Michelle Dawson
Canadian autism researcher
- 2 min read
- 2 chapters
Related on Lably
Through Montreal
Career
In 2004, Dawson joined Laurent Mottron's research team. Dawson says that most scientists try to determine how autistic brains are broken, she finds it more useful to examine how autistic brains work rather than how they are broken. She has collaborated with Mottron to publish research papers, with Mottron estimating that Dawson contributes about 20% to the finished product.
She wrote a paper 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.
Sign in to keep reading
One more chapter is free with a Lably account.
Personal
She was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in 1993–1994. Born in 1961, Dawson was not diagnosed as a child. Michelle Dawson is a high school graduate.
Before working under Laurent Mottron, Dawson was a postal worker for the Canada Post until she took a leave of absence in 2002. Dawson filed two human rights complaints against the Canada Post, alleging that she was being discriminated against. The first complaint was settled out of court. The second complaint was the first autism-related case taken to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, where she represented herself. She won this complaint.
Dawson received an honorary doctorate from the Université de Montréal in June 2013
In 2015, she was recognized by the Québec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission for her human rights work.
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."