Stereotypically Autistic?: Autism Portrayals in Young Adult Fiction

Fictional representations of autism hold immense power over social perception, and yet such portrayals often remain stereotypical and one-sided. Based on discourse theory, Eva Charlotte Hesse explores the origins of autism stereotypes with regard to ideas of normality and deviance, their impact on the lives of autistic individuals, and the controversy surrounding autism definition. She offers criteria for the evaluation of autism portrayals while also pointing out prejudices and underlying power structures in the light of new medical findings, thus providing a critical perspective on current developments within the autism discourse.

Eva Charlotte Hesse, born in 1993, studied English, history, and philosophy at Universität Kassel. In 2024 she finished her doctoral thesis on autism stereotypes in Young Adult fiction, which has been rewarded the Alfred Röver-Dissertationspreis.