Health got graphic! The role of Graphic Medicine in unpacking autism

Abstract

The paper brings together Graphic Medicine, namely the use of comics and graphic novels in the healthcare field, and Disability Studies to shed light on the contribution of the graphic medium to the social understanding of disability, focusing on the case of autism. Based on 15 in-depth interviews with healthcare professionals and using graphic novels as a form of knowledge elicitation, the article shows both the strengths and the weaknesses of graphic materials as research and communication tools in the field of Autism scholarship. The two graphic novels considered have been efficient to portray the lived experiences of autistic people and to partially challenge the medical model of autism, even for healthcare professionals. Autism-related comics can contribute to the critical study of autism, by both giving ways of expression to autistic people, caregivers and promoting counter-narratives, like neurodiversity, among healthcare professionals.

Point of Interest

• Comics and graphic novels are powerful and accessible communication tools in the field of disability and autism studies

• Graphic novels are efficient to portray the lived experience of autistic people

• Graphic novels help healthcare professionals to put the medical model of autism into question

• Autism-related comics give ways of expression to autistic people and caregivers

• Autism-related comics may also promote counter-narratives, like neurodiversity, among healthcare professionals

Keywords:

• Graphic Medicine
• autism
• graphic novels
• neurodiversity

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the healthcare professionals who participated in the research study, the editors of Oni press and the authors of Invisible Differences (Julie Dachez and Mademoiselle Caroline) who granted us the permission to use the panels included in this article.

Credit

Alice Scavarda: Graphic Medicine and Disability Studies (third paragraph), Graphic Medicine and Autism (fourth paragraph); Results (equal), Discussion, Conclusion (equal); Veronica Moretti: Introduction, Graphic Medicine: when comics meet health (second paragraph), Methods, Results (equal), Discussion, Conclusions (equal).

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics

Both the study is compliant with Italian Ethical requirements, which do not imply the need to receive Ethical Committee’s approval in the context of social sciences.