This article reflects on the author’s evolving understanding of autism, shaped by their experience as a non-autistic researcher in Critical Autism Studies. Initially challenged by discomfort and self-doubt, the author reframed these feelings as part of a necessary process of “unknowing”, a reflective approach that can help researchers avoid stigma and foster more respectful, inclusive knowledge about neurodiversity.
This article reflects on the author’s evolving understanding of autism, shaped by their experience as a non-autistic researcher in Critical Autism Studies. Initially challenged by discomfort and self-doubt, the author reframed these feelings as part of a necessary process of “unknowing”, a reflective approach that can help researchers avoid stigma and foster more respectful, inclusive knowledge about neurodiversity.