Do Influential Articles on the Genetics of Autism Show Evidence of Engagement With the Autistic Community?

Investigations into the etiology and genetic basis of autism continue to drive much autism research, yet reports are emerging of this research not aligning with priorities of autistic people. Engagement of autistic people in the research process is a key way to take their perspectives on board. We investigated whether influential genetic autism research shows evidence of engagement with the autistic community via indicators in published article texts. Through text mining of the abstracts of articles mentioning the words "autism" or "autistic," we found minimal prevalence of progressive terminology associated with autism. We also devised a novel rating system to assess three hallmarks of autistic community engagement: presence of non-stigmatizing language, referencing community priorities, and the use of participatory methods. We reviewed 149 articles within leading autism and genetic journals. Minimal evidence of engagement with the autistic community was found within all three hallmarks. Genetics researchers focused on autism should embrace opportunities to engage with the autistic community to bring their work into closer alignment with their priorities, yielding scientific and moral benefits.