Stereotypes of the speech of autistic people and people with ADHD

The proposed research project will investigate ableist stereotypes surrounding the speech of autistic people and people with ADHD.

These groups routinely face barriers in their daily lives due to their communication styles, yet little research has been done into societal perceptions of their speech.

The research questions focus on identifying the stereotypes that neurotypical people hold regarding the speech of autistic people and people with ADHD; determining the degree to which specific speech features trigger stereotypes of these groups; and exploring the connection between these stereotypes and those of other negative social traits.

The methodology comprises two stages: an analysis of online discourse to identify prevalent stereotypes, in which theory from disability and neurodiversity studies will be employed to deconstruct them; and an experimental phase involving matched guise tests with neurotypical listeners.

Listeners will assess one of a pair of digitally manipulated audio recordings for each identified stereotype (either reflecting or deviating from it).

They will then evaluate the speakers for various social traits and estimate the likelihood that the speaker is autistic and/or has ADHD. Differences in evaluations will offer insight into the prevalence of ableist stereotypes.

The project addresses a gap in linguistic research, which has primarily viewed the linguistic behaviour of disabled people in terms of impairments within individuals.

The project's sociolinguistic lens will offer new avenues for understanding language and disability, and will provide insights that could contribute to reducing stigma and improving accommodations for autistic people and people with ADHD in public life.