Today’s episode examines China’s rising prominence in autism research and the potential global consequences of its prevailing deficit-based understanding of autism. The author of the source article, Dr. Jaime Hoerricks—an autistic individual, expresses both admiration for Chinese innovation and deep concern over the country’s approach to autism, which often involves institutionalisation and framing autism as a disruption to social harmony. Dr. Hoerricks highlights how Chinese research, despite its increasing volume in global journals, frequently originates from segregated settings and risks erasing autistic self-advocacy and identity worldwide. She compares China’s diagnostic framework (CCMD-3), rooted in traditional Chinese medicine and social cohesion, with Western systems, noting that both, despite differences, often treat autism as something to be corrected rather than a valid way of being. Ultimately, she calls for autistic voices to resist the dominance of deficit-driven research to ensure their experiences and knowledge are not overshadowed.
Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/when-the-centre-shiftschina-autism
Let me know what you think.
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