Global Indigenous perspectives on autism and autism research: Colonialism, cultural insights and ways forward

Added on 16/02/2025

Type de contenu

Journal article of the type Editorial ( ; english)

Global Indigenous perspectives on autism and autism research: Colonialism, cultural insights and ways forward published in the journal "Autism" n°29, vol.2, 9 pages , doi: 10.1177/13623613251318399

*Two co-authors had publicly identified as autistic. [Learn more about this mention]

- 7% of authors cited in the bibliography of this resource have publicly identified as autistic (11 out of 161 authors).
- 9% of references cited in this resource contain at least one author who has publicly identified as autistic (6 out of 70 references).

=> Unrestricted access and free

Summary/Presentation

[First lines]
Globally, Indigenous perspectives on autism have been largely overlooked in academia. This oversight represents a significant gap in mainstream academia’s understanding of Indigenous perspectives and experiences of autism, ultimately undermining efforts to provide culturally centred diagnoses, support, services and research. Although there is an increasing body of academic literature addressing autism and Indigenous peoples, a collective voice that articulates Indigenous understandings and outlines how to conduct meaningful research in this area is still lacking.
The aims of this Editorial are (1) to bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous, Autistic and non-Autistic researchers to explore various experiences, expertise, knowledge and cultural understandings of autism in Indigenous communities from different geographic regions around the world and (2) to advocate for improved and meaningful autism research with, by and for Indigenous people.

For your information:

(1) References in blue are resources listed on our site.

(2) Authors listed in this bibliography whose names are in color have published other resources referenced on the site. Clicking on the name allows you to see the list of resources they have published and shared on the site.

(3) Authors whose names are followed by an asterisk have publicly disclosed being autistic.


  • K. Absolon (2022). "Kaandossiwin: How We Come to Know."

  • Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024). "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework: Summary report August 2024." Australian Government. (Source)

  • Commonwealth of Australia. (2023). "Final report: First Nations people with disability." Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. (Source)

  • Cowessess First Nation (2021). "Cowessess First Nation and the Autism Resource Centre: Building Block Program."

  • B. Bailey, J. Arciuli (2020). "Indigenous Australians with autism: A scoping review". Autism, 24(5). doi:10.1177/1362361319894829

  • H. Moewaka Barnes, T. McCreanor (2019). "Colonisation, hauora and whenua in Aotearoa". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 49(sup1). doi:10.1080/03036758.2019.1668439

  • J. Bevan-Brown (2013). "Including people with disabilities: an indigenous perspective". International Journal of Inclusive Education, 17(6). doi:10.1080/13603116.2012.694483

  • R. Bishop, M. Berryman, T. Cavanagh, L. Teddy (2009). "Te Kotahitanga: Addressing educational disparities facing Māori students in New Zealand". Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5). doi:10.1016/j.tate.2009.01.009

  • C. Blackstock (2011). "The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on First Nations Child Welfare: Why if Canada wins, equality and justice lose". Children and Youth Services Review, 33(1). doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2010.09.002

  • C. Blackstock (2017). "The Complainant: The Canadian Human Rights Case on First Nations Child Welfare". mlj, 62(2). doi:10.7202/1040049ar

  • D. Bridges (2017). "'Nothing About Us Without Us': The Ethics of Outsider Research". Philosophy in Educational Research. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-49212-4_20

  • E. Brondízio, Y. Aumeeruddy-Thomas, P. Bates, J. Carino, Á. Fernández-Llamazares, M. Farhan Ferrari, K. Galvin, V. Reyes-García, P. McElwee, Z. Molnár, A. Samakov, U. Babu Shrestha (2021). "Locally Based, Regionally Manifested, and Globally Relevant: Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Values, and Practices for Nature". Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour., 46(1). doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-012127

  • G. Bruno, T. Chan, L. Zwaigenbaum, E. Coombs, I., D. Nicholas (2024). "Indigenous Autism in Canada: A Scoping Review". J Autism Dev Disord, 54(9). doi:10.1007/s10803-023-06045-z

