Michelle Dawson

Template:Infobox scientist Template:Autism rights movementTemplate:Short description Michelle Dawson (born 1961) is a Canadian autism researcher who was diagnosed with autism in 1993–1994.<ref name="sentex1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="wired1">Template:Cite news</ref> Since 2004, she has worked as an autism researcher<ref name="OrdreDeMontreal" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> affiliated with the Autism Specialized Clinic of Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Career

In 2004, Dawson joined Laurent Mottron's research team.<ref name=OrdreDeMontreal/><ref name=RogerCollier>Collier, Roger. "Autism Template:Webarchive" (facsimile Template:Webarchive). The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved: 22 Feb. 2008</ref><ref name=DavidWolman>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name=RogerCollier/><ref name=DavidWolman/> She has collaborated with Mottron to publish research papers, with Mottron estimating that Dawson contributes about 20% to the finished product.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

She wrote a paper<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> challenging the ethical and scientific foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)-based autism interventions. She also challenged the medical necessity of ABA for individuals with autism in the Supreme Court of Canada in Auton v. British Columbia, 3 S.C.R. 657.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal

She was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in 1993–1994. Born in 1961, Dawson was not diagnosed as a child.<ref name="sentex1"/><ref name="wired1"/> Michelle Dawson is a high school graduate.<ref name="wired1"/>

Before working under Laurent Mottron, Dawson was a postal worker for the Canada Post<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> until she took a leave of absence in 2002.<ref name="wired1"/> Dawson filed two human rights complaints against the Canada Post, alleging that she was being discriminated against.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The first complaint was settled out of court.<ref name="canada2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The second complaint was the first autism-related case taken to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, where she represented herself. She won this complaint.<ref name=OrdreDeMontreal>Template:Cite news</ref>

Dawson received an honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal in June 2013<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2015, she was recognized by the Québec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission for her human rights work.<ref name=OrdreDeMontreal/>

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."<ref name=OrdreDeMontreal/>

Selected works

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External links

• No Autistics Allowed, Dawson's website
• The Autism Crisis: The Science and Ethics of Autism Advocacy, Dawson's blog
• Template:Twitter, where her more recent public commentary appears.