Fourth-year students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Applied Linguistics for English-Japanese Translation at the University of Santiago, Chile (Usach) have completed pioneering thesis research on the infantilization of autistic adults.
Earning the highest academic distinction, this thesis project exposes widespread linguistic bias in materials on adult autism, both their discursive construction and their translation into Spanish.
The study arose from the personal and academic experiences of Sofía Reyes, Len López—both of whom are autistic—and Iván Calfumán. Under the guidance of Professor Rosa Basaure and with the support of occupational therapist Milena Verdugo from Vicaviged’s Department of Inclusion and the Right to Difference, they were able to define the topic and strengthen its social and academic impact.
“We chose this topic because it was necessary to bring this issue to light, since it is related to our field of study—particularly in the area of translation—and also to a social problem linked to the infantilization of autism,” Sofía noted.
“The concept of autism, when it became widely known through Hans Asperger, was based on studies conducted primarily with infants. That is why, to this day, the bias persists that an adult cannot be autistic. It is often said that if we are in college, if we can cook or work, then we do not resemble the nine-year-old child that many people identify as autistic,” added Len.
Drawing on personal experience, two autistic members of the research team identified systemic infantilization throughout their own diagnostic journeys.
During their analysis of the international literature, they detected an overrepresentation of childhood in the social construction of autism—a trend that is also replicated in the Chilean context. Iván Calfumán notes this, stating that “studies show an overrepresentation of childhood in discussions of autism, a phenomenon that was replicated in 2022 with similar and even more pronounced results, and which is also reflected in Chilean society.”
Furthermore, the research demonstrated that this infantilization often occurs unconsciously, influencing the way people with autism are spoken about and understood, especially in adulthood.
“It’s not intentional, but it’s deeply ingrained. People talk about autistic children, forgetting that these individuals grow up and remain autistic into adulthood,” commented Sofía Reyes. Meanwhile, Len López added that “when conducting assessments, we noticed very pronounced infantilization, even more so in Spanish, which also stems from this personal experience.”
In this regard, they highlighted the contrast between the university environment and experiences in society at large, noting that Usach serves as a safe and inclusive space where autistic adults are treated as such, unlike other contexts where stereotypes persist.
Autism and Translation
Recognizing a major gap in academic literature, researchers Sofía, Len, and Iván found few existing studies examining adult autism through the combined lenses of linguistics and translation. To address this oversight, their thesis establishes a new interdisciplinary framework aimed at exposing linguistic bias and bringing urgent visibility to an under-researched issue.
“Faced with this issue, we recognized the need to discuss the topic, because while searching for literature for our thesis, we realized that there was practically no existing research on the subject. That’s how we ended up conducting exploratory research. We believe it’s necessary to start talking about this to raise awareness,” explained Sofía Reyes.
To address this issue, the team adapted the concept of “feminist hijacking” in translation and proposed the concept of “autistic hijacking”—a strategy that seeks to consciously intervene in texts to eliminate ableist and infantilizing biases, creating versions that are more respectful of neurodiversity.
“We took this idea and called it ‘autistic hijacking,’ since the original text was not intended to become a tool for activism within the autistic community. We specifically sought to give it that meaning,” explained Sofía Reyes.
Iván noted that “we had to develop ideas almost from scratch and adapt tools like ‘hijacking’ to address these issues through translation.”
In closing, the team offered an inspiring message to autistic students who may feel overwhelmed by the thesis process: “Maybe your thesis won’t change the world, but it can change the world for many people,” shared Len López.