The Market Value of Compliance: Queries and References

Jul 02, 2025

This document serves as a full record of the research process used in developing The Market Value of Compliance: Functioning Labels as Economic Assignments. It is presented here in the interest of full transparency and to provide readers with direct access to both the questions posed and the materials returned.

The research for this project was conducted using an AI research assistant, allowing for targeted searches across recent academic literature. Queries were carefully designed to explore distinct but interconnected aspects of the topic, including:

The economic functions of autism functioning labels;
Adaptive functioning assessments as proxies for productivity;
Vocational rehabilitation as a system of labour market sorting;
Neoliberal continuities in disability policy;
The persistence of eugenic logics under modern frameworks;
Corporate exploitation of the so-called "autism advantage";
Diagnostic and eligibility frameworks as instruments of economic extraction.

The references directly cited within the published essay reflect those sources most explicitly integrated into the narrative argument. However, as is always the case with deep research, a much broader body of literature was reviewed to inform and refine the structure of the piece. Many studies influenced the final shape even if not quoted directly. In several cases, the same key studies surfaced across multiple queries, demonstrating both their relevance and the interwoven nature of this emerging field of critique.

Presented here are:

The full list of research queries used;
The complete set of papers returned by each query, with citations and DOIs where available;
Overlaps and redundancies across queries, reflecting recurring central works.

Whilst this document is not formatted as a formal bibliography, it offers a comprehensive, transparent view of the process behind the essay’s development — providing both a record of due diligence and a resource for further exploration.

The Market Value of Compliance: Functioning Labels as Economic Assignments - the References

Query: Recent peer-reviewed literature (2020–2025) analysing how autism "functioning labels" (e.g. high functioning, low functioning) relate to labour market outcomes, employability standards, and economic productivity frameworks.

Chapple, M., & Worsley, J. (2021). Commentary: Considering nomenclature for autism - aligning with the language preferences of the autistic community - a commentary on Kehinde et al. (2021). Child and Adolescent Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12490

Jones, D. R., & Sasson, N. (2023). A mixed method comparison of stigma toward autism and schizophrenia and effects of person-first versus identity-first language. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1263525

Kapp, S. K. (2023). Profound Concerns about “Profound Autism”: Dangers of Severity Scales and Functioning Labels for Support Needs. Education Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13020106

Keates, N., Martin, F., & Waldock, K. (2024). Autistic People's Perspectives on Functioning Labels and Associated Reasons, and Community Connectedness. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06316-3

Lombardo, M., & Mandelli, V. (2022). Rethinking Our Concepts and Assumptions About Autism. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.903489

Mandelli, V., Severino, I., Eyler, L., Pierce, K., Courchesne, E., & Lombardo, M. V. (2024). A 3D approach to understanding heterogeneity in early developing autisms. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.08.24307039

Nah, Y.-H., & Tan, P. (2023). The Effect of Labels on Preschool Teachers’ Perception Towards Strengths and Difficulties in Autistic Students. International Journal of Early Childhood. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-023-00347-0

Nah, Y.-H., Neo, Y.-F., & Chen, A. (2022). Do labels matter? The effect of specific and generic labels on university students’ openness towards autistic peers. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2022.102020

Wang, P., Tipton-Fisler, L. A., & Phung, J. N. (2022). College Students’ Perceptions of Peers with Autism. Contemporary School Psychology, 27(3), 523–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-022-00416-6

Whiteley, P., Carr, K., & Shattock, P. (2021). Research, Clinical, and Sociological Aspects of Autism. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.481546

Zarokanellou, V., Papagiannopoulou, E., Gryparis, A., Siafaka, V., Tafiadis, D., Ntre, V., & Ziavra, N. (2024). Healthcare Students' Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Peers with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06368-5

Query: Modern research exploring the intersection of disability services, vocational rehabilitation, and labour market sorting for autistic individuals; focus on systemic economic frameworks rather than individualised outcomes.

