Emerging Media Guides

The Impact of Common Black Child-rearing Practices on Autistic Children

Shayna Thomas /

Autism is often associated white bodies and there is a very complicated history between race and any form of disability. I look into how being Black and autistic becomes a very alienating experience from an early age by looking at common practices of child-rearing and discipline in Black communities. Not only are there the more aggressive examples of spanking autistic behavior out of a child, there’s also the more subtle but extremely impactful experience of being unable culturally assimilate and dealign with that alienation.