Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership

Defense Date:  October 27, 2022

Dissertation Title:  Problematizing the Deficit Discourses of People with Autism and Autism Parents: A Poststructural Analysis of Subjectivity and Power/Knowledge.

Dissertation Committee:  Dr. Alecia Jackson (Chair), Dr. Vachel Miller, Dr. Debra Prykanowski

Dissertation Summary:

“Through an interweaving of analysis and personal narrative, medical and educational discourses of autism are problematized for their focus on disability as a deficit in comparison to normative standards. Discourse analysis reveals the relations of power/knowledge and subjectivity for people with autism and their parents before, during, and after receiving an autism diagnosis in early childhood based on a chronological retelling of the author's experiences with her son. Interludes offer space for thinking with affirmative difference, and possibilities are opened for educational leaders and the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process.”

Quote from Gwynne Shoaf about her dissertation journey:

“I am so grateful for a program that allowed me to pursue a project that is so deeply personal while still offering space for transformational educational leadership. Writing a dissertation can be a solitary activity, yet I felt connected to my cohort friends, my committee, and University supports like the Writing Center and Dissertation Coaching. Other than being a parent, this dissertation has been the hardest and most rewarding effort in my life.”

Quote from Dr. Alecia Jackson about the significance of this dissertation study:

"Gwynne’s inquiry into the systems and policies that structure deficit-centered approaches to autism diagnosis and intervention is bold, necessary, and deeply personal. Gwynne’s research deconstructs how power works to position people with autism as deficient and in need of fixing by medical and educational practice. Through her critique, her research advocates for strength-based approaches by centering knowledge systems that have been marginalized in discourse. Her work will inspire educators to affirm difference and to view people with autism, and their families, as whole beings: experts of their own lives and full of potential.”

*Degree to be conferred on December 16, 2022.

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