“We Need Community-Centred, Strongly Ethical Genetic Research”: A Qualitative Investigation of Community Attitudes Toward Autism Genetics

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Pugsley, K., Siryj, N., Alvares, G. A., Baxter, E., Bellgrove, M. A., Chau, T., Cooper, L., Curd, H., Douglas, S., Furley, K., Gordon, R. L., Guastella, A. J., Hawi, Z., Karo, A., Kerestes, R., King, K., Poulsen, R. E., Rabba, A. S., Rose, M.,..., & Johnson, B. P. (2026). “We Need Community-Centred, Strongly Ethical Genetic Research”: A Qualitative Investigation of Community Attitudes Toward Autism Genetics. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1177/25739581251370568

Publication date: 2 Feb 2026 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
23
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 23 (4.3%)

Abstract

Background: Autism genetics has historically attracted a substantial proportion of autism research funding internationally. However, more recently, several controversies centered on ethical conduct and lack of community consultation have emerged. This has triggered Autistic-led protests for the functional and meaningful inclusion of Autistic voices in the research design. Methods: We collaborated with Autistic people, their allies, and other stakeholders concerned with Autistic outcomes to cocreate a qualitative study investigating individuals’ perceptions of autism genetics. We spoke to 33 Australian Autistic people, their families and supporters, and autism professionals in a series of codesigned semi-structured interviews ( n = 20), focus groups ( n = 2 groups), and qualitative surveys ( n = 7). Interviewees were predominantly women (79%), White (67%), held postgraduate qualifications (i.e., master’s, doctorate) (36%), and received their autism diagnosis or self-diagnosed in adulthood (where applicable, 93%). Many interviewees held multiple intersecting roles across the Autistic and autism communities. We transcribed their data verbatim and analyzed these within a critical realist framework using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Community members reported concerns about the eugenic potential of genetics research and how it perpetuates negative attitudes about autism and Autistic people. Interviewees felt a sense of disillusionment and distrust toward the field stemming from persistent failure of autism researchers to integrate community needs within its aims. Some believed that while genetics knowledge could hold health benefits for the Autistic community, these could only be achieved through trust-building and improved engagement of Autistic voices in this research. Conclusion: Findings highlight the diverse community perspectives on autism genetics research within Australia, capturing how genetic studies are perceived to ignore the wants, needs, and priorities of Autistic people and their supporters. These insights offer a unique opportunity to reevaluate the trajectory of autism genetics research into the future, with a strong call to action from participants to embed Autistic voices in a functionally meaningful way at all levels and stages of knowledge generation.

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 17:07.

Cited references
76
With a DOI
60
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
16
15 / 76 (19.7%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
8 / 76 (10.5%)
References with detected author names
68 / 76 (89.5%)
Without detected author names
8
Without a structured title
8
Without a stable identifier
16
References with raw author names still to review
8
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
576
From DOI or external metadata
576
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
8
161 / 576 (28.0%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 415 / 576 (72.0%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
36 / 576 (6.2%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 36 / 161 (22.4%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 25 / 483 (5.2%).
  1. JUSTIN JAGOSH , Ann C. Macaulay , PIERRE PLUYE , JON SALSBERG , PAULA L. BUSH , JIM HENDERSON et al. (2012). Uncovering the Benefits of Participatory Research: Implications of a Realist Review for Health Research and Practice . The Milbank Quarterly, 90(2), 311-346. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  2. Stefan N. Hansen , Diana E. Schendel , Richard W. Francis , Gayle C. Windham , Michaeline Bresnahan , Stephen Z. Levine et al. (2019). Recurrence Risk of Autism in Siblings and Cousins: A Multinational, Population-Based Study . Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 58(9), 866-875. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  3. Katherine Gotham , Alison R Marvin , Julie Lounds Taylor , Zachary Warren , Connie M Anderson , Paul A Law et al. (2015). Characterizing the daily life, needs, and priorities of adults with autism spectrum disorder from Interactive Autism Network data . Autism, 19(7), 794-804. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  4. Sven Sandin , Paul Lichtenstein , Ralf Kuja-Halkola , Christina Hultman , Henrik Larsson , Abraham Reichenberg (2017). The Heritability of Autism Spectrum Disorder . JAMA, 318(12), 1182. American Medical Association (AMA).
