'Pas de sortie possible sauf par une intervention extérieure' : témoignages de première main sur l'inertie autistique

Ajouté le 14/08/2024

Type de contenu

Article de revue du type Témoignage ( ; anglais)

Karen Buckle*, Kathy Leadbitter, Ellen Poliakoff, Emma Gowen , 'No way out except from external intervention': first-hand accounts of autistic inertia publié dans la revue "Frontiers in psychology", n°12, 17 pages , doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631596

*Un·e co-auteur·rice est autiste. [En savoir plus sur cette mention]

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Cette étude, demandée par des personnes autistes et dirigée par une chercheuse autiste, est la première à explorer l'« inertie autistique », une difficulté répandue et souvent débilitante à agir selon leurs intentions. Les recherches précédentes se sont concentrées sur l'initiation uniquement dans le contexte des interactions sociales ou des conditions expérimentales. Cette étude est unique en ce qu'elle prend en compte la difficulté d'initier des tâches de tout type dans des situations de la vie réelle et recueille des données qualitatives directement auprès de personnes autistes. Quatre groupes de discussion en face-à-face et deux en ligne (par texte) ont été réalisés avec 32 adultes autistes (19 femmes, 8 hommes et 5 autres), âgés de 23 à 64 ans, capables d'exprimer leurs expériences internes avec des mots. Ils détaillent les actions avec lesquelles ils ont des difficultés, ce qui rend l'action plus facile ou plus difficile, et l'impact sur leur vie. L'analyse thématique des transcriptions a révélé quatre thèmes principaux : descriptions de l'inertie, échafaudages pour soutenir l'action, influence du bien-être, et impact sur les activités quotidiennes. Les participants ont décrit une difficulté à commencer, arrêter et changer d'activités qui échappe à leur contrôle conscient. Bien que la difficulté à planifier soit courante, un sous-groupe de participants a décrit une incapacité profonde à initier même des actions simples, suggérant davantage un trouble du mouvement. Les incitations et une activité compatible dans l'environnement favorisaient l'action, tandis que les difficultés de santé mentale et le stress aggravaient les problèmes. L'inertie avait des effets pervasifs sur les activités quotidiennes et le bien-être des participants. Cette recherche attendue depuis longtemps ouvre la voie à de nombreuses autres investigations pour mieux comprendre l'inertie autistique et les stratégies de soutien efficaces.

This study, called for by autistic people and led by an autistic researcher, is the first to explore 'autistic inertia,' a widespread and often debilitating difficulty acting on their intentions. Previous research has considered initiation only in the context of social interaction or experimental conditions. This study is unique in considering difficulty initiating tasks of any type in real life settings, and by gathering qualitative data directly from autistic people. Four face-to-face and 2 online (text) focus groups were conducted with 32 autistic adults (19 female, 8 male, and 5 other), aged 23-64 who were able to express their internal experiences in words. They articulate in detail the actions they have difficulty with, what makes it easier or harder to act, and the impact on their lives. Thematic analysis of the transcripts found four overarching themes: descriptions of inertia, scaffolding to support action, the influence of wellbeing, and the impact on day-to-day activities. Participants described difficulty starting, stopping and changing activities that was not within their conscious control. While difficulty with planning was common, a subset of participants described a profound impairment in initiating even simple actions more suggestive of a movement disorder. Prompting and compatible activity in the environment promoted action, while mental health difficulties and stress exacerbated difficulties. Inertia had pervasive effects on participants' day-to-day activities and wellbeing. This overdue research opens the door to many areas of further investigation to better understand autistic inertia and effective support strategies.


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(1) les références en bleu sont des ressources référencées sur notre site;

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(3) les auteur·rices dont le nom est suivi d'une astérisque ont publiquement divulgué être autistes. [En savoir plus sur cette mention]


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