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Interviewed and written by Kana
*Texts in italics indicate the interviewee's words, and texts in pink indicate Kana's words.
Dr. Luke Beardon is an autism advocate, Senior Lecturer in Autism, author, co-editor, researcher. He also calls himself an all-round autism geek! Grace Center for Autism is excited to introduce this amazing autism professional who has worked to professionally and closely support autistic individuals. Let's get into the conversation with him...
What is your connection to autism?
I am confident in highlighting autism as a life-long passionate interest of mine; I first knowingly discovered autism aged 14 as a volunteer in a ‘special school’ and have worked in the autism field as a volunteer and/or professional ever since. I have numerous personal connections (too many to mention!) and my job allows me to indulge in my passionate interest to an absurd (and welcome) degree. I am incredibly proud that many of my cohorts attract large numbers of autistic students, from whom I learn so much. Kana herself is one of those I am lucky enough to have supervised! Thank you, Luke! Anyone is very lucky to get to know you and learn autism from you.
How do you see autism? How do you describe autism? Some say it is a disorder and disability, others say it is a gift. What is your view?
Autism is autism, simple as that. It will influence individual lives in a plethora of ways, so it would be disastrously wrong to try and categorise it in an overly simplistic manner. In many ways I find it easier to dispel the myths – to identify all the things that are reported about autism that simply are not the case (at least in my view!). For example, I absolutely reject the notion of autism as a disorder – autistic people are not lesser, not inferior, not impaired. This ‘othering’ of autistic people needs to become a thing of the past, and I do not subscribe to the deficit-based medical model of autism. However, I also recognise that being autistic in many societies can be deeply, and disturbingly debilitating. Does this make autism (in those contexts) a disability? Some might argue that this is the case. I would respond with my (self-proclaimed) ‘golden equation’: autism + environment = outcome. In other words, it is the combination of the individual and the environment that leads to the outcome – since an autistic person will always be an autistic person, my view is that the emphasis should often (usually) be on changing the environment to suit needs, rather than trying to force the autistic person to conform to an unnatural and, possibly, harmful existence. This can be demonstrated myriad times, when – with an adjustment to the environment – a child or adult has gone from being apparently extremely disabled to a flourishing individual. They are still autistic – but their outcome has been influenced considerably by the environment.
How could the world be a better place for autistic people?
Knowledge – genuine knowledge – is critical. Unfortunately, the world is still rife with misleading misinformation about what it means to be autistic. Better understanding leading to effective change leading to autism acceptance and celebration is what we should be striving for. Embracing the autistic strengths and rejecting the notion of conformity for the sake of it, understanding of difference, and the promotion of diverse ways of doing things for a minority group will all contribute towards a better world for autistic people. Recognition of how much autistic people are disadvantaged by society, understanding the level of anxiety that many autistic individuals suffer from as a result, and having a better understanding of what autistic well-being actually means to the individual - these are concepts that are requisite for autistic happiness.
What do you hope to achieve in the field of autism as an autism professional?
I have a notion of what I call Autopia – in other words an autistic utopia for the future, and what it might look like. I want Autopia to become a reality for all autistic individuals, everywhere. Not too much to hope for, eh?
Thank you, Dr. Luke Beardon!
To learn more about autism from him, you can read his books: Autism in Adults, Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Childhood, Avoiding Anxiety in Autistic Children, Avoiding Anxiety in Autistic Adults. All of his books are clearly written for autistic individuals and/or their parents/carers. One of the best sources to learn about autism! We highly recommend his books to gain more knowledge on autism, as Luke said in the interview, "genuine knowledge" is critical to make the world a better place for autistic people! You can also read a recent review of his book, Anxiety in Autistic Children, published by the British Psychological Society. The review was written by our founder, Kana, and her colleagues at the Center for Research in Autism and Education.
*Medical model view of autism: viewing autism itself as a disorder or disability, and encouraging autistic people to be "normalized", "fixed" or "cured".
The view of autism at Grace Center for Autism aligns with Dr. Luke Beardon, and we also do not subscribe to the medical model view of autism. However, as he stated, we can also understand why some autistic people and their parents may see autism from the medical model, and yet environments are often the factors we need to consider changing, not autistic individuals.