INQ-300 | Autism & Our Society

Full Title: Autism & Our Society

Topic Description:

Given current estimates that 1 in 68 births in the US will be an autistic child, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects us all. But what is autism? Is it a disease, a disability, or something else altogether? Autism is not only a biomedical phenomenon; it is a deeply social one. Boys are diagnosed more often and younger than girls; do gender expectations play a role in identification and diagnosis? What other social factors might be influencing access to resources, and what should be done to make it fairer? Who among stakeholders—family, legal experts, doctors and therapists, autistic people—should decide policy regarding ASD? In this class you will research the issues that ASD raises and suggest actions or approaches that will help us engage with ASD and autistic people more fairly and productively in our society.

Counts as Global? No

Topic Approved: November 2016