THE INVISIBLE PEOPLE: UNCOVERING AUTISM

Abstract

Autism; a word that may ring a familiar bell to some and at best conjure a vague picture best summed up by the depiction of Dustin Hoffman in "Rainman". Arguably, a decade ago, this word may not have rung a bell at all. Within a decade, autism in Singapore has grown more prolific, gaining in greater recognition, understanding and support. This is not an accident but is a result of the 'promotion' (or problemisation?) of the autistic by various institutions. These institutions are primarily made up of the medical, the family, education and the state. My research comprised of looking at autism through the narratives of the family and by tracing the emergence of these discourses historically. I have been able to outline and determine a few processes at work. The production of the meaning of autism, the ability to recognise what autism is vis-a-vis what is not and how these meanings are in a constant state of flux as a response to constant influences from other discourses and as a result of personal negotiation. My thesis suggests that despite the ways these institutions have problematised autism and in the process of trying to find a solution, the result is that they are still unable to avoid the re-establishment of the same problems that they seek to solve.