A personal account of neurodiversity, academia and activism

The neurodiversity movement developed as a form of activism directly opposed to the way academics and clinicians had defined particular groups of people purely in terms of pathological deviations from an idealised notion of normalcy. In this chapter, the author reflects upon his own position as a scholar-activist working within and between the neurodiversity movement and the academy. Traditionally, the field of autism studies has been dominated by biological and psychological research, and yet power differentials can impact upon critical sociological work reflected in the formation of niche subcultures. Finally, the precarious position of being an ‘endorsed community insider’ (and simultaneous opposite) scholar-activist will be examined, the potential pitfalls, the expectations and tensions that can come about from others one interacts with, and what can be done to navigate such terrain.