  • J. Bryant, R. Bolt, J. Botfield, K. Martin, M. Doyle, D. Murphy, S. Graham, C. Newman, S. Bell, C. Treloar, A. Browne, P. Aggleton (2021). "Beyond deficit: 'strengths‐based approaches' in Indigenous health research". Sociology Health & Illness, 43(6). doi:10.1111/1467-9566.13311

  • A. Dillon, R. Craven, J. Guo, A. Yeung, J. Mooney, A. Franklin, R. Brockman (2022). "Boarding schools: A longitudinal examination of Australian Indigenous and non‐Indigenous boarders' and non‐boarders' wellbeing". British Educational Res J, 48(4). doi:10.1002/berj.3792

  • A. Drawson, E. Toombs, C. Mushquash (2017). "Indigenous Research Methods: A Systematic Review". iipj, 8(2). doi:10.18584/iipj.2017.8.2.5

  • C. Elkins (2005). "Britain's Gulag: The Brutal End of Empire in Kenya."

  • J. Kim Elston, V. Saunders, B. Hayes, R. Bainbridge, B. Mccoy (2013). "Building Indigenous Australian research capacity". Contemporary Nurse, 46(1). doi:10.5172/conu.2013.46.1.6

  • L. M. Emerson (2023). "Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Mental Health in Children and Adolescents."

  • L. M. Emerson, R. Monk*, L. van der Meer, D. Sutherland, L. McLay (2024). "Autistic Co-Led Community Priorities for Future Autism Research in Aotearoa New Zealand". Autism in Adulthood, 6(2). doi:10.1089/aut.2022.0109

  • First Nations Information Governance Centre (2014). "Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (OCAP): The Path to First Nations Information Governance."

  • C. Friedman (2023). "Ableism, racism, and the quality of life of Black, Indigenous, people of colour with intellectual and developmental disabilities". Research Intellect Disabil, 36(3). doi:10.1111/jar.13084

  • A. Gerlach, A. Matthiesen, F. Moola, J. Watts (2022). "Autism and Autism Services with Indigenous Families and Children in the Settler-Colonial Context of Canada: A Critical Scoping Review". CJDS, 11(2). doi:10.15353/cjds.v11i2.886

  • T. Hall, J. Fenelon (2016). "Indigenous Peoples and Globalization".

  • S. Hopf, S. McLeod, S. McDonagh, E. Rakanace (2018). "Communication Disability in Fiji: Community Cultural Beliefs and Attitudes". DCID, 28(1). doi:10.5463/dcid.v28i1.600

  • International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. (2024). "The Indigenous World 2024." (Source)

  • B. Jones, P. Toko King, G. Baker, L. Waimarie Nikora, H. Hickey, M. Perry, R. Pouwhare, T. Richard Ingham (2024). "Karanga rua, karanga maha: Māori with lived experience of disability self-determining their own identities". Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, 19(1). doi:10.1080/1177083x.2023.2224422

  • S. K. Kapp* (2013). "Navajo and Autism: The Beauty of Harmony." In M. Moore (Ed.), "Moving Beyond Boundaries in Disability Studies" (pp. 77–88).

  • L. Kingston (2015). "The Destruction of Identity: Cultural Genocide and Indigenous Peoples". Journal of Human Rights, 14(1). doi:10.1080/14754835.2014.886951

  • A. Lindblom (2017). "Exploring autism and music interventions through a First Nations lens". AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 13(4). doi:10.1177/1177180117729854

  • A. Lindblom, Y. Jannok Nutti (2024). "Paradigmatic disharmonies and dilemmas in special educational practices for Sámi children and youth in Norway". AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. doi:10.1177/11771801241309817

  • M. Mahony, G. Endfield (2018). "Climate and colonialism". WIREs Climate Change, 9(2). doi:10.1002/wcc.510

  • N. Marsden, L. Star, J. Smylie (2020). "Nothing about us without us in writing: aligning the editorial policies of the Canadian Journal of Public Health with the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples". Can J Public Health, 111(6). doi:10.17269/s41997-020-00452-w

  • S. Minton (2019). "Residential Schools and Indigenous Peoples".

