Michelle Dawson (born 1961) is an autism researcher who was diagnosed with

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

in 1993–1994. Since 2004, she has worked as an autism researcher affiliated with the Autism Specialized Clinic of Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Career

In 2004, Dawson joined Laurent Mottron's research team.Collier, Roger.
Autism
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). ''The Ottawa Citizen''. Retrieved: 22 Feb. 2008 Dawson says that most scientists try to determine how autistic brains are broken, but Dawson thinks it would be more useful to try to determine how autistic brains work rather than how they are broken. She has collaborated with Mottron to publish research papers, with Mottron estimating that Dawson contributes about 20% to the finished product. She wrote a paper challenging the ethical and scientific foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)-based autism interventions. She also challenged the

medical necessity Medical necessity is a legal doctrine in the United States related to activities that may be justified as reasonable, necessary, and/or appropriate based on evidence-based clinical standards of care. In contrast, unnecessary health care lacks such ...

of ABA for individuals with

in the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

in ''

Auton v. British Columbia The Autons are an artificial life form from the United Kingdom, British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and adversaries of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor. They were originally created by scri ...

'', 3 S.C.R. 657.

Personal

She herself was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in 1993–1994. Born in 1961, Dawson was not diagnosed as a child. Dawson has been receiving

disability benefits Disability benefits are funds provided from public or private sources to a person who is ill or who has a disability. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom disability benefits are covered by Department for Work and Pensions. There are numerous ben ...

, on account of her autism diagnosis, since 2003. Michelle Dawson is a high school graduate. Before working under Laurent Mottron, Dawson was a postal worker for the Canada Post until she took a leave of absence in 2002. Dawson filed two human rights complaints against the Canada Post, alleging that she was being discriminated against. The first complaint was settled out of court. The second complaint was the first autism-related case taken to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, where she represented herself. She won this complaint. Dawson received an honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal in June 2013 In 2015, she was recognized by the Québec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission for her human rights work. She was awarded the Ordre de Montréal in 2017. The award states "She has documented the poverty of scientific and ethical standards in autism intervention research, and the resulting harm to autistic people. Contrary to long-entrenched views, she believes that autistics deserve the same basic rights as the rest of humanity. She also believes that in research, as elsewhere, autistic and non-autistic people should work together as equals."

Selected works

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References

External links

No Autistics Allowed
Dawson's website
The Autism Crisis: The Science and Ethics of Autism Advocacy
Dawson's blog *, where her more recent public commentary appears. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Michelle 1961 births Autism activists Autism researchers Canadian bloggers Living people People on the autism spectrum Writers from Montreal