experiences with humanised media accounts, which prioritised autistic lived experience in a more authentic and relatable way. Our findings highlight that the media can positively impact autistic people’s lives when representations centre on autistic lived experience, which fosters connectedness, autonomy, and self-understanding. Alternatively, this impact can be harmful when media accounts are stigmatising and dehumanising, which generates significant material and subjective challenges.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 1 Nov 2026 01:01.

Cited references
62
With a DOI
57
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
5
17 / 62 (27.4%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
4 / 62 (6.5%)
References with detected author names
58 / 62 (93.5%)
Without detected author names
4
Without a structured title
4
Without a stable identifier
5
References with raw author names still to review
4
References with external metadata lookup issues
1
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
200
From DOI or external metadata
200
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
5
115 / 200 (57.5%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 85 / 200 (42.5%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
36 / 200 (18.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 36 / 115 (31.3%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 29 / 185 (15.7%).
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