Conclusion

Abstract

This concluding chapter summarizes and contextualizes the stories of events told by leaders of the autistic community and neurodiversity movement. The manifestos, mailing lists, websites or webpages, conferences, issue campaigns, academic project and journal, book, and advisory roles narrated by contributors have had significantly positive impacts on the autism landscape. Yet the contributors told their stories through words, similarly to that much neurodiversity activism takes place through language. Therefore the editor examines the most persistent critiques of the neurodiversity movement, about its representation of people with “severe” autism directly or on their behalf. The analysis mostly disputes these arguments, but finds room for improvement. The chapter ends with consideration of remaining challenges for the movement and future directions for books and scholarship on it.