Decolonizing Autism: Shifting the Lens of Advocacy and Understanding through a Critical Intersectional Approach

A Vision for the Future: Decolonizing Autism Advocacy

The discourse surrounding autism has long been dominated by deficit-based frameworks that view autistic individuals through a pathologizing lens. These frameworks are not only limited—they are built on colonialist and ableist ideologies that fail to capture the rich diversity of autistic experiences. As a response, this article aims to advocate for a decolonizing approach to autism that challenges these narratives by integrating insights from Critical Autism Studies (CAS), postcolonial feminism, and intersectionality. By situating my own lived experience as an autistic person within these theoretical frameworks, I propose SYNPRAXIS as a new methodology that reimagines autism research and advocacy.

The Need for a Decolonizing Lens in Autism Advocacy

Autism is traditionally understood through a medical model that defines it as a disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and repetitive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This medicalization of autism has be…