Autistic Youth Experiences of Coerced Assimilation in the Context of Enforced "Social Skills" Practice: Findings and recommendations from a mixed-methods participatory analysis project

Abstract

Autistic youth are driven by people around them (peers, educators, authorities) to perform “normality” overtop of themselves to avoid ostracization and punishment — this is Autistic Masking. Sometimes, masking of Autistic traits is formally taught through “Social Skills” classes or therapies. This thesis project delves into the relationships between development of masking, social self-esteem, and autonomy in Autistic youth who have undergone “social skills” programming (SSP), using a mixed-methods survey, interviews, and participatory analysis. Study design allowed for complex analysis of participant experiences with Autistic-targeted SSP and other social-behaviour-based services, which helped to locate the target phenomena in settings where neuroconformity is enforced. Key themes in each phase were gathered, revealing most prominently widespread harm caused by behaviour-focused “supports” among participants, and universal opposition to Applied Behaviour Analysis in all interviews and participatory sessions, particularly pronounced in those who have undergone it. Themes also include oppression against Autistic people, consequences of enforced social masking including loss of autonomy and sense of self, and desire for Autistic-affirming spaces where social traits are not judged or surveilled. Findings were plotted into thematic constellations, and synthesised into recommendations for Researchers, Facilitators, and Policy-Makers whose work impacts Autistic young peoples’ lives. This study was designed through a novel methodological pathway, the Critical Autistic Lens (CAL), which investigates targets through consideration of a variety of Autistic experiences and bodyminds, while scrutinizing environmental and social contexts of oppression, misrepresentation, and dehumanization.

Keywords: autism, social skills, youth, neuronormativity, behavioural intervention