"My Autism Is My Own": Autistic Identity and Intersectionality in the School Context

Area of Science:

• Neurodevelopmental studies
• Identity formation research
• Educational psychology

Background:

• School experiences significantly influence identity development throughout childhood and adolescence, impacting adult life.
• Limited research explores autistic individuals' first-person perspectives on how school shapes autistic and intersecting identities.
• This study investigates school messages received by autistic individuals and their engagement with these messages to form identities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine how school environments and interactions shape autistic identity.
• To understand how autistic individuals engage with and respond to messages about their identity in school.
• To explore the intersection of autistic identity with other identities (e.g., race, gender) within the school context.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interviews were conducted with ten U.S.-based autistic adolescents and adults (ages 15-35).
• Interviews focused on school experiences, interactions with teachers/peers, and identity formation.
• Data analysis employed a critical constructivist approach with grounded theory, ensuring trustworthiness through peer debriefing, reflexive journaling, memoing, and member checking.

Main Results:

• Autistic students received stigmatizing messages regarding their autism from teachers and peers, influenced by intersecting identities like race and gender.
• Following disclosure, teachers often viewed students narrowly through an autism lens.
• Participants actively resisted negative messages by reclaiming and reframing their autistic identity, embracing strengths, and controlling disclosure.

Conclusions:

• Schools convey powerful, often stigmatizing, messages about autism that impact identity.
• Autistic students actively reclaim and shape their identities to foster a positive, empowered sense of self.
• Educators must promote positive autism perceptions, build inclusive communities, and advocate for autistic representation to support autism-affirming messages.