Moral Panic and the Framing of the Deaths of Autistic Children by Parents in Canada - CANCELLED

• In Event: Exploring the Social Construction of Crime and Justice by the News Media

Abstract

Objective:
We analyze how portrayals of the killing of autistic children in Canada by parents reflect harmful representations, drawing inspiration from disability scholars.

Methods:
We performed a qualitative content analysis of news articles, to explore how the killing of autistic children by parents is framed by comparing existing research on moral panics involving children's murders.

Results:
We found that media depicts these events as isolated incidents rather than as societal issues. Unlike other murders of non-disabled children, which often incite moral panics and demonization of the perpetrators (e.g., predatory pedophiles or satanic cults), the murder of autistic children by guardians does not result in such a response. Instead, narratives tend to portray the victims as 'difficult' or 'aggressive,' suggesting that they are responsible for their own deaths. In contrast, perpetrators are often depicted as idealized victims of a faulty support system, struggling with an uncontrollable child.

Conclusions:
We highlight the need for more informed and nuanced media representations that accurately reflects the societal and systemic factors contributing to such tragedies.

Authors

• Jennifer Silcox, King's University College at Western University

• Hannah Walsh, Queen's University