Publication Date: May 17, 2019
Pages: 128
Series: Practitioner Inquiry Series
Autobiography on the Spectrum challenges prevailing notions about autism by offering a critically unconventional perspective—the viewpoint of adolescents who are themselves on the spectrum. Examining a year-long inquiry, Myers highlights the autobiographical works of the students through writing, photography, poetry, art, and more. She argues that autistic youth are not being accurately depicted in current research, not because they are unable to represent their own experiences but because their experiences are not always valued. In contrast, this book explores how autistic youth can (and do) represent themselves and shows educators how to create a space for the voices of these students. Offering a deep look into a world that is rarely seen, Autobiography on the Spectrum is a critical resource for teacher preparation and professional learning in any field that interacts with individuals with autism or other disabilities.
Book Features:
Beth A. Myers is an assistant professor and director of the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education at Syracuse University.
“This book needs to be in the hands of teachers everywhere. Myers demonstrates how students often thought to be withdrawn, quiet, and tense can in different contexts be fanciful, reflective, and even boisterous, always with their own perspective on others and a deep sense of self. Autobiography on the Spectrum illustrates how a teacher can meld a gift for facilitating storytelling with a belief that her students have much to say, unleashing rich, compelling, seldom-heard narratives. In the tradition of other extraordinary teachers, Myers shows the agency and power that accrue when people traditionally ignored or assumed to be disconnected from a sense of self discover their own voices.”
—Douglas Biklen, dean emeritus, Syracuse University, School of Education and co-producer of Academy Award–nominated documentary Autism Is a World
“Beth Myers' book, Autobiography on the Spectrum, gives voice to the lives and experiences of a group of students labeled autistic and, in so doing, provides a powerful counternarrative to deficit perspectives that characterize autism in terms of deficiency and disease. This splendid book will appeal to anyone committed to the principle that all people are thoughtful, interesting, and competent—even if they’ve had a label attached to them.”
—Curt Dudley-Marling, professor emeritus, Boston College
“The voices of those on the spectrum need to be at the center of conversations on autism. Beth Myers has made this crystal clear in the pages of this important book. She not only makes a powerful case for using autobiography in the classroom and beyond, but offers suggestions and guidance for how to support individuals to tell stories, share experiences, and express themselves. Perhaps more important, she offers readers opportunities to learn from often-marginalized voices and illustrates many ways educators can expand how they listen to autistic children and adolescents.”
—Paula Kluth, consultant, author, and independent scholar
Acknowledgments vii
Preface ix
1. “I swam too far in the sea and drowned”: A Different View of Autism 1
The Prevailing Deficit Model of Autism 2
An Alternate View: Critical Disability Theory 4
Autobiography and Autism 5
Creating a Space for Inquiry 8
2. “The walls of my room”: Representations of Home and Family 16
Opening Up: An Introduction to Billy 17
Making Connections 22
Exploring Relationships 25
Expectations: The Way Things Are Supposed to Be 28
Taking Risks: Telling Versus Not Telling 31
Locating Self 36
Claiming Ownership 39
3. “I hope school starts to calm down so I can too”: Enduring, Resisting, and Reframing School Experiences 41
Imaging and Imagining: Looking Out at Others Looking In 43
Charlie: Enduring Oppression 45
Elizabeth: Resisting Oppression 50
Cody: Reframing Oppression 55
Making Space for Inquiry 60
4. “Nobody’s normal in a way”: Writing Ourselves into the Story of Autism 62
(De)Constructing Autism 62
Interrogating “Normal” 66
Exploring the Potential of Narrative Works 68
Disrupting the Autism Narrative 69
Managing a Stigmatized Identity 70
Autobiography as a Counternarrative 72
5. “I can do more than people think I can do”: On Discovering What We Seek 75
Autobiographical Lives 76
Creating for Agency 77
Autobiography as a Counter-Practice 78
Practitioner Inquiry: Making Meaning from Our Work 79
How We Move Forward 81
Multimodality and Access 88
Considering My Own Place 90
Notes 93
References 95
Index 101
About the Author 107
Professors: Request an Exam Copy
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