    Crossref OpenAlex
  5. Virginia Braun , Victoria Clarke (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology . Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. Informa UK Limited.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  6. Jakob Grove , Jakob Grove , Stephan Ripke , Thomas D. Als , Manuel Mattheisen , Raymond K. Walters et al. (2019). Identification of common genetic risk variants for autism spectrum disorder . Nature Genetics, 51(3), 431-444. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  7. Felicity Kate Boardman (2014). The expressivist objection to prenatal testing: The experiences of families living with genetic disease . Social Science & Medicine, 107, 18-25. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  8. F. Kyle Satterstrom , Jack A. Kosmicki , Jiebiao Wang , Michael S. Breen , Silvia De Rubeis , Joon-Yong An et al. (2020). Large-scale exome sequencing study implicates both developmental and functional changes in the neurobiology of autism . Cell, 180(3), 568-584.e23. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  9. Holly K. Tabor , Tracy Brazg , Julia Crouch , Emily E. Namey , Stephanie M. Fullerton , Laura M. Beskow et al. (2011). Parent Perspectives on Pediatric Genetic Research and Implications for Genotype-Driven Research Recruitment . Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 6(4), 41-52. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  10. Jacquiline den Houting *Autistic author. Learn more… , Elizabeth Pellicano (2019). A Portfolio Analysis of Autism Research Funding in Australia, 2008–2017 . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(11), 4400-4408. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
  11. Philip S. Gorski (2013). “What is Critical Realism? And Why Should You Care?” . Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews, 42(5), 658-670. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  12. (n.d.). Office of National Autism Coordination National Institute of Mental Health National Institutes of Health on behalf of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. 2019–2020 IACC autism research portfolio analysis report. March 2021 2024.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  13. Laurence Baret , Beatrice Godard (2011). Opinions and intentions of parents of an autistic child toward genetic research results: two typical profiles . European Journal of Human Genetics, 19(11), 1127-1132. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  14. Deonandan R (2016). An analysis of Canadian Institute for health research funding for research on autism spectrum disorder . Autism Res Treat, 2016, 8106595.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  15. Karen Tracy (1995). Action-Implicative Discourse Analysis . Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 14(1-2), 195-215. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  16. Magan Trottier , Wendy Roberts , Irene Drmic , Stephen W. Scherer , Rosanna Weksberg , Cheryl Cytrynbaum et al. (2013). Parents’ Perspectives on Participating in Genetic Research in Autism . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(3), 556-568. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  17. Sarah J. Tracy (2010). Qualitative Quality: Eight “Big-Tent” Criteria for Excellent Qualitative Research . Qualitative Inquiry, 16(10), 837-851. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  18. Ellis R (2023). An investigation of autistic opinions about autism-related genomic research . PsyArXiv.
    Type: Preprint
    Crossref
  19. Andrea Cornwall , Rachel Jewkes (1995). What is participatory research? Social Science & Medicine, 41(12), 1667-1676. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  20. Christy D. Roberts , Laura M. Stough , Linda H. Parrish (2002). The Role of Genetic Counseling in the Elective Termination of Pregnancies Involving Fetuses with Disabilities . The Journal of Special Education, 36(1), 48-55. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  21. Jarle Johannessen , Terje Nærland , Cinnamon Bloss , Marcella Rietschel , Jana Strohmaier , Elen Gjevik et al. (2016). Parents’ attitudes toward genetic research in autism spectrum disorder . Psychiatric Genetics, 26(2), 74-80. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health).
    Crossref OpenAlex
  22. Allen Buchanan (1996). Choosing Who Will Be Disabled: Genetic Intervention and the Morality of Inclusion . Social Philosophy and Policy, 13(2), 18-46. Cambridge University Press (CUP).
