INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES VOLUME 46, NUMBER 5: 364–375 OCTOBER 2008 364 American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities ‘‘I Like Others to Not Try to Fix Me’’: Agency, Independence, and Autism Zachary Rossetti, Christine Ashby, Katrina Arndt, Marilyn Chadwick, and Maho Kasahara Abstract This article is based on an interpretevist, qualitative research project conducted with individuals labeled with autism who type to communicate. Researchers engaged in participant observation and conducted open-ended interviews with 9 participants who were working to develop independent typing skills. Three findings emerged from this research. First, participants shaped a notion of independence that included dependence on various supports. Second, researchers recognized the concept of agency in the interactions between participants and their communication facilitators. Third, participants exercised control of their lives through these expressions of agency. DOI: 10.1352/2008.46:364–375 This article is about interpreting the actions or performances of individuals labeled with autism. More specifically, we discuss viewing competence amid be- haviors and actions traditionally linked with incom- petence. Individuals labeled with autism, especially those who do not speak, have historically been inter- preted as ‘‘mentally retarded’’ and excluded from many of the decisions that affect their lives. Bogdan and Taylor (1976) argued that individuals labeled mentally retarded are relegated to the role of the ‘‘judged’’ but never the ‘‘judges’’ (p. 47). Current norms of competence are based largely on written and verbal language, immediate response or performance on demand, and the illusion of in- dependence (Biklen & Kliewer, 2006). Many peo- ple labeled with autism do not speak, take time to respond, and rely on various supports to commu- nicate and complete daily tasks. Furthermore, many people labeled with autism experience difficulties with social dynamics and performing tasks on de- mand because of movement differences, including difficulty starting, stopping, executing, continuing, combining, and switching movements or actions (Donnellan & Leary, 1995). Based on these dis- crepancies, people labeled with autism are often considered dependent and, therefore, incompetent by others (Olney, 2001). Yet, such assumptions re- flect misinterpretations of such behavior: The presence of these symptoms [movement differences] may or may not indicate limited understanding or lack of interest. It is not possible to know the inner workings of the mind or the capacity for thought based on the presence of these symptoms. (Donnellan & Leary, 1995, p. 40) Thus, using various forms of nonspoken com- munication and/or a method of augmentative alter- native communication (AAC) is important for in- dividuals with movement differences who do not speak to demonstrate their competence. The act of introducing any form of AAC is recognition of the importance of communication to an individual’s participation in the world (Facilitated Communi- cation Institute, 2000). The interpretevist, qualitative research project on which this article is based was conducted with individuals labeled with autism who type to com- municate and who desired to develop ‘‘indepen- dent’’ communication skills (i.e., typing without physical support, reading what was typed, and speaking). The participants in this study were—and are—faced with the task of demonstrating their competence by validating their supported commu- nication. Facilitated communication training (often called facilitated communication or FC), is one form of AAC that has been an effective means of ex- pression for some individuals labeled with autism and other developmental disabilities. Facilitated communication is controversial. A number of stud- ies failed to validate authorship and showed that a facilitator’s physical support can influence the per- son’s pointing (Bebko, Perry, & Bryson, 1996; Ca-