Kas autistid hüppavad koos kõrgemale: narratiivmeditsiini autoetnograafia

This article explores the potential of narrative medicine and autoethnography as tools for understanding autism from an autistic perspective. The study is motivated by the gap in autism research, where most studies focus on the perspectives of medical professionals, caregivers, or neurotypical observers rather than on the lived experiences of autistic individuals themselves. Additionally, autism research has historically been male-dominated, leaving the experiences of autistic women underrepresented. By engaging in an autoethnographic analysis of Naoki Higashida’s The Reason I Jump, this research aims to examine how reading another autistic person’s account can influence self-understanding and identity formation. The article argues that autistic individuals often experience empathy differently from neurotypicals, which can lead to misunderstandings about their social and emotional capacities. However, autistic people may find mutual understanding and validation in shared experiences with other autistics, a phenomenon sometimes described as „autistic culture“. The study’s main research question is: Does reading about another autistic person’s experiences help an autistic individual understand themselves better? The research methodology blends narrative medicine and autoethnography. Narrative medicine challenges the dominant biomedical model by emphasising patient experiences and subjective narratives as crucial components of understanding health conditions. Autoethnography, in turn, allows for a deeply personal and introspective approach by analyzing one’s own experiences in relation to external narratives. In the article, I engage with specific chapters from The Reason I Jump. Findings indicate that while some aspects of autism – such as difficulty maintaining eye contact, emotional regulation challenges and sleep disturbances – are widely shared, individual variations remain significant. While early diagnosis allows for a longer period of identity integration, late-diagnosed autistics often undergo a more complex and emotionally intense reassessment of their past experiences. The process of comparing personal experiences with those of another autistic individual fosters a deeper understanding of one’s own neurodivergence. The research acknowledges its limitations, particularly the subjective nature of autoethnography and the lack of a broader sample. However, it emphasises the value of first-person autistic narratives in challenging prevailing medical and societal frameworks of autism. The study calls for greater inclusion of autistic voices in autism research and suggests that future studies could further explore the role of shared autistic experiences in fostering self-acceptance and community.