a community of adults ina North American city initially drawn together by their autism spectrum conditions.
Research takes place somewhere in North America, autistic adults are the focus
55 Matching Annotations
- Aug 2026
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www.tandfonline.com www.tandfonline.com
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I argue that by spending time with each otherin loosely structured flexible interactions, members of this group participate in the ongoing construc-tion of a complex and necessary social infrastructure in the face of often inadequate social and materialsupport from their personal networks, and the larger society in which they live.
Idriss argues that when autistic people spend time with each other on a regular basis, they are given an opportunity to build social skills and interpersonal relationships, both within their group and the communities they live in.
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Acomm (pseudonym),
name Idriss gave to the group they studied
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floating membership
The community is fluid & seems to have a vary in which individuals attend their gatherings
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participant observer
anthropology term; the researcher joins activities with the group they're observing
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Participant observation oftenorganically morphed into genuine friendship, and proved the ideal method for this research.
Author blended together participant observation, interviews, and making genuine connections as their research methods.
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coding patterns I noticed emerging
possibly some quantitative research?
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I obtained permission
Researcher is following ethical guidelines, only doing what the group agrees to
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Earl explained that if,for example, someone with ADHD wanted to become part of the group, as long as they felt they couldconnect on some level with the experiences of being on the spectrum, “that’s all we care about.”
Acomm is a group that is welcoming of all people on the Autism/ ADHD/ ADD spectrum
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Members ofAcomm are predominantly male and predominantly white, but certainly not entirely. Several women,persons of color and foreign-born participants are also involved. Ages vary, from people in their earlytwenties to several senior citizens. Sexual orientation also varies, and there is diversity in how peoplesupport themselves, with some working in low-wage service industry jobs, others working in well-paying professional positions, and many in between
Acomm is a diverse community
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Although Acomm members can and often do spend a lot of time together, there is no socialobligation or pressure to continuously show up or, once there, behave in specified ways. People comein and out of the group as they please; they might be extremely active participants for a few months,and then completely absent for a few, only to make a sudden reappearance, no explanation needed.
This is a lot like an organization that I'm currently the president of: a Family Readiness Group for military spouses. People are invited to come to events or outings as they are, no matter their age or sailor's rank. It's a community based around supporting each other when our active duty military spouses are away on missions. no obligations or dues, just making connections and uplifting each other.
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ut these activities areworth serious reflection, given the widely held assumption that autistic people require predictablestructure and routine in order to socialize, and my assertion that this group’s intentionally flexiblenature is what enables sociality
Here, the author discovered the group's spontaneity allowed for members to open up and be more sociable, something that might be more difficult if they were with a group of neuro-typical people.
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utistic people are called on to understand andappropriately respond to the social logic of non-autistic people, yet non-autistic people often fail toappreciate that “autistic behavior” contains its own logic and that this also deserves recognition andrespec
the irony here is uncanny
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what is understood as social competence is not achieved through knowing or readinganother’s mind, but through reading the entire social context with all its “complex webs of significa-tion” (
I've known several people with autism, but this line in particular reminded me of a guy I worked with back in 2019. He told me that facial expressions were really difficult for him to read, and it sometimes caused confusion for him and other co-workers.
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intersubjectivity
Haven't seen this word before.. context clues make me think it means something like being on the same wavelength as someone else or seeing eye-to-eye with them.
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Members empathize with each other’s desire to be social, while also struggling with the exhaustionand stress that can come from socializing. Flexibility thus enables sociality because members are freefrom expectations which can exist in “neurotypical” settings, i.e., the social pressure to show up atspecified times and to enact “appropriate” social scripts.
It seems like when Acomm gathers, the members are able to relax and let their guards down in each other's presence. They don't have to "put on a show" and act "normal" like they would with a group of neurotypical people.
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2017
start of research
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2019
end of research?
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Their social labor is necessary precisely because the infrastructure they arecreating is so critical: it is available for material as well as social support, especially in stressful times.
This reminds me of my group of friends - we're all military spouses who have formed a unique community that can lean on each other when we're stressed or need help.
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he affordances of urban space,where a certain level of anonymity is possible and where differences may be less noticed – comparedwith a small town with a homogeneous population, for example – were perhaps important toAcomm’s success
I grew up in a tiny town, and I can say that living in a more populated area is much better for someone who doesn't want to be watched or recognized everywhere they go.
