Defining autism in Canada: Unfolding the public aspects of neurological disability

Modern disability policy seeks a balance between individual and social responsibility for disability. Striking this balance involves redefining issues related to disability. This article presents an analysis of the issue definition process on autism in Canada. The findings suggest although autism became an increasingly present issue in public discourse in Canada during the last 20 years, no specific aspect of the autism experience became defined as an urgent public problem. Furthermore, public discourse surrounding autism focuses on health care, challenging ongoing development of rights-based disability policy.