    Crossref OpenAlex
  23. Afiqah Yusuf , Mayada Elsabbagh (2015). At the cross-roads of participatory research and biomarker discovery in autism: the need for empirical data . BMC Medical Ethics, 16(1), 88. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  24. Kathryn Asbury , Umar Toseeb , Naomi Barrow (2024). What do parents of nonverbal and minimally verbal autistic children think about genomic autism research? Autism, 28(7), 1838-1846. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  25. the Australian Autism Biobank team , Gail A Alvares , Paul A. Dawson , Cheryl Dissanayake , Valsamma Eapen , Jacob Gratten et al. (2018). Study protocol for the Australian autism biobank: an international resource to advance autism discovery research . BMC Pediatrics, 18(1), 284-284. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  26. Jacob A. S. Vorstman , Jeremy R. Parr , Daniel Moreno-De-Luca , Richard J. L. Anney , John I. Nurnberger Jr , Joachim F. Hallmayer (2017). Autism genetics: opportunities and challenges for clinical translation . Nature Reviews Genetics, 18(6), 362-376. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  27. Ipsita Dey , Sreerupa Chakrabarty , Rajanya Nandi , Rakshita Shekhar , Sakhi Singhi , Shoba Nayar et al. (2024). Autism community priorities in diverse low-resource settings: A country-wide scoping exercise in India . Autism, 28(1), 187-198. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  28. Heather Westwood , Kate Tchanturia (2017). Autism Spectrum Disorder in Anorexia Nervosa: An Updated Literature Review . Current Psychiatry Reports, 19(7), 41. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  29. Putnam OC (2023). How autistic adults’ priorities for autism research differ by gender identity: A mixed-methods study . Womens Health (Lond), 19, 174550572311603.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  30. David G. Amaral , Matthew P. Anderson , Olaf Ansorge , Steven Chance , Carolyn Hare , Patrick R. Hof et al. (2018). Autism BrainNet . Handbook of Clinical Neurology, 150, 31-39. Elsevier.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  31. Stina Lou , Kathrine Carstensen , Olav Bjørn Petersen , Camilla Palmhøj Nielsen , Lone Hvidman , Maja Retpen Lanther et al. (2018). Termination of pregnancy following a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome: A qualitative study of the decision‐making process of pregnant couples . Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 97(10), 1228-1236. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  32. (n.d.). Spectrum 10K. https://spectrum10k.org/ Published n.d. Accessed.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  33. (n.d.). Natri H. Spectrum 10K and the questionable past present and future of genetic autism research. 2021.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  34. Matthew Hollocks , Jian Wei Lerh , Iliana Magiati , Richard Meiser-Stedman , Traolach Brugha (2019). Anxiety and depression in adults with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis . Psychological Medicine, 49(4), 559-572. Cambridge University Press (CUP).
    Crossref OpenAlex
  35. Felicity K Boardman , Rachel Hale (2018). How do genetically disabled adults view selective reproduction? Impairment, identity, and genetic screening . Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine, 6(6), 941-956. Wiley.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.463 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2891140221
    Crossref OpenAlex
  36. Katharine Sanderson (2021). High-profile autism genetics project paused amid backlash . Nature, 598(7879), 17-18. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  37. den Houting J (2021). Participatory and Inclusive Autism Research Practice Guides . Participatory and Inclusive Autism Research Practice Guides, 192236536X.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  38. (n.d.). Centre for Inclusive Design. Easy English versus plain English. https://centreforinclusivedesign.org.au/blog/2021/12/10/easy-english-versus-plain-english-guide/ Published 2020. Accessed.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  39. James Rowlands (2021). Interviewee Transcript Review as a Tool to Improve Data Quality and Participant Confidence in Sensitive Research . International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 20. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  40. Virginia Braun , Victoria Clarke (2022). Thematic Analysis . In Thematic analysis: a practical guide (pp. 1-7). Springer International Publishing.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  41. Tracy B. Grossman , Stephen T. Chasen (2020). Abortion for Fetal Genetic Abnormalities: Type of Abnormality and Gestational Age at Diagnosis . American Journal of Perinatology Reports, 10(01), e87-e92. Georg Thieme Verlag KG.