Combating stigma in autism research through centering autistic voices: a co-interview guide for qualitative research

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Kaplan‐Kahn, E. A. & Caplan, R. (2023). Combating stigma in autism research through centering autistic voices: a co-interview guide for qualitative research. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1248247-1248247. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1248247

Publication date: 15 Aug 2023 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
2
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 2 (50.0%)
  1. Elizabeth A. Kaplan‐Kahn
  2. Reid Caplan *

Abstract

As autism has gained increased attention in the past few decades, autistic advocates have adopted the phrase "Nothing about us without us," illustrating the idea that autistic people should be centered in all conversations regarding autism. However, in a large portion of autism research, autistic people are still not meaningfully engaged throughout the research process, leading to continued stigma in research through biased methods. Thus, stigma about autism influences not only the content of autism research, but the ways in which neurotypical people conduct research alongside (or without) autistic people, ultimately resulting in less valid conclusions or research that actively harms the autistic community. One way to address this stigma is through involving autistic individuals as equal partners in the research process, such as by including autistic co-interviewers in qualitative studies of autistic people. In this perspectives piece, we will highlight the benefits of participatory research practices within qualitative research. Furthermore, we will outline methods for conducting co-interviews with autistic research partners and share insights from our experiences implementing this practice. We hope this piece provides researchers the practical resources and inspiration to continue working toward decreasing the stigma surrounding autism in research spaces.

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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
29
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
11 / 29 (37.9%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
26 / 122 (21.3%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 26 / 71 (36.6%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 19 / 110 (17.3%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
71 / 122 (58.2%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 59 / 110 (53.6%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
45 / 71 (63.4%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 45 / 122 (36.9%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 40 / 59 (67.8%).
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