This dissertation investigates the contentious advocacy rhetorics which are associated with the surge of autism diagnoses over the past decade, a phenomenon which some refer to as an "autism epidemic." The primary aim of this study is to describe why autism advocacy is controversial and to suggest ways in which a "rhetorical" approach might be instrumental in helping advocates move beyond "stalemate." This dissertation employs Krista Ratcliffe's notion of "rhetorical listening."
Chapter 2 explores intersections between scientific and public discourse about autism, particularly the movements that have emerged around the vaccine-debates. Discussion centers around the emergence of the vaccine controversies and around the rhetoric on the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Generation Rescue, a high-profile anti-vaccine advocacy organization. Particular attention is given to the rhetorical strategies Generation Rescue uses to convince parents that autism should be treated as a form of mercury-poisoning despite the medical establishment's nearly unanimous disavowal of such beliefs.
Chapter 3 shifts the discussion to the to the personal-public rhetoric on autism-parent blogs. Attention is first given to the particular affordances and genre-conventions of blogging. Then, two specific parent-blogs/bloggers are studied: one who promotes the idea of "autism acceptance" and another who rejects "autism acceptance" and deems it irresponsible. Particular attention is given to how each parent blogger engages with public discourses about autism and associates him/herself with larger autism advocacy movements.
Chapter 4 focuses on the online self-advocacy of autistics and the burgeoning "neurodiversity" movement, which is, in many respects, a web-enabled phenomenon. The discussion focuses on the genesis of this "Autism Rights" and Autism Self-Advocacy and shows how it is rooted in but also extends previous disability rights movements. Two specific online self-advocacy organizations are studied: Autism Network International and Aspies For Freedom.
Chapter 5 turns briefly to a debate within College English about autistic students in writing classroom. I show that the "rhetorical stalemates" of autism advocacy also pervade professional discourses in Rhetoric and Composition and also warrant a rhetorical listening approach.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TCU/oai:etd.tcu.edu:etd-10152009-091905 |
| Date | 15 October 2009 |
| Creators | King, Jason |
| Contributors | Carrie S Leverenz, No search engine access |
| Publisher | Texas Christian University |
| Source Sets | Texas Christian University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.tcu.edu/etdfiles/available/etd-10152009-091905/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to TCU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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