# Coming out as an autistic researcher: academic writing and its breakdowns

## TL;DR

An autistic researcher shares insights into the challenges and complexities of academic writing from a personal perspective.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel philosophical approach using phenomenological reflection on breakdowns in academic writing.

## Key findings

- The author describes hyperfocus and indecision as key aspects of their writing process.
- Conflicting norms of academic writing create challenges for autistic researchers.
- Phenomenological reflection reveals hidden complexities in the academic writing experience.

## Abstract

This descriptive article offers an inside perspective of the experience of writing a publishable paper by an autistic early-career researcher. From an external perspective, this experience might be described as involving hyperfocus, indecision about framing, and conflicting norms of academic writing. The article develops an inside perspective on such experiences. The author adopts a philosophical approach, using phenomenological reflection on breakdowns as a method to explicate what is implicitly given in experience. Reflection on three types of research breakdown in academic writing results in an inside description of the complexities of this particular experience by someone who is both autistic and an academic researcher.