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To cite this article: Cara Ryan Idriss (2020): Invisible Autistic Infrastructure: EthnographicReflections on an Autistic Community, Medical AnthropologyTo link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/01459740.2020.1849185
citation!!!
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Acomm fills a gap that society has left open.
I find it sad that support is cut off for autistic individuals once they become adults, but it makes me happy that organizations like Acomm exist for people to have a safe space.
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He wanted to make sure Robert knew that he did not “mean it” the “neurotypical way” i.e.,he had not been giving Robert an indirect clue that we all wanted to get up and start moving again.Rather, he literally had meant exactly what he said: Robert should just let us know when we shouldstart walking again.
I have had similar instances where I felt the need to explain that I wasn't intending to rush or push someone to do something.
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I do not wish to overstate this point; there are studies of in-person autistic communities. However, I wascontinuously struck at the value placed on being out and being together, at a restaurant or other public space.This point is not one (to my knowledge) made in other anthropological accounts of autistic communities
I thought the concept of studying how groups of autistic individuals act and interact with each other was really interesting.
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Local file Local file
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To cite this article: Cara Ryan Idriss (2020): Invisible Autistic Infrastructure: EthnographicReflections on an Autistic Community, Medical AnthropologyTo link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/01459740.2020.1849185
citation!!!
-
I do not wish to overstate this point; there are studies of in-person autistic communities. However, I wascontinuously struck at the value placed on being out and being together, at a restaurant or other public space.This point is not one (to my knowledge) made in other anthropological accounts of autistic communities
I thought the concept of studying how groups of autistic individuals act and interact with each other was really interesting.
-
Acomm fills a gap that society has left open.
I find it sad that support is cut off for autistic individuals once they become adults, but it makes me happy that organizations like Acomm exist for people to have a safe space.
-
he affordances of urban space,where a certain level of anonymity is possible and where differences may be less noticed – comparedwith a small town with a homogeneous population, for example – were perhaps important toAcomm’s success
I grew up in a tiny town, and I can say that living in a more populated area is much better for someone who doesn't want to be watched or recognized everywhere they go.
-
He wanted to make sure Robert knew that he did not “mean it” the “neurotypical way” i.e.,he had not been giving Robert an indirect clue that we all wanted to get up and start moving again.Rather, he literally had meant exactly what he said: Robert should just let us know when we shouldstart walking again.
I have had similar instances where I felt the need to explain that I wasn't intending to rush or push someone to do something.
-
Their social labor is necessary precisely because the infrastructure they arecreating is so critical: it is available for material as well as social support, especially in stressful times.
This reminds me of my group of friends - we're all military spouses who have formed a unique community that can lean on each other when we're stressed or need help.
-
2019
end of research?
-
2017
start of research
-
Members empathize with each other’s desire to be social, while also struggling with the exhaustionand stress that can come from socializing. Flexibility thus enables sociality because members are freefrom expectations which can exist in “neurotypical” settings, i.e., the social pressure to show up atspecified times and to enact “appropriate” social scripts.
It seems like when Acomm gathers, the members are able to relax and let their guards down in each other's presence. They don't have to "put on a show" and act "normal" like they would with a group of neurotypical people.
-
intersubjectivity
Haven't seen this word before.. context clues make me think it means something like being on the same wavelength as someone else or seeing eye-to-eye with them.
-
what is understood as social competence is not achieved through knowing or readinganother’s mind, but through reading the entire social context with all its “complex webs of significa-tion” (
I've known several people with autism, but this line in particular reminded me of a guy I worked with back in 2019. He told me that facial expressions were really difficult for him to read, and it sometimes caused confusion for him and other co-workers.
-
utistic people are called on to understand andappropriately respond to the social logic of non-autistic people, yet non-autistic people often fail toappreciate that “autistic behavior” contains its own logic and that this also deserves recognition andrespec
the irony here is uncanny
-
Although Acomm members can and often do spend a lot of time together, there is no socialobligation or pressure to continuously show up or, once there, behave in specified ways. People comein and out of the group as they please; they might be extremely active participants for a few months,and then completely absent for a few, only to make a sudden reappearance, no explanation needed.
