Critical autism studies: roots and branches

As with Neurodiversity Studies, Critical Autism Studies (CAS) traces its roots to early autistic activism before emerging as an academic field, and the line between activism and academia remains blurry. Academically, CAS has had something of a bumpy ride, with certain challenges from within sometimes appearing to risk its implosion. Today, however, CAS seems reinvigorated and as relevant as ever. This chapter describes the movements and developments within CAS since it was first mentioned in writing as an academic field, using the analogy of ‘branches’ to describe three inter-connected schools within the field. It then considers some recent developments in the field before turning to a reflection on the relationship between CAS and Neurodiversity Studies (NDS). This chapter is intended as a broad, introductory, and structural overview of the development of CAS and its relationship with NDS. It does not constitute a who’s who of all those involved in the field (if such a thing were possible) nor does it discuss the many contributions from different disciplines that have contributed to its development.