Expert organisations with “challenging” and “complex” service users: Representation in English and Welsh autism charity reports and accounts

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Abnett, H., Williams, K., Holloway, W., & Grant, A. (2025). Expert organisations with “challenging” and “complex” service users: Representation in English and Welsh autism charity reports and accounts. PLOS One, 20(10), e0335132. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0335132

Publication date: 24 Oct 2025 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
4
Publication authors identified as autistic
3 / 4 (75.0%)
  1. Helen Abnett
  2. Kathryn Williams *
  3. Willow Holloway *
  4. Aimee Grant *

Abstract

The language and imagery used in Autism charities' communications influences societal understanding of, and attitudes towards, Autistic people. This, in turn, shapes perceptions of whether and how the disabling barriers in society experienced by Autistic people can and should be addressed. Yet, to date, there has been minimal exploration of this discourse employed by Autism charities. We, an Autistic-majority team of researchers, used critical reflexive thematic analysis to examine the language and imagery used in the Trustees' Annual Reports and Accounts of 11 large English and Welsh Autism charities. Representation within these reports emphasises adversities associated with Autism, and the language chosen to portray Autistic people largely describes Autism as an impairment. In contrast, charities represent themselves as the solution to the 'problem' of Autistic people, and thus deserving of increased resources and funding. Government is largely depicted as ineffective and deficient. We argue that these Autism charities are thereby upholding - rather than challenging - the disabling barriers in society experienced by Autistic people. For Autistic charities to better represent Autistic people and improve wider societal understanding of Autism, there is a need for more positive portrayals that challenge the 'charity saviour' trope in charity communications.

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: 2 Oct 2026 11:54.

Cited references
56
With a DOI
38
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
18
14 / 56 (25.0%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
3 / 56 (5.4%)
References with detected author names
53 / 56 (94.6%)
Without detected author names
3
Without a structured title
3
Without a stable identifier
18
References with raw author names still to review
3
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
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
162
From DOI or external metadata
162
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
3
107 / 162 (66.0%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 55 / 162 (34.0%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
57 / 162 (35.2%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 57 / 107 (53.3%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 47 / 145 (32.4%).
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