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April is World Autism Awareness Month and April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day. With this in mind, Queen’s expert Patty Douglas is available to speak on topics such as challenging autism stereotypes, advocating for ethical disruption into deficit approaches, and on the history of autism.

Dr. Douglas’ groundbreaking new book Unmothering Autism: Ethical Disruptions and Affirming Care challenges conventional narratives about autism and maternal care. This scholarly yet deeply personal work rethinks autism through the lens of “ethical disruption,” advocating for a more compassionate and inclusive understanding of autistic people as valuable and fundamentally human.

Why your Audience will care:

• Timely and Provocative Perspective: As conversations about neurodiversity grow, Douglas offers a critical history of autism narratives, exploring cultural constructs from the “refrigerator mother” to the “warrior mother” and their implications for mothers and autistic individuals.
• Affirming Neurodiversity: The book reorients research and care practices, emphasizing the importance of living well together through difference rather than striving to eliminate or normalize autism, particularly with the rhetoric coming from the Trump administration.
• Voices That Matter: Douglas weaves in her own experiences as a mother and conversations with other mothers, giving voice to perspectives often marginalized in mainstream autism narratives.

Potential angles for coverage:

• Feature Story: How Patty Douglas is redefining autism narratives and maternal care
• Interview Opportunity: Interview with Patty Douglas on challenging autism stereotypes, advocating for ethical disruption into deficit approaches, and the history of autism – from the refrigerator mother who is thought to cause her child’s autism, to mother therapists tasked with fixing autism, to mother warriors who not only need to “fix” autism, but also take on heroic advocacy efforts with governments and society.
• Expert Commentary: The book’s insights into the history of autism narratives provide a fresh perspective for discussions on neurodiversity, parenting, disability rights, and educational practices.

About the author: 

Patty Douglas is an Associate Professor of Disability Studies and the inaugural Chair in Student Success and Wellness at Queen’s University. She leads the international storytelling project Re•Storying Autism and is recognized as a thought leader in disability culture and politics.

Unmothering Autism will resonate with your audience, including educators, parents of disabled children, and members of neurodivergent and disability communities.

If you are interested in interviewing Patty Douglas, contact: 

Andrew Carroll
Media Relations Officer, Queen’s University
andrew.carroll@queensu.ca