Charities included within selection (N = 11).

The language and imagery used in Autism charities’ communications influences societal understanding of, and attitudes towards, Autistic people. This, in turn, shapes perceptions of whether and how the disabling barriers in society experienced by Autistic people can and should be addressed. Yet, to date, there has been minimal exploration of this discourse employed by Autism charities. We, an Autistic-majority team of researchers, used critical reflexive thematic analysis to examine the language and imagery used in the Trustees’ Annual Reports and Accounts of 11 large English and Welsh Autism charities. Representation within these reports emphasises adversities associated with Autism, and the language chosen to portray Autistic people largely describes Autism as an impairment. In contrast, charities represent themselves as the solution to the ‘problem’ of Autistic people, and thus deserving of increased resources and funding. Government is largely depicted as ineffective and deficient. We argue that these Autism charities are thereby upholding – rather than challenging – the disabling barriers in society experienced by Autistic people. For Autistic charities to better represent Autistic people and improve wider societal understanding of Autism, there is a need for more positive portrayals that challenge the ‘charity saviour’ trope in charity communications.自闭症慈善机构传播材料中所使用的语言与意象，会影响社会对自闭症人士的认知与态度。这进而塑造了人们对于自闭症人士所遭遇的社会失能障碍是否应当、以及应当如何加以解决的认知。然而迄今为止，学界针对自闭症慈善机构所使用的此类话语的探讨仍十分有限。我们这支以自闭症研究者为主体的研究团队，采用批判性反思性主题分析（critical reflexive thematic analysis）方法，对英格兰与威尔士地区11家大型自闭症慈善机构的《受托人年度报告与账目》（Trustees' Annual Reports and Accounts）展开了文本分析。这些报告中的表述着重强调了与自闭症相关的困境，且用于刻画自闭症人士的语言在很大程度上将自闭症界定为一种损伤（impairment）。与之形成鲜明对比的是，慈善机构将自身塑造为解决自闭症人士‘问题’的方案，因此理应获得更多的资源与资助。报告中对政府的刻画则大多呈现为低效且存在缺陷的形象。我们认为，此类自闭症慈善机构非但未能挑战既有的社会失能障碍，反而在强化自闭症人士所遭遇的此类困境。若自闭症慈善机构想要更恰当地代表自闭症人士，并提升社会大众对自闭症的整体认知，则需要采用更多积极的表述方式，打破慈善传播中‘慈善救世主’（charity saviour）这一刻板意象（trope）。