Chapter 10: Conclusion and Final Comments

This book sought to achieve two objectives. First to provide an overview of some of the gaps in our understanding about the autism spectrum. Second to explain some strategies for producing reproducible research that respects the dignity and rights of autistic participants.

Chapters 2–6 fulfilled the first objective. To achieve this objective, three aspects were explored in each of these chapters. First is to present the findings from some of the literature about the gaps. For example, to emphasise the lack of research about autistic females, Watkins et al.’s (2014) results were presented, which showed that out of the 684 articles that they had examined only 3 (0.49%) had exclusively sampled autistic females. Second is to provide several plausible explanations for why these gaps have emerged. For example, it was proposed that there is a lack of research about autistic females because many do not receive a diagnosis in childhood, or even adulthood, as they may not have obvious autistic symptoms. Consequently, this has meant that they have not received adequate supports or been selected to be participants for research purposes. Third is to give some suggestions for where more research can be conducted. For example, Halladay et al.’s (2015) recommendations for where more research can be conducted about autistic females were presented. By examining these three elements it was anticipated that the reader would develop an appreciation as to the current limitations in our knowledge about the autism spectrum.