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  42. Christian P Schaaf , Catalina Betancur , Ryan K. C. Yuen , Jeremy R. Parr , David H. Skuse , Louise Gallagher et al. (2020). A framework for an evidence-based gene list relevant to autism spectrum disorder . Nature Reviews Genetics, 21(6), 367-376. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  43. Fryer T (2020). A short guide to ontology and epistemology: Why everyone should be a critical realist . A short guide to ontology and epistemology: Why everyone should be a critical realist.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  44. Felicity K. Boardman (2021). Whose life is worth preserving? Disabled people and the expressivist objection to neonatology . Acta Paediatrica, 110(2), 391-393. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  45. M. Ariel Cascio , Jonathan Weiss , Éric Racine , and the Autism Research Ethics Task Force (2020). Person-oriented ethics for autism research: Creating best practices through engagement with autism and autistic communities . Autism, 24(7), 1676-1690. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  46. (n.d.). NVivo [computer program]. Version 14. 23. 02023.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  47. Anne Honey , Katherine M. Boydell , Francesca Coniglio , Trang Thuy Do , Leonie Dunn , Katherine Gill et al. (2020). Lived experience research as a resource for recovery: a mixed methods study . BMC Psychiatry, 20(1), 456-456. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  48. Felicity K. Boardman (2021). Attitudes toward population screening among people living with fragile X syndrome in the UK: ‘I wouldn’t wish him away, I’d just wish his fragile X syndrome away’ . Journal of Genetic Counseling, 30(1), 85-97. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  49. Paul Steven Miller , Rebecca Leah Levine (2013). Avoiding genetic genocide: understanding good intentions and eugenics in the complex dialogue between the medical and disability communities . Genetics in Medicine, 15(2), 95-102. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  50. Laurel Richardson (2000). Evaluating Ethnography . Qualitative Inquiry, 6(2), 253-255. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  51. Tracy Finch , J. Mackintosh , Alex Petrou , Helen McConachie , Ann Le Couteur , Deborah Garland et al. (2022). “We couldn’t think in the box if we tried. We can’t even find the damn box”: A qualitative study of the lived experiences of autistic adults and relatives of autistic adults . PLOS ONE, 17(3), e0264932. Public Library of Science (PLoS).
    Crossref OpenAlex
  52. Felicity Boardman , Gareth Thomas (2023). Expressivist objections to prenatal screening and testing: Perceptions of people living with disability . Sociology of Health & Illness, 45(6), 1223-1241. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  53. Jacky (Manidoomakwakwe) Ellis (2023). Imagining Neurodivergent Futures from the Belly of the Identity Machine: Neurodiversity, Biosociality, and Strategic Essentialism . Autism in Adulthood, 5(3), 225-235. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  54. John H. Ward , Elizabeth Weir , Carrie T. Allison , Simon Baron-Cohen (2023). Increased rates of chronic physical health conditions across all organ systems in autistic adolescents and adults . Molecular Autism, 14(1), 35. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  55. Carolina Baeza-Velasco , Judith Vergne , Marianna Poli , Larissa Kalisch , Raffaella Calati (2025). Autism in the context of joint hypermobility, hypermobility spectrum disorders, and Ehlers–Danlos syndromes: A systematic review and prevalence meta-analyses . Autism, 29(8), 1939-1958. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  56. Agebjörn J (2024). Association between autism and PTSD among adult psychiatric outpatients . J Autism Dev Disord, 10.1007/s10803.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  57. Whitehorne-Smith P (2023). Australasian Autism Research Council 2023 Research Priority Update: focus on five priority areas . Australasian Autism Research Council 2023 Research Priority Update: focus on five priority areas.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  58. Haar T (2024). ‘We have so much to offer’: Community members’ perspectives on autism research . Autism, 136236132412487.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  59. (n.d.). Australian Autism Research Council. Australian Autism Research Council: 2019 Research priorities. 2019.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  60. (n.d.). Simpson K van der Meer L Adams D et al. A systematic review of how quality of life and wellbeing is measured in autistic individuals with and without complex support and/or communication needs. 2023.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  61. (n.d.). Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism. Inclusive research practice guides and checklists for autism research. 2016.
    Type: Other
    Crossref