Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Re-presenting Autism: The Construction of ‘NT Syndrome’

  • Published:
Journal of Medical Humanities Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Autism is a widely researched area and much emphasis has been placed in research on the differences between the autistic and non-autistic populations. Such research commonly draws on proposed deficits within people with autism in order to explain differences. This paper seeks to present an alternative understanding of differences and draws on writings of people with autism in such a discussion. The construction of ‘Neurologically Typical syndrome’ (NT) will be presented as an inverted construction of diagnosis, which serves to challenge the dominant position of ‘NTs’ and ‘NT traits’ over autistic traits. It will be argued that such an alternative representation of people with and without autism has important implications for our construction of and understanding of autism.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. L Wing, “The Autistic Spectrum,” Lancet, 350(9093) (1997): 1761–1767.

  2. H Tager-Flusberg, “A psychological approach to understanding the social and language impairments in autism,” International Review of Psychiatry, 11 (1999): 325–334.

  3. S Baron-Cohen, AM Leslie and U Frith, “Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”?,” Cognition, 21 (1985): 37–46.

  4. L Kanner, “Autistic disturbance of affective contact,” Nervous Child, 2 (1943): 217–250.

  5. H Asperger, “‘Autistic psychopathy’ in childhood,” in Autism and Aspergers Syndrome, ed. and trans. U Frith (Cambridge: Cambridge, 1991) 37–92.

  6. C Brownlow, The construction of the Autistic Individual: Investigations in Online Discussion Groups (unpublished PhD Thesis, 2007).

  7. SE Folstein, “Autism,” International Review of Psychiatry, 11 (1999): 269–277.

  8. U Frith, Autism: Explaining the Enigma, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Blackwell, 2003).

  9. C Barnes and G Mercer, eds., Exploring the Divide: Illness and Disability (Leeds: The Disability Press, 1996).

  10. B Hughes and K Paterson, “The Social Model of Disability and the Disappearing Body: Towards a Sociology of Impairment,” Disability and Society, 12(3) (1997): 325–340.

  11. D Goodley, “‘Learning Difficulties,’ the Social Model of Disability and Impairment: Challenging Epistemologies,” Disability and Society, 16(2) (2001): 207–231.

  12. M Rapley, The Social Construction of Intellectual Disability (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004).

  13. I Hacking, The Social Construction of What? (Cambridge Massachusetts and London England: First Harvard University Press, 1999).

  14. RR Grinker, Unstrange Minds: Remapping the world of autism (New York: Basic Books, 2007).

  15. M Osteen, ed., Autism and Representation (London: Routledge 2008).

  16. E McLaughlin-Cheng, “Asperger syndrome and autism: A literature review and meta-analysis,” Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, 13(4) (1998): 234–245.

  17. B Kugler, “The differentiation between autism and Asperger syndrome,” Autism 2(1) (1998): 11–32.

  18. M Dekker, “On our own terms: Emerging Autistic Culture,” available at: http://autisticculture.com/index.php?page=articles (2000), accessed March 7, 2008.

  19. H Blume, “Autistics are communicating in cyberspace,” available at: http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/techcol/063097techcol.html (1997), accessed January 22, 2008.

  20. MJ Ward and RN Meyer, “Self-determination for people with developmental disabilities and autism: Two self-advocates’ perspectives,” Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 14 (1999): 133–140.

  21. C Brownlow and L O’Dell, “Constructing an autistic identity: AS voices online,” Mental Retardation, 44(5) (2006): 315–321.

  22. N Edley, “Analysing Masculinity: Interpretative Repertoires, Ideological Dilemmas and Subject Positions,” Discourse as Data: A guide for analysis, ed. M Wetherell, S Taylor, and SJ Yates (London: Sage, 2001), 189–228.

  23. J Potter and M Wetherell, Discourse and Social Psychology: Beyond Attitudes and Behaviour (London: Sage, 1987).

  24. J Suler, “Psychological Dynamics of Online Synchronous Conversations in Text-Driven Chat Environments,” available at: www.rider.edu/users/suler/psycyber/psycyber.html (1997), accessed May 17, 2002.

  25. Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical, available at: http://isnt.autistics.org/index.html (1998), accessed March 7, 2008.

  26. F Klein, “Understanding Neurotypicality,” available at: http://home.att.net/∼ascaris1/neurotypicality.htm (2002), accessed March 7, 2008.

  27. J Singer, “Why can´t you be normal for once in your life?’ From a ‘problem with no name’ to the emergence of a new category of difference,” Disability Discourse, ed. M Corker and S French (Buckingham: Open University Press, 1999), p. 59–67.

