The Autistic Self Advocacy Network worked with Mattel to develop and roll out an autistic Barbie doll, and as with all things involving autism, controversy rolled out right along with it.

The doll has articulated elbows and wrists, designed to enable stimming, and comes with a fidget spinner, noise-canceling headphones, an augmentative and alternative communication tablet, and sensory-sensitive clothing. The company has dispensed with blonde hair and blue eyes and produced a doll with dark hair and eyes and skin a darker shade than original Barbie.

Following on the announcement, a slew of think pieces appeared, some of them thinking mostly about how the doll doesn’t represent the full spectrum of autistic people with its accouterments and appearance. One parent commented to CBC that “you cannot tell by looking at someone whether they are autistic" and that “any Barbie could be autistic Barbie.” Sure, if the person engaging in play with a doll wants to say the doll is autistic, that’s true. But it is an important social statement on a global stage for Mattel to develop a doll that is explicitly named as being autistic.

Representation doesn’t mean that we see every aspect of ourselves in someone who might generally represent who we are. Women who were the first to enter my field of science may have been – and probably were – very different from me in a million ways. Their specific features as women weren’t nearly as important as the fact that they were women existing where there had been no women before. They didn’t have to be perfect or perfectly like me. Just present, finally.

Now, we have a doll from what is probably the most famous doll-related product line in the world who specifically bears the designation of being autistic. For the target group that will be interested in the doll, that is what matters. Do all autistic people interested in Barbie look like this doll or wear headphones or use an AAC device? No. But just like the first woman in a lab where there had been no women before meant representation for future women in science, an autistic Barbie where there had been no autistic dolls before can mean a lot to Barbie-interested autistic people.

Among them is Brooke, who does in fact wear pink headphones. When her mother Jess, who writes the longstanding “Diary of a Mom,” told Brooke about the new doll and asked her if she’d like to get one, Brooke’s response was, “I will call her Brooke.”

News you can use

• In the world of autism causation claims, a pile of evidence the size of an authoritarian’s ego will never be enough to convince die-hards whose sunk costs have reached depths greater than the Mariana Trench. Their minds aren’t going to change with the news that yet another analysis has shown no link whatsoever between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and having an autistic child. What the news may do, one hopes, is to give some assurance to pregnant people with fever or pain that yes, they can go ahead and take an over-the-counter medication that will give them some relief.

  Now if we could just convince people that having an autistic child isn’t an outcome to avoid. It’s OK to have an autistic child! It’s OK to be autistic! And it’s OK to take acetaminophen during pregnancy, as directed!

• Shenanigans! Ars Technica reports that the FDA under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy the Lesser has quietly deleted a webpage entitled “Be Aware of Potentially Dangerous Products and Therapies that Claim to Treat Autism.” The now-deleted page listed chelation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, among others. Someone hears the loud kaching! of the wellness cash machine firing up.

• Parents who turn to genAI tools such as ChatGPT to find out about a child’s genetic or other diagnosis may get only the direst predictions and information, according to a parent with a lot of experience in these trenches. Heather Kirn Lanier, writing on her Facebook wall, says that “the responses they get, not surprisingly, echo some of the worst of the Internet's ableism.” She adds, “You can't predict what your child will be like. You can only love them like crazy... and let them love you, which they will! They will turn your heart inside-out, in the very best way.”

• Aliya Rahman is an autistic woman who was pulled from her car by ICE in Minneapolis because, as the government goons tell it, she didn’t “just follow instructions.” The Autism Society of Minnesota notes that “it is well documented and nationally recognized that autistic individuals, as a direct function of their diagnosis, may experience significant difficulty during interactions with law enforcement due to differences in communication, processing speed, tolerance for the unexpected, and sensory overload—independent of intelligence or intent.” Indeed, Rahman attempted to explain that in real time. Video shows that as she was “pulled from her car, cut from her seatbelt, tackled forcefully, and carried to an unmarked vehicle by four masked ICE agents in South Minneapolis… — suspended above the ground by her arms and legs — she can be heard clearly stating: ‘I am autistic and have a brain injury … It takes me a second to understand.”

• A study published in Scientific Reports describes a positive effect of cannabis use for some autistic people. But don’t reach for that vape just yet. As the authors note, the study – which relies on an unusual data source of self-reported cannabis use via an app – has some limitations. The number of people included was small, a diagnosis of autism was not confirmed, there wasn’t a control group of people not using cannabis and reporting on their experiences, and cannabis source, amount, and method of delivery were not standardized. Benefits that the authors reported seemed to be short term, rather than lasting.
• Should researchers just ignore assisted communication methods as useless or contaminated with influence from the assisting person? These researchers offer a resounding “no” to that question. In a commentary published in Autism Research, they write: “We suggest that past research showing that influence can occur during training has been over-interpreted to mean that influence always occurs and that nonspeaking autistic people instructed using assisted methods never learn to type independently. In fact, other research shows that influence does not always occur, and there are independent typers who attribute their skill to the range of assistance they received during training. We believe it is time to revisit assisted methods to teach typing in order to understand their potential, as well as their limits, including how successful learners became independent and for whom these methods would be a good match.”

People you should know

• Emy is an artist and autism advocate. She’s been creating art since she was a small child, and she now holds solo exhibitions of her work. The National Autistic Society featured her story as told in the first person by Emy’s 1:1 support worker, India, who works side-by-side with Emy in running art sessions at local care homes. India says of her own role, “I was there to help her or get her things. I listened to Emy and never tried to ‘teach’ her.” She adds, “We’re very similar in many ways; we like music on when we’re working and a calm environment with structure … Emy sees the world in so much colour and beauty, and others can relate to this.”

• The new autistic Barbie had role models in the development, both autistic women from Florida. Madison Marilla and Aarushi Pratap are featured as “official Barbie role models” to mark the doll’s release. Pratap grew up watching Barbie movies and sketching fashion designs of elaborate dresses. She was non-speaking at the time but learned to communicate through art, and her award-winning work has been featured at key fashion weeks in Paris and New York. Marilla came to public attention first while meeting her boyfriend on the show “Love on the Spectrum.”

• Odin Frost is an autistic man from Tyler, Texas, who also has cerebral palsy and apraxia and has now made his mark as the first nonspeaking autistic person to voice a cartoon character. He uses his iPad to voice the character of Paolo on the PBS show “Carl the Collector,” about an autistic racoon. Like Frost, Paolo uses an iPad to communicate.

Bits and bobs

• Face-to-face misunderstanding: Researchers have found that autistic and nonautistic people may make different faces to express the same emotions, possibly explaining disconnects that can arise during autistic-to-nonautistic communication. The authors, publishing in Autism Research, write that “what have previously been thought of as intrinsic emotion recognition ‘deficits’ for autistic people may be more accurately described as difficulties resulting from cross-neurotype interactions.”

Thanks for reading, and never forget that it’s OK to be autistic.

Got something autism-related to share with us? Send it along to editorial@thinkingautism.com.

Got a comment? We’d love to hear from you, so drop us a line below. Please note that comments are moderated per TPGA guidelines.