Critical Autism Studies

In 2024, one of my professors, Dr. Amanda Harrison, invited me to co-present at Library Research Seminar 8 in Lexington, Ky. Our presentation focused on portrayals of autistic people in “readers’ choice” state book award nominees from 2014 to 2024 (Harrison & Parkhill, 2024; Parkhill, 2024b). Preparing for this experience served, for me, as a formal introduction to “critical autism studies” (CAS), which challenges “deficit-focused” constructions of autism and centers the work of autistic people themselves, “academics, activists, and professionals” (Milton & Ryan, 2022, p. 3).

For several years prior, I’d examined the place of autistic adults in society and I’d read and responded to books that feature autistic characters (Parkhill, 2024a). When I read and re-read some of these books, several themes stood out for me and I created a slideshow for the April 2025 UCM Scholars Symposium (Parkhill, 2025). A short while later, an article we’d co-authored (with Andrea Dyche, LCSW, LSCSW) was published in the Journal of Radical Librarianship.

References:

Harrison, A. & Parkhill, C.M. Neurodiverse representation in the state book award nominees, 2014-2024. In: Library Research Seminar 8; Sept. 16-18, 2024, Lexington, Ky. Abstract 2306. https://comm.uky.edu/lrs8/program/schedule/8/paperposter/2306

Harrison, A.; Parkhill, C.M.; & Dyche, A. (2025). Representing the spectrum: Autism in the United States children’s choice book award nominees, 2014-2024. Journal of Radical Librarianship, 11(2025), 36-85. https://journal.radicallibrarianship.org/index.php/journal/article/view/124

Milton, D. & Ryan, S. (2022). The Routledge international handbook of critical autism studies. Taylor & Francis.

Parkhill, C.M. (2024a, Sept. 22). Ought: The journal of autistic culture. Cynthia Parkhill. https://cynthiaparkhill.blogspot.com/2024/09/ought-journal-of-autistic-culture.html

Parkhill, C.M. (2024b, Sept. 25). Presentor’s recap (Brief): Library Research Seminar 8 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/5Xlm5xlmEF4

Parkhill, C.M. (2025, April 3). Presentor’s recap: Library Research Seminar 8 [Video]. In: UCM Scholars Symposium; April 3, 2025. https://youtu.be/FYVN1Boqo00