Early-Career Autism Researchers Are Shifting Their Research Directions: Tragedy or Opportunity?

Early-career researchers (ECRs) are among the most creative, talented, and energetic researchers, and they play an important role in knowledge production and pushing scientific boundaries. Recent debates have implied that many early-career autism researchers are compelled to shift their areas of focus within autism research as a consequence of their work being scrutinized by the autistic and autism communities. In this Perspective, I draw on my own experience as an early-career autism researcher having recently pivoted my research focus to become more aligned with community priorities. I reflect on whether these putative shifts in research direction are, indeed, a tragedy, as has previously been suggested, or, in fact, an opportunity for autism researchers. I argue that pivoting in research is a demonstration of science adapting to the ever-evolving needs in society and changes in our understanding of neurodiversity, neurodivergence, and research methods. While disagreements between the autistic, autism, and research communities may well feel uncomfortable, these tensions also present an opportunity for us-as non-autistic autism researchers-to reflect and to act toward building trust with the community. I recommend three areas for reflections: the purpose of our research, our position of power, and the epistemic limits of our academic expertise. I end by encouraging ECRs to consider taking actions, however small, to lead the charge in improving practices in autism research.

Community brief Why is this topic important?The autism and autistic communities are increasingly unhappy with the current state of autism research, which have led to tensions between community members and autism researchers. Recent discussions on this topic have mentioned that early-career autism researchers-those who have gotten their PhDs but are still working toward a more stable career-have been negatively affected by community members publicly criticizing their work. According to several recent reports, these public criticisms have made early-career autism researchers feel worried about continuing their work in the same area and are considering doing another research topic. This is an important issue to discuss because such claims are not consistent with what the research shows, my own experiences as well as those of several other autism researchers. I think this discussion should prompt us-autism researchers-to take a step back and reflect on our research practices. What is the purpose of this article?In this article, I reflect on my own experience as an early-career autism researcher who has recently changed my research topic from trying to understand how autism occurs to trying to understand how society can be more accepting of autistic people. I use my own experience and experiences of other researchers to argue that changes in research directions as a result of community feedback comprise positive progress for autism research. What personal or professional perspectives do the author bring to this topic?I am a non-autistic early-career researcher who has been working in autism research for over 10 years as a student and postdoctoral researcher. I have recently changed my research topic due to having doubts about the real-world impact of my early work after reflecting on autistic people's criticisms on my work. These criticisms played an important role in my development as a researcher. What is already known about this topic?Based on previous studies, we know that the autistic and autism communities are dissatisfied with much of the autism research being done. Many community members felt that some autism research is out-of-touch with their everyday experiences. Though it has been suggested that a participatory research approach-meaning involving autistic people throughout the research process-should help address some of these concerns, such an approach is still uncommon. What does the author recommend?I recommend that autism researchers-non-autistic researchers in particular-take this opportunity to reflect on the purpose of one's research and how it affects the everyday lives of autistic people, our position of power in influencing the way autistic people are being perceived, and the limitations of our academic understanding of autism and autistic people's experiences. I also encourage early-career autism researchers to consider taking steps, even small steps, to improve the way autism research respects and aligns with the perspectives and priorities of the autism and autistic communities. How will these recommendations help autistic adults now or in the future?It is my hope that my experiences, reflections, and recommendations will encourage autism researchers to conduct studies that are more in line with the priorities of the autism and autistic communities and are better informed by lived experiences.