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Critical Autism Studies and Robot Therapy

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Challenging Sociality

Part of the book series: Social and Cultural Studies of Robots and AI ((SOCUSRA))

Abstract

This chapter explores an exciting new field of Critical Autism Studies (CAS), a movement of adults with autism, parents, psychotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, disabled activists and social scientists creating a new narrative around autism and challenging existing orthodoxy in autism studies that turns autistic persons into ‘brains’ (neuroscience) or ‘things’ (a set of diagnostic categories of mental disorders). This movement refocuses our attention on the humanity and interpersonal relationships of people with autism and the multitude of relationships they encounter through various health services. Robot therapy is built on problematic foundations that view people with autism as lacking in empathy or meaningful sociality. CAS could provide the template for breaking away from the dehumanising descriptions of autistic persons towards an integrative humanistic paradigm.

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Notes

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    Hacking, I. 2006. Making Up People. London Review of Books, Vol. 28, No 16. 17th August 2005, pp. 23–26. [Online] Accessed 19.8.17 < https://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n16/ian-hacking/making-up-people>

  2. 2.

    Autism Speaks “ MSSNG” Accessed 25.8.17 < http://research.mss.ng/>

  3. 3.

    https://ballastexistenz.wordpress.com/about-2/

  4. 4.

    Autism is the most costly medical condition in the UK. [Online] Accessed 19.8.17 <http://www.lse.ac.uk/website-archive/newsAndMedia/newsArchives/2014/06/Autism.aspx>

  5. 5.

    Conger, Kate. Exclusive: Here’s the Full 10-Page Anti-Diversity Screed Circulating Internally at Google. Gizmodo [Online] 8/125/17 Accessed 12.8.17 <http://gizmodo.com/exclusive-heres-the-full-10-page-anti-diversity-screed-1797564320>

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  1. Faculty of Technology, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

    Kathleen Richardson

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Richardson, K. (2018). Critical Autism Studies and Robot Therapy. In: Challenging Sociality. Social and Cultural Studies of Robots and AI. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74754-5_7

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