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Paper short abstract:

This paper will explore the tensions between the biological reality and the social construction of autism. This paper will also explore the some of the tensions within and between the neurodiversity community, the public mainstream and academic perspectives.

Paper long abstract:

This paper will explore the tensions between the biological reality and the social construction of autism. With more knowledge being circulated about autism spectrum conditions comes with more complicated and nuanced understandings of what autism is and what it isn't. There has been an increase from the neurodiversity movement resisting against deficit understandings of the condition while at the same time there is an increased demand that the general public make more accommodations and recognise autism as a disability. These aspects do not work in conflict with one another but they have created more difficult and often contradictory conversations regarding neurodiversity.

Ian Hacking's (1999) "looping effect" has been an effective concept in making sense of these biological and social construction tensions. The "looping effect" has been specifically useful in understanding how the definitions of autism continually affect the autism population and how the autism population in turn also affects the definitions of autism. Because of the changing nature of definitions and classifications, diagnosing autism spectrum conditions is still not a simple and straightforward process. This paper ultimately concludes that because of the increased knowledge and understanding of the autism spectrum, there is space to be having those difficult conversations regarding what makes up an autistic identity in ways that are productive and that do not further harm to the autistic population.