  • I. Novsima (2023). "Decolonizing Ableist Pedagogy". Intl Review of Mission, 112(2). doi:10.1111/irom.12480

  • Te Pou o te Whakaaro Nui. (2019). "Te Tau Tītoki: A Framework for Supporting People on the Autism Spectrum." (Source)

  • International Labour Organization (2019). "Work for a Brighter Future."

  • M. O’Bryan (2022). "The Frayed Social Fabric: Essays on Poverty and Injustice."

  • H. Pillay (2015). "National Profiles of In-Country Capacity to Support Disability-Inclusive Education: Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu."

  • P. W. Reeves (1899). "The Long White Cloud: Ao Tea Roa."

  • N. Salahshour (2021). "A Critique of New Zealand's Exclusive Approach to Intercultural Education". NZ J Educ Stud, 56(1). doi:10.1007/s40841-020-00179-9

  • A. Salmond (1991). "Man and a Half: Essays in Pacific Anthropology and Ethnobiology in Honour of Ralph Bulmer." In A. Pawley (Ed.), pp. 334–347.

  • Select Committee on Autism. (2022). "Services, Supports, and Life Outcomes for Autistic Australians." The Senate, Commonwealth of Australia. (Source)

  • L. T. Smith (2013). "Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples." 2nd ed.

  • B. Sprunt (2017). "A Resource Kit for Speech-Language Therapists Working with Indigenous Children."

  • E. Stack, K. McDonald (2014). "Nothing About Us Without Us: Does Action Research in Developmental Disabilities Research Measure Up?". Policy Practice Intel Disabi, 11(2). doi:10.1111/jppi.12074

  • A. Sánchez-Rivera, P. Jacobs, C. Spence (2023). "Detailed Data for Hundreds of American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes." US Census Bureau. (Source)

  • The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Norway. (2023). "Truth and Reconciliation: Foundation for a Settlement with Norwegianization Politics and Injustice Towards Sami, Kven, Norwegian Finns and Forest Finns: Report to the Norwegian Parliament from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Delivered to the Presidency of the Parliament 01.06.2023." (Source)

  • D. Trembath (2022). "Innovations in Autism Research: The Future of Diagnosis and Intervention."

  • Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015). "Canada’s Residential Schools: The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada."

  • M. R. Velarde (2018). "Indigenous Education in Latin America: A Critical Analysis."

  • C. Vowel (2016). "Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, & Inuit Issues in Canada."

  • C. J. Voyageur (2000). "Firekeepers of the Twenty-First Century: First Nations Women Chiefs."

  • J. T. Ward (2025). "Indigenous Disability Studies."

  • A. J. Whitehouse (2018). "A National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Australia."

  • M. Wildcat, D. Voth (2023). "Indigenous relationality: definitions and methods". AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 19(2). doi:10.1177/11771801231168380

  • S. Woolfenden, K. Milner, K. Tora, K. Naulumatua, R. Mataika, F. Smith, R. Lingam, J. Kado, I. Tuibeqa (2020). "Strengthening Health Systems to Support Children with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities in Fiji—A Commentary". IJERPH, 17(3). doi:10.3390/ijerph17030972

  • A. Woolford (2015). "This Benevolent Experiment: Indigenous Boarding Schools, Genocide, and Redress in Canada and the United States".

  • G. Younging (2018). "Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples."

  • M. Øzerk, K. Øzerk (2020). "Autisme og pedagogikk: En teoretisk og metodisk håndbok." 2nd ed.


 
Summarize/Comment on/Translate this reference?