Q&A with Sandra Thom-Jones, author of "Autistics in Academia"
- NYS Writers Institute
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
April is National Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month, designated to increase understanding, foster inclusion, and celebrate the strengths of autistic individuals.
Sandra Thom-Jones is an autistic author, researcher and advocate living in Melbourne, Australia. She is the author of Growing in to Autism (2022; 2025), Autistics in Academia: Narratives of Work, Adversity, and Achievement from around the World (2025), and Autistics at Work (2025).
Her writing on the autistic experience has also been published in The Conversation, The Guardian, Broad Agenda, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. Sandra was the winner of the 2025 Scarlet Stiletto Award for short crime fiction; and in 2023 she won the Scarlet Stiletto third prize as well as the Liz Navratil Prize for the Best Crime Story with a Disabled Protagonist. Her short stories have been published in a number of anthologies.
Interviewed by Moriah Hampton, PhD, an instructor in the University at Albany's Program in Writing and Critical Inquiry (WCI)
Autistics in Academia is one of three books you have written on autism. How do you see this book fitting into the body of work you have published so far on the topic?
My approach to writing books is based on the principle of writing the book I wanted to read but couldn’t find. Growing in to Autism came out of a conversation with my psychologist about wanting a book that explained what autism feels like inside an autistic adult rather than how it looks to other people.
When it was published, I was shocked by the number of emails I received from autistic academics thanking me for the book and commenting that they didn’t feel safe to disclose at work due to the risk of discrimination. That was when I knew I had to do the research and write Autistics in Academia. Autistics at Work emerged from my frustration at seeing autistic people stigmatised and undervalued in the workplace, and having their need for accommodations dismissed.
All three books are written for a dual audience. For autistic people (including newly diagnosed or self-identified) they provide a sense of recognition and confirmation that the way they experience the world is valid. For non-autistic people they provide insight into how we experience the world, and what they can do to be more inclusive and supportive.
One aim of Autistics in Academia is to dispel misconceptions, for instance that the autism spectrum presents a “linear” way of understanding people’s particular experiences in the world. Would you elaborate on this non-linear way of understanding the autism spectrum and explain why it’s important to dispel misconceptions?
Yes, there is still a widespread misperception that the autism spectrum is a line from ‘a little bit autistic’ at one end to ‘very autistic’ at the other end, which also leads to another myth that ‘everyone is a little bit autistic’ (they are not).
A better way to think of the spectrum is like a colour wheel. There are some common strengths and some common challenges experienced by autistic people, but every person will experience these to different degrees and in different ways. Each of us will have our own unique ‘colour palette’ of characteristics, our personal blend of strengths and challenges.
You chose to interview thirty-seven autistic academics and center their voices throughout the book, most prominently in the final chapter, “Advice (for Autistics).” What informed this decision?
There was nothing magical about the number 37, which is perhaps the magical thing about the 37 voices. When I first proposed the research study that became the book my goal was to recruit 12 participants; and so many people, including my IRB (ethics committee), cautioned me that it would be extremely difficult to recruit autistic academics.
Some doubted that they existed, some doubted that they would be willing to speak up, and some doubted that they would have the capacity to participate in a year-long research project. Within a month of promoting the study, I had 37 people signed up and had to close the recruitment.
What surprised you about the thirty-seven interviews conducted that you think is most important to share with academic communities?
What surprised me was the extent and pervasiveness of the discrimination that this cohort of academics experienced, and the impact it had on their wellbeing. One-third had not disclosed to anyone at work that they are autistic, and others had only disclosed to their direct supervisor and/or close colleagues, often on advice that doing so would have negative ramifications for their career.
Sadly, for some who had disclosed, this was found to be the case. Most of the participants reported feeling pressured to mask their autistic characteristics at work, with significant negative impacts on their energy levels, mental health and physical wellbeing. In some instances, it was those working in autism research centres that had particularly negative experiences, including being treated as less capable post-disclosure and not being able to ask for, or access, reasonable accommodations.
Your book notes that autistic academics work in places not “designed to recognize and nurture our potential.” Nevertheless, they have contributed to our institutions. Would you discuss a few contributions that are worth recognizing in higher education circles more broadly?
My first reaction to this question was to name some of the significant contributions in terms of major discoveries by autistic researchers, but I think what is more important is what I found consistently across the 37 academics in my study, as well as the many autistic academics it has been my privilege to work with throughout my career. While every autistic academic is an individual, there are some common characteristics that shone through the 37 reflections.
First, these academics were committed to teaching. They enjoyed sharing knowledge, expended considerable energy in preparing and delivering materials in ways enhanced understanding, and cared about their student’s wellbeing. Second, they found joy in work that contributed to the wellbeing of others, particularly those experiencing disadvantage and/or marginalisation, and were committed to high-quality research and outreach. Third, their focused interests, depth of knowledge and attention to detail made them excellent researchers.
Your book mentions “autistic leadership” as a topic for further research. What other suggestions for research do you have for improving the working lives of autistic academics, so they can continue to make transformative contributions to our institutions?
There are so many areas of research that would be useful, but I will suggest just one (in addition to autistic leadership). I would like to see longitudinal research into the impact of the work environment on autistic employment outcomes and wellbeing.
This includes the physical and sensory environment; the structural aspects such as work hours and access to accommodations; and cultural aspects such as the reality of bullying and discrimination (not just policies). I think that if universities were confronted with the reality of the loss to the system of so many brilliant minds due to the appalling treatment of autistic people in academia, they might finally feel the need to change the culture.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am currently working on my next book (under contract with McFarland) on the misrepresentation of autism in the media. I am in the middle of a large project on the experiences of autistic people as they age, which will be my next-next nonfiction book. I have recently finished my first novel, about an autistic woman and a cat, and am currently looking for a publisher.
Moriah Hampton is an autistic faculty member in the Writing and Critical Inquiry Program at SUNY-Albany. Her fiction, poetry, and photography have appeared in The Coachella Review, Typehouse Literary Magazine, Ponder Review, Gargoyle Magazine, Hamilton Stone Review, and elsewhere. Originally from the southeast, she has Scottish and English ancestry and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.