This is a lot like an organization that I'm currently the president of: a Family Readiness Group for military spouses. People are invited to come to events or outings as they are, no matter their age or sailor's rank. It's a community based around supporting each other when our active duty military spouses are away on missions. no obligations or dues, just making connections and uplifting each other.
-
ut these activities areworth serious reflection, given the widely held assumption that autistic people require predictablestructure and routine in order to socialize, and my assertion that this group’s intentionally flexiblenature is what enables sociality
Here, the author discovered the group's spontaneity allowed for members to open up and be more sociable, something that might be more difficult if they were with a group of neuro-typical people.
-
Members ofAcomm are predominantly male and predominantly white, but certainly not entirely. Several women,persons of color and foreign-born participants are also involved. Ages vary, from people in their earlytwenties to several senior citizens. Sexual orientation also varies, and there is diversity in how peoplesupport themselves, with some working in low-wage service industry jobs, others working in well-paying professional positions, and many in between
Acomm is a diverse community
-
Earl explained that if,for example, someone with ADHD wanted to become part of the group, as long as they felt they couldconnect on some level with the experiences of being on the spectrum, “that’s all we care about.”
Acomm is a group that is welcoming of all people on the Autism/ ADHD/ ADD spectrum
-
I obtained permission
Researcher is following ethical guidelines, only doing what the group agrees to
-
coding patterns I noticed emerging
possibly some quantitative research?
-
Participant observation oftenorganically morphed into genuine friendship, and proved the ideal method for this research.
Author blended together participant observation, interviews, and making genuine connections as their research methods.
-
participant observer
anthropology term; the researcher joins activities with the group they're observing
-
floating membership
The community is fluid & seems to have a vary in which individuals attend their gatherings
-
Acomm (pseudonym),
name Idriss gave to the group they studied
-
I argue that by spending time with each otherin loosely structured flexible interactions, members of this group participate in the ongoing construc-tion of a complex and necessary social infrastructure in the face of often inadequate social and materialsupport from their personal networks, and the larger society in which they live.
Idriss argues that when autistic people spend time with each other on a regular basis, they are given an opportunity to build social skills and interpersonal relationships, both within their group and the communities they live in.
-
a community of adults ina North American city initially drawn together by their autism spectrum conditions.
Research takes place somewhere in North America, autistic adults are the focus
-
- Jul 2026
-
Local file Local file
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The moral basis of filial piety lies in the notion of a ‘caredebt’, owed by adult children to their parents for the care they received throughouttheir upbringings – a debt that, while recognized as impossible to fully repay, compelschildren to provide care when their parents are in need (Ivanhoe 2004)
So, from my understanding, the idea of 'filial piety' is sort of a cultural or religious practice where there is a certain expectation held over the children. Who cares for who depends on who needs the care, and it's assumed that the adult children will reciprocate (balanced!) the care to their parents, as a repayment for when they were younger.
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This article investigates the dialectical relationship between kinship practices and carepractices through an ethnographic examination of the kinship-related moral discourseand practices surrounding the daily caregiving of migrant care workers attending to theelderly in Shanghai
My first question, which I'm hoping will be answered later in this article - are families hiring migrant workers, or are they the only ones willing to take on the care of Shanghai elders because of other reasons? Also, this tells me that the people likely being researched for this article are Chinese elders and migrant caregivers.
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to are-thinking of the way kinship practice can create relations.
I think the author is trying to say here that building a rapport with non-familial relatives can, over time, create a bond just as strong as one between blood relatives.
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Under certain conditions, this distinction becomes negotiable andfluid, allowing ‘filial heart’ to be detachable and applied to non-kin.
Deeper (platonic or familial) relationships form due to more intimate nature of providing care to another person, at least when the caregiver has some empathy.
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Shanghai
research takes place in Shanghai, China, one of the country's largest & most urbanized cities.
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he ethnographypresents the emic perspective of care workers, who actively develop symbolic trajectories for claimingkinship through ‘filial heart’ in caregiving. T
I think what this line is trying to say is that this article will have some first person POV's from the migrant care workers, and how they have formed kinship, or a close relationship, almost familial, with the elders they care for due to how closely they work with them.
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not only serves as a marker of belonging, but alsoas a justification of their work’s dignity, an integral part of their self-narrative as moral individuals, anda vital imagined support network.
This line reminded me of the two years I spent volunteering in a nursing home. Getting to know the elders of my community was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything. They're so full of knowledge and inspiration.
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