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#AccessibleAcademia
Nothing about us without us
Who: Crane & colleagues
Journal: Autism
Published: 2020
Title: Autistic parents’ views and experiences of talking about autism with their autistic children
Talking about autism
this paper wanted to look at how autism is spoken about in families, especially when both parent and child are autistic.

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Open, honest discussion
• open, honest discuss about being autistic was a normal part of everyday life
• the parents felt their children had “the right to know” about being autistic
• they highlighted the importance of being transparent, & felt honesty empowered their children & supported their mental wellbeing
Shared understanding
• autistic parents used lived experience to support their children
• they maintain a comfortable dialogue about being autistic
• autistic parents felt they had a better basis for talking to professionals about autism
“WE TALK ABOUT [BEING AUTISTIC]
ALL THE TIME”
“I TELL THEM I GET IT”

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NEURODIVERSITY
• they supported their children to see themselves as different not deficient or disordered
• autistic parents emphasised the importance of focusing on their child’s strengths
• they also highlighted the importance of autistic role models for their children
SPECIFIC NEEDS
• parents said discussions should be tailored to their children’s interests
• language should also be adjusted to their preference
• communication should be age-appropriate and child-led

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autistic parents with autistic children differed in three ways to neurotypical parents with autistic children
1) autistic parents could utilise their own experiences as autistic people to support their child
2) autistic parents didn’t worry about telling their child that they (the child) are autistic
3) many autistic parents did not want or need professional support with telling the child they are autistic, they felt able to do this themselves