Abstract/Statement
This critical autoethnographic essay examines how misconception, misinformation, and disinformation shape understandings of autism within Chinese communities and produce tangible harm for autistic individuals and their families. Drawing on lived experience, advocacy work, digital observation, and cross-cultural analysis, it explores how language, medical practices, social media, and professional authority sustain persistent misrepresentation.
The essay argues that this misinformation is not merely the result of ignorance, but a socially reinforced and institutionally supported system of knowledge. By situating personal encounters within broader cultural and structural contexts, it highlights the interconnected roles of language, power, and exclusion in shaping autistic lives. It concludes by calling for greater accountability, culturally informed advocacy, and the centring of Chinese autistic voices in efforts toward more just and inclusive communities.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Lu, Joy
(2026)
"Living Through Misinformation: An Autoethnography of Autism in Chinese Communities,"
Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture: Vol. 7:
Iss.
2, Article 10.
DOI: 10.9707/2833-1508.1267
Available at:
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/ought/vol7/iss2/10
Included in
Asian American Studies Commons, Asian Studies Commons, Chinese Studies Commons, Disability Studies Commons, Mental and Social Health Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Social Justice Commons