  28. H Molloy and L Vasil, “The Social Construction of Asperger Syndrome: The pathologising of difference?” Disability and Society, 17 (6) (2002): 659–669.

  29. M Oliver, The Politics of Disablement (Basingstoke: MacMillan 1990).

  30. T Billington, “Working with autistic children and young people: sense, experience and the challenges for services, policies and practices,” Disability and Society, 21(1) (2006): 1–13.

References

  • Asperger, H. “‘Autistic psychopathy’ in childhood.” In Autism and Aspergers Syndrome, ed. and trans, U Frith (Cambridge: Cambridge, 1991): 37–92.

  • Barnes, C. and G Mercer, eds. Exploring the Divide: Illness and Disability (Leeds: The Disability Press, 1996).

  • Baron-Cohen, S., AM Leslie and U Frith “Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”?” Cognition, 21 (1985): 37–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Billington, T. “Working with autistic children and young people: sense, experience and the challenges for services, policies and practices.” Disability and Society, 21(1) (2006): 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blume, H. “Autistics are communicating in cyberspace.” http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/techcol/063097techcol.html.

  • Brownlow, C. The construction of the Autistic Individual: Investigations in Online Discussion Groups (unpublished PhD Thesis, 2007).

  • Brownlow, C. and L O’Dell. “Constructing an autistic identity: AS voices online.” Mental Retardation, 44(5) (2006): 315–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dekker, M. “On our own terms: Emerging Autistic Culture.” http://autisticculture.com/index.php?page=articles.

  • Edley, N. “Analysing Masculinity: Interpretative Repertoires, Ideological Dilemmas and Subject Positions.” In Discourse as Data. A guide for analysis, eds. M Wetherell, S Taylor, and SJ Yates (London: Sage 2001): 189–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folstein, SE. “Autism.” International Review of Psychiatry, 11 (1999): 269–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frith, U. Autism. Explaining the Enigma, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Blackwell, 2003).

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodley, D. “‘Learning Difficulties,’ the Social Model of Disability and Impairment: Challenging Epistemologies.” Disability and Society, 16(2) (2001): 207–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grinker, RR. Unstrange Minds: Remapping the world of autism (New York: Basic Books, 2007).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hacking, I. The Social Construction of What? (Cambridge Massachusetts and London England: First Harvard University Press, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, B. and K Paterson. “The Social Model of Disability and the Disappearing Body: Towards a Sociology of Impairment.” Disability and Society, 12(3) (1997): 325–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical. http://isnt.autistics.org/index.html.

  • Kanner, L. “Autistic disturbance of affective contact.” Nervous Child, 2 (1943): 217–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein, F. “Understanding Neurotypicality.” http://home.att.net/∼ascaris1/neurotypicality.htm.

  • Kugler, B. “The differentiation between autism and Asperger syndrome.” Autism 2(1) (1998): 11–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLaughlin-Cheng, E. “Asperger syndrome and autism: A literature review and meta-analysis.” Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, 13(4) (1998): 234–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Molloy, H. and L Vasil. “The Social Construction of Asperger Syndrome: The pathologising of difference?” Disability and Society, 17 (6) (2002): 659–669.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, M. The Politics of Disablement (Basingstoke: MacMillan, 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  • Osteen, M., ed. Autism and Representation (London: Routledge, 2008).

  • Potter, J. and M Wetherell. Discourse and Social Psychology: Beyond Attitudes and Behaviour (London: Sage, 1987).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rapley, M. The Social Construction of Intellectual Disability (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Singer, J. “Why can´t you be normal for once in your life?’ From a ‘problem with no name’ to the emergence of a new category of difference,” in Disability Discourse, eds. M Corker and S French (Buckingham: Open University Press, 1999): 59–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suler, J. “Psychological Dynamics of Online Synchronous Conversations in Text-Driven Chat Environments.” www.rider.edu/users/suler/psycyber/psycyber.html.

  • Tager-Flusberg, H. “A psychological approach to understanding the social and language impairments in autism.” International Review of Psychiatry, 11 (1999): 325–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, MJ and RN Meyer. “Self-determination for people with developmental disabilities and autism: Two self-advocates’ perspectives.” Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 14 (1999): 133–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wing, L. “The Autistic Spectrum.” Lancet, 350(9093) (1997): 1761–1767.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

    Charlotte Brownlow

Authors
  1. Charlotte Brownlow
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Charlotte Brownlow.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Brownlow, C. Re-presenting Autism: The Construction of ‘NT Syndrome’. J Med Humanit 31, 243–255 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-010-9114-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-010-9114-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation