Methodology

Sources for the ARD

Titles included in the ARD have been drawn from a range of scholarly and general sources, both in print and online. Efforts have been made to include self-published works, particularly those by autistic authors. Sources include:

• Irwin, M., Goldsmith, A. Y., & Applegate, R. (2015). Autism in young adult novels: An annotated bibliography. Rowman & Littlefield. 

• Osteen, M. (2010). Autism and representation: A comprehensive introduction (pp. 9-56). Routledge. 

• Loftis, S. F. (2015). Imagining autism: Fiction and stereotypes on the spectrum. Indiana University Press.

• McGrath, J. (2017). Naming adult autism: culture, science, identity. Rowman & Littlefield.

• Murray, S. (2008). Representing autism: Culture, narrative, fascination. Oxford University Press. 

• Library of Congress, Autism--Fiction and Autism--Juvenile Fiction.

• Online sources for titles include the following blogs, organization websites, podcasts, publishing companies, and reading lists: The Autistic Archive, Autistic Characters Wiki, Ada Hoffman, Corey Alexander, Autistic and Unapologetic, Books for Littles, Disability in KidLit, Goodreads, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Jessica Kingsley Publishing, That Au-Some Book Club, Reading Rockets, the St. Elsewhere Podcast, and Wikipedia.

Tags
Each work in the ARD is further categorized with multiple tags, with the purpose of encouraging exploration of intersecting autistic identities. 

• Autistic Author/Actor/Creator: This tag is assigned to works created by individuals who openly identify as autistic. The database takes these identifications at face value, having no other means of determining legitimacy. In the case of film, the tag neurotypical actor is assigned to actors who have not explicitly identified themselves as autistic. Films that feature autistic actors (e.g., Anthony Hopkins, Wentworth Miller) but are not autism-themed are for the time being excluded from this database. 

• Identified v. Coded: A work with an identified tag explicitly mentions an Autism Spectrum Disorder by name, within the text or film itself or within supplementary materials. Rain Man is therefore tagged as autism (identified). A work identified as coded [e.g., asperger syndrome (coded)] does not explicitly identify the ASD diagnosis, and is arguably more subjective. Generally, a coded work has been defined as such in scholarly sources or online discussions. The coded tag thus depends more on recognition than on the original intent of the author.

• LGBTQIA: The lgbtiq tag is assigned to works that feature members of the LGBTQA community. When the work references specific gender identity and/or sexual orientation, a corresponding tag is added. Thus a work might be tagged both lgbtqa and non-binary when this description is suggested or stated about the autistic character. 

• Race/Ethnicity: Race/ethnicity tags are given to works that specifically identify the race/ethnicity of the autistic character, most often through visual representation (e.g., children's literature or television). Works that do not specify the race/ethnicity of the autistic character are left untagged. Thus Crow Boy by Taro Yashima is tagged Japanese, but The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is left untagged.

• Self-Published: Unlike many academic databases, the ARD considers self-published works about autism and by autistic people as instances of autistic representation. Many of the works included in the ARD are thus tagged self-published.

• Secondary Character: The secondary character tag is added when the autistic character plays only a minor role in the story, often as a source of additional conflict for the protagonist. 

• Savant: Many works in the ARD portray autistic as savants, a long-standing trope in fiction literature and film. However, the ARD does not use a savant tag. Users may still search the term savant to yield  results if desired.

• To search by multiple tags, use the following formula in the search bar: tag: tag1, tag2, tag3, etc. (e.g., tag: lgbtqa, self-published, autistic author).