TY - JOUR
T1 - “I’m Not Sure I Even Know”: Therapists’ Tentative Constructions of Autism
AU - Lester, Jessica Nina
AU - Paulus, Trena M.
N1 - Altman, B. (2001). Disability definitions, models classification schemes, and applications. In G. Albrecht, K. Seelman & M. Bury (Eds.), The Handbook of Disability Studies (pp. 97-122). London: Sage Publications. American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Antaki, C., Billing, M.
PY - 2015/9/15
Y1 - 2015/9/15
N2 - Autism has historically been constructed within and through biomedical discourses and practices. Therapeutic interventions have focused on “treating” and “curing” the individual diagnosed with autism, with therapists positioned as the “experts.” In this paper, we report findings from a discourse analysis informed by discursive psychology of eight interviews with therapists of children with autism labels. While the therapists were frequently positioned as “experts” with presumed “stocks of knowledge,” they were reluctant to definitively name autism as something with clearly defined characteristics, thereby making evident the shifting nature of knowledge surrounding what autism “really is.” We discuss implications for practitioners and others, as well as point to the importance of engaging in social constructionist studies of the discourses surrounding autism.
AB - Autism has historically been constructed within and through biomedical discourses and practices. Therapeutic interventions have focused on “treating” and “curing” the individual diagnosed with autism, with therapists positioned as the “experts.” In this paper, we report findings from a discourse analysis informed by discursive psychology of eight interviews with therapists of children with autism labels. While the therapists were frequently positioned as “experts” with presumed “stocks of knowledge,” they were reluctant to definitively name autism as something with clearly defined characteristics, thereby making evident the shifting nature of knowledge surrounding what autism “really is.” We discuss implications for practitioners and others, as well as point to the importance of engaging in social constructionist studies of the discourses surrounding autism.
KW - constructions of autism
KW - discourse analysis
KW - discursive psychology
UR - http://www.rdsjournal.org/index.php/journal/article/view/513/0
M3 - Article
VL - 11
JO - The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal
JF - The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal
ER -