Difference versus Disability: implications of characterisation of autism for education and support

For most of the twentieth century autism was considered to be an extremely rare disorder, affecting a tiny proportion of the population, however in recent decades the numbers of those diagnosed or self-identifying as autistic has risen exponentially, with estimated figures of more than 1 in 100 (Brugha, 2012). Autism has been variously described as everything from an evil spirit that robs parents of their children, to a differing cognitive style, or even a fundamental asset to human evolution. The spectrum of ways in which autistic people can present to educational and clinical practitioners is so myriad, that it may be little wonder that the ‘enigma’ (Frith, 1989) still evades simplistic descriptions, as scientists search in vain for what exactly autism is. Although various attempts have been made to categorise differing subgroups of the autism spectrum, e.g. ‘Asperger Syndrome’, ‘low-functioning autism’, ‘atypical autism’; it is highly questionable as to how accurately such distinctions can be made and how useful they are in practice.