Roux, A. M., Miller, K. K., Tao, S., Rast, J. E., Ventimiglia, J., Shattuck, P., & Shea, L. (2023). Unrealized cross-system opportunities to improve employment and employment-related services among autistic individuals. The Milbank Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.12666

Stratton, E., Glozier, N., Woolard, A., Gibbs, V., Demetriou, E., Boulton, K., Hickie, I., Pellicano, E., & Guastella, A. (2022). Understanding the vocational functioning of autistic employees: the role of disability and mental health. Disability and Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2022.2066207

Crabtree, A., Caudel, D., Pinette, J. A., Vang, C., Neikirk, K., Kabugi, K., Zaganjor, E., & Hinton, A. O. (2024). Recruiting and retaining autistic talent in STEMM. iScience, 27, Article 109080. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.109080

Chun, J., Curtiss, S. L., Richard, C., Zhou, K., Castruita Rios, Y., Park, S., Kim, J., & Koc, M. (2024). Where does hope lie? The dialectical tensions between hopes and expectations of vocational transition planning from the perspectives of autistic young adults, parents, and practitioners. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06348-9

Gollasch, D., Engel, C., Branig, M., Schmalfuß-Schwarz, J., & Weber, G. (2024). Unlocking opportunities: Empowering autistic adults in vocational training and employment through assistive technologies. In Assistive Technology: From Research to Practice (pp. 32-46). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-60884-1_3

Roux, A. M., Rast, J. E., Anderson, K., & Shattuck, P. (2016). National Autism Indicators Report: Vocational Rehab. Life Course Outcomes Research Program. https://doi.org/10.17918/nairvocrehab2016

Query: Studies examining the role of functioning labels in determining access to disability supports, education-to-employment pipelines, and state-funded services for autistic adults in neoliberal economies.

Kearl, B. (2019). Special Education as Neoliberal Property: The Racecraft, Biopolitics, and Immunization of Disability. Educational Studies, 55(5), 473–488. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2019.1630126

Parker Harris, S. K., Owen, R., Fisher, K., & Gould, R. (2014). Human Rights and Neoliberalism in Australian Welfare to Work Policy: Experiences and Perceptions of People with Disabilities and Disability Stakeholders. Disability Studies Quarterly, 34(4). https://doi.org/10.18061/DSQ.V34I4.3992

Sakellariou, D., & Rotarou, E. (2017). The effects of neoliberal policies on access to healthcare for people with disabilities. International Journal for Equity in Health, 16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-017-0699-3

Keates, N., Martin, F., & Waldock, K. (2024). Autistic People's Perspectives on Functioning Labels and Associated Reasons, and Community Connectedness. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06316-3

Kumar, A., Sonpal, D., & Hiranandani, V. (2012). Trapped Between Ableism and Neoliberalism: Critical Reflections on Disability and Employment in India. Disability Studies Quarterly, 32(3). https://doi.org/10.18061/DSQ.V32I3.3235

Owen, R., & Parker Harris, S. K. (2012). 'No Rights without Responsibilities': Disability Rights and Neoliberal Reform under New Labour. Disability Studies Quarterly, 32(3). https://doi.org/10.18061/DSQ.V32I3.3283

Mladenov, T. (2015). Neoliberalism, postsocialism, disability. Disability & Society, 30(3), 445–459. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2015.1021758

Gappmayer, G. (2019). Exploring neoliberalism in care for people with intellectual disabilities: A practice theory approach. Journal of Occupational Science, 26(2), 258–274. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2019.1596830

Soldatic, K. (2018). Surplusisity: Neoliberalism and Disability and Precarity. In The Palgrave Handbook of Disability and Citizenship in the Global South. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74675-3_2

Soldatic, K., Somers, K., Spurway, K., & van Toorn, G. (2017). Emplacing Indigeneity and rurality in neoliberal disability welfare reform: The lived experience of Aboriginal people with disabilities in the West Kimberley, Australia. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 49(10), 2342–2361. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X17718374

Query: Contemporary scholarship on the quiet persistence of eugenic logics within disability employment programs, autism interventions, and workforce readiness policies.

Rembis, M. (2018). Disability and the History of Eugenics. Oxford Handbooks Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780190234959.013.6

Garland-Thomson, R. (2017). Eugenic World Building and Disability: The Strange World of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. Journal of Medical Humanities, 38(2), 133–145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10912-015-9368-y

McConnell, D., & Phelan, S. K. (2022). The devolution of eugenic practices: Sexual and reproductive health and oppression of people with intellectual disability. Social Science & Medicine, 298, Article 114877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114877

Stephens, E., & Cryle, P. (2017). Eugenics and the normal body: the role of visual images and intelligence testing in framing the treatment of people with disabilities in the early twentieth century. Continuum, 31(3), 365–376. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2016.1275126

Wheeler, S. (2017). The construction of access: the eugenic precedent of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Continuum, 31(3), 377–387. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2016.1275132

Hotta, Y. (2008). A Critique of Liberal Eugenics: Disability and the Problem of Inclusion. Unpublished conference paper. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yoshitaro-Hotta/publication/237344418_A_Critique_of_Liberal_Eugenics_Disability_and_the_Problem_of_Inclusion/links/5f43a274299bf13404ebfc96/A-Critique-of-Liberal-Eugenics-Disability-and-the-Problem-of-Inclusion.pdf

