Repositioning Disability in the Discourse of Our Times: A Study of the Everyday Lives of Children with Autism

Abstract

Autism is a global issue; yet, there has been little dialogue about how constructions of normality/abnormality in the context of autism are actualized. As such, in this chapter, we highlight the situated nature of the construction of autism, pointing to the economic, social, and institutional consequences of constructions of disablement. First, we offer a theoretical overview of how disability has been constructed in the field of disability studies, while also discussing the economic contexts within which disability and autism are situated. We then share findings from an ethnographic study focused on the discursive constructions of autism in a clinical context.