Michelle Dawson

Education

She has collaborated with Mottron to publish research papers, with Mottron estimating that Dawson contributes about 20% to the finished product.

Career

Since 2003, she has worked as an autism research assistant affiliated with the Autism Specialized Clinic of Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies in Montreal, Canada. In 2003, Dawson joined Laurent Mottron"s research team Dawson says that most scientists try to determine how autistic brains are broken, but Dawson thinks it would be more useful to try to determine how autistic brains work rather than how they are broken.

She wrote a paper challenging the ethical and scientific foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis (American Bar Association)-based autism interventions.

She also challenged the medical necessity of American Bar Association for individuals with autism in the Supreme Court of Canada in Auton v. British Columbia, 3 South.C.R. 657.

She herself was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in 1993-1994. Born in 1961, Dawson was not diagnosed as a child.

Dawson has been receiving disability benefits, on account of her autism diagnosis, since 2003.

Michelle Dawson is a high school graduate. Before working under Laurent Mottron, Dawson was a postal worker for the Canada Post until she took a leave of absence in 2002. Dawson filed two human rights complaints against the Canada Post, alleging that she was being discriminated against.

(The first complaint was settled out of court).

Achievements

• Dawson won the second human rights complaint.