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Rethinking Autism

When you'll study it
Semester 2
CATS points
15
ECTS points
7.5
Level
Level 6
Module lead
Sarah Parsons
Academic year
2025-26

Module overview

This module offers you an opportunity to learn about autism through the lens of neurodiversity. Neurodiversity offers a new perspective on our understanding of autism by emphasising the strengths and capabilities of autistic people, as well as challenging the marginalisation and underrepresentation of autistic voices in research and everyday life. As such, this module provides a counternarrative to the dominant ways in which autism has traditionally been defined, discussed, understood, and researched. You will learn about the first-person perspectives of autistic children, young people, and adults including their experiences of education, employment and society in general. You will take a critically reflective perspective on research to consider the extent to which first-person perspectives are taken into account. Where possible, autistic voices are woven through the module through invited guest speakers and inclusion of short video presentations.