Autistic Self-Advocacy and the Neurodiversity Movement: Implications for Autism Early Intervention Research and Practice

Leadbitter, K., Buckle, K. L., Ellis, C., & Dekker, M. (2021). Autistic Self-Advocacy and the Neurodiversity Movement: Implications for Autism Early Intervention Research and Practice. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 635690-635690. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635690

Publication date: 12 Apr 2021 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

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Authors

Publication authors
4
Publication authors identified as autistic
2 / 4 (50.0%)

Abstract

The growth of autistic self-advocacy and the neurodiversity movement has brought about new ethical, theoretical and ideological debates within autism theory, research and practice. These debates have had genuine impact within some areas of autism research but their influence is less evident within early intervention research. In this paper, we argue that all autism intervention stakeholders need to understand and actively engage with the views of autistic people and with neurodiversity as a concept and movement. In so doing, intervention researchers and practitioners are required to move away from a normative agenda and pay diligence to environmental goodness-of-fit, autistic developmental trajectories, internal drivers and experiences, and autistic prioritized intervention targets. Autism intervention researchers must respond to these debates by reframing effectiveness, developing tools to measure autistic prioritized outcomes, and forming partnerships with autistic people. There is a pressing need for increased reflection and articulation around how intervention practices align with a neurodiversity framework and greater emphasis within intervention programmes on natural developmental processes, coping strategies, autonomy, and well-being.

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Bibliography inclusion overview

These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:30.

Cited references
81
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
15 / 81 (18.5%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
21 / 311 (6.8%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 21 / 140 (15.0%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 16 / 241 (6.6%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
140 / 311 (45.0%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 87 / 241 (36.1%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
119 / 140 (85.0%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 119 / 311 (38.3%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 71 / 87 (81.6%).
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