ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a basic overview of the claims and concerns of the neurodiversity movement regarding the existing discourse on autism, research on the spectrum, and interventions for autistic individuals and relates these to broader themes within neuroethics. Autistic self-advocates within the neurodiversity movement have also expressed dissatisfaction with prevailing trends in research on autism. The intersection between neurodiversity and neuroethics lies in their shared preoccupation with questions of personhood, identity, and autonomy. These arise in the design and implementation of specific investigative and therapeutic protocols as well as in the far-reaching cultural, technical, and therapeutic fallout of scientific advancement in the neurosciences. Contextualizing the neurodiversity perspective within the larger framework of neuroethics allows them to better appreciate the incisive lens it provides into issues of personhood, identity, and autonomy for autistic individuals as research participants and patients. The emergence of neurodiversity and the autistic self-advocate has led to valuable insights into the autism spectrum.