Wilson, R. A. (2017). Contemporary Forms of Eugenics. In The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470015902.A0027075

Aydos, V., & Fietz, H. (2017). When Citizenship demands Care: the inclusion of people with autism in the Brazilian labour market. Disability Studies Quarterly, 37(4). https://doi.org/10.18061/DSQ.V37I4.6087

Reinders, J., Stainton, T., & Parmenter, T. (2020). Disposable Lives: Is Ending the Lives of Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for Reasons of Poor Quality of Life an Emergence of a New Eugenics Movement? In Mental Health, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and the Ageing Process. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56934-1_22

Garland-Thomson, R. (2012). The Case for Conserving Disability. Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 9(3), 339–355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-012-9380-0

Query: Recent research analysing how compliance, behavioural regulation, and "work readiness" are framed as employability metrics within vocational support services for autistic adults.

Moody, C. T., Factor, R., Gulsrud, A., Grantz, C., Tsai, K. H., Jolliffe, M., Rosen, N. E., McCracken, J., & Laugeson, E. (2022). A pilot study of PEERS® for Careers: A comprehensive employment-focused social skills intervention for autistic young adults in the United States. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 128, Article 104287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104287

Lee, N., McQuaid, G., Grosman, H. E., Jayaram, S., & Wallace, G. (2022). Vocational outcomes in ASD: An examination of work readiness skills as well as barriers and facilitators to employment identified by autistic adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05804-8

Kulzer, J., Beck, K. B., Trabert, C., Meyer, E., Colacci, J., Pramuka, M., & McCue, M. (2023). A vocational rehabilitation partnership to provide transition services to young adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities: The cognitive skills enhancement program. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.3233/jvr-230005

Nicholas, D., & Klag, M. (2020). Critical reflections on employment among autistic adults. Autism in Adulthood: Challenges and Management, 2(4), 289-295. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0006

Stratton, E., Glozier, N., Woolard, A., Gibbs, V., Demetriou, E., Boulton, K., Hickie, I., Pellicano, E., & Guastella, A. (2022). Understanding the vocational functioning of autistic employees: The role of disability and mental health. Disability and Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2022.2066207

Sung, C., Okyere, C., Connor, A., & Chen, J. (2024). Lived experiences and perceptions of autistic young adults participating in employment readiness skills training. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06527-8

Chandler, R., Russell, A., & Maras, K. (2018). Compliance in autism: Self-report in action. Autism, 23, 1005–1017. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361318795479

Adiani, D., Itzkovitz, A., Bian, D., Katz, H., Breen, M., Hunt, S., Swanson, A., Vogus, T. J., Wade, J. W., & Sarkar, N. (2022). Career interview readiness in virtual reality (CIRVR): A platform for simulated interview training for autistic individuals and their employers. ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS), 15, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1145/3505560

Goldfarb, Y., Golan, O., & Gal, E. (2025). A narrative approach to career identity construction of autistic adults. Journal of Vocational Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2025.104092

Gollasch, D., Engel, C., Branig, M., Schmalfuß-Schwarz, J., & Weber, G. (2024). Unlocking opportunities: Empowering autistic adults in vocational training and employment through assistive technologies. In Assistive Technology: From Research to Practice, 32-46. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-60884-1_3

Query: Studies critiquing the use of adaptive functioning assessments as proxies for economic productivity in disability policy, vocational training, or public benefit determinations.

Geiger, B., Garthwaite, K., Warren, J., & Bambra, C. (2018). Assessing work disability for social security benefits: International models for the direct assessment of work capacity. Disability and Rehabilitation, 40, 2962–2970. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2017.1366556

Harrison, M. (2013). A critique of the Productivity Commission's cost benefit analysis in the ‘Disability Care and Support’ report. Political Institutions: Bureaucracies & Public Administration eJournal. https://doi.org/10.22459/AG.20.02.2013.05

Subramanian, A., & Mital, A. (2009). Productivity and disability: The need to modify work standards. International Journal of Productivity and Quality Management, 4, 212–227. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJPQM.2009.023188

McDuff, E., Lanovaz, M., Morin, D., Vona, M., Kheloufi, Y., & Giannakakos, A. (2019). Differential reinforcement of high rates of behaviour to increase work productivity in adults with intellectual disability. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.12614

Ross, G., Hocken, K., & Auty, J. M. (2020). The reliability and validity of the Adaptive Functioning Assessment Tool in UK custodial settings. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 24, 35–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744629518762885

Geiger, B., Garthwaite, K., Warren, J., & Bambra, C. (2017). University of Birmingham: Assessing work disability for social security benefits. [Unpublished policy paper]. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/267302142.pdf

Holden, R. (2016). Psychometric properties of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-Second Edition with adults diagnosed with intellectual disability [Unpublished thesis]. https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/send_file/send?accession=xavier1461253948&disposition=inline

Query: Literature on the convergence of disability services, public education, and labour market preparation as surveillance-based sorting mechanisms for neurodivergent populations.

