Valuable Diversity or Pathological Problem?: A Comparative Thematic Analysis of Self-Advocate and Adapted Physical Activity Teachings About Autism

This article offers a comparative thematic analysis of two datasets: the online writings of Autistic self-advocates on navigating neurotypical programs (emic dataset), and discussions on autism within the most widely circulated undergraduate Adapted Physical Activity (etic dataset). Our 3 themes describe some of the most significant ways that APA textbooks differed from the teachings of Autistic self-advocates: 1) Writing in Categorical Imperatives, 2) Problematizing and Pathologizing Autism and Autistic Characteristics, and 3) Promoting ABA and Autism Speaks. We end with a discussion of how these findings demonstrate a dissonance not only between APA and Autistic knowledges, but also between APA textbook approaches to Autism and APA's stated core values, including dignity, choice, self-determination, and self-advocacy.