Kim, Y., Kim, W., & Rhee, K. (2022). A discussion on the establishment of a new interdisciplinary convergence major (lifelong education for disabled) based on special education, rehabilitation science, and social welfare at Daegu University [Unpublished report]. https://koreascience.kr/article/JAKO202208148828855.pdf

Kim, Y., & Domoungai. (2020). Exploring the convergence of lifelong education for the disabled: Academic system boundaries at the level of imitation. Journal of Convergence Culture and Technology, 6(4), 79–84. https://doi.org/10.17703/JCCT.2020.6.4.79

Prinz, C., & Tompson, W. (2009). Sickness and disability benefit programmes: What is driving policy convergence? International Social Security Review, 62(4), 41–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-246X.2009.01345.x

Yang, Y. K. (2023). A study of art museums convergence education guidelines model for social improvement and talents development of mild autism spectrum disability. Korea Institute of Design Research Society. https://doi.org/10.46248/kidrs.2023.1.164

Aydos, V., & Fietz, H. (2017). When citizenship demands care: The inclusion of people with autism in the Brazilian labour market. Disability Studies Quarterly, 37(4). https://doi.org/10.18061/DSQ.V37I4.6087

Giannoumis, G. (2015). Transnational convergence of public procurement policy: A ‘bottom-up’ analysis of policy networks and the international harmonisation of accessibility standards for information and communication technology. International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, 29(2), 183–206. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600869.2015.1055662

Query: Research exploring how autism support services align with broader state and corporate interests in workforce development, productivity maximisation, and labour extraction.

Kosherbayeva, L. K., Kozhageldiyeva, L., Pena-Boquete, Y., Samambayeva, A., & Seredenko, M. (2024). Effects of autism spectrum disorder on parents' labour market: Productivity loss and policy evaluation in Kazakhstan. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241273042

Bury, S., Hedley, D., Uljarević, M., & Gal, E. (2020). The autism advantage at work: A critical and systematic review of current evidence. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 105, Article 103750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103750

Hollin, G. (2016). Social studies of autism. Wiley Online Library. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470015902.A0026603

Ninci, J., Rispoli, M., Burke, M. D., & Neely, L. C. (2018). Embedding interests of individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A quality review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 5(1), 15–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/S40489-017-0120-6

Harrop, C., Jones, D. R., Zheng, S., Nowell, S. W., Boyd, B., & Sasson, N. (2018). Circumscribed interests and attention in autism: The role of biological sex. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(11), 3449–3459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3612-z

Stabile, M., & Eigsti, I. (2022). Lexical alignment and communicative success in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_JSLHR-22-00314

Spackman, E., Smillie, L., Frazier, T., Hardan, A., Alvares, G., Whitehouse, A., & Uljarević, M. (2022). Characterizing restricted and unusual interests in autistic youth. Autism Research, 16(3), 394–405. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2863

Query: Studies that critically examine the economic interests embedded in diagnostic, assessment, and service eligibility frameworks for autistic people in Western neoliberal economies.

Kizer, J. S. (2024). Autism speaks for whom? Neoliberalism, nonprofit infrastructure, and the economics of autism advocacy. Sociology Lens. https://doi.org/10.1111/johs.12481

Milton, D. (2018). Autistic development, trauma and personhood: Beyond the frame of the neoliberal individual. In Palgrave Handbook of Male Psychology and Mental Health (pp. 461–476). https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54446-9_29

Ante-Contreras, D. (2017). Autism as metaphor: The affective regime of neoliberal masculinity [Dissertation]. https://consensus.app/papers/autism-as-metaphor-the-affective-regime-of-neoliberal-ante-contreras/61e5cbffe86c5a169c00c6e1e4c8674e/?utm_source=chatgpt

Hochmann, J. (2010). Autism in the neoliberal era. Enfances & Psy, 15–29. https://consensus.app/papers/autism-in-the-neoliberal-era-hochmann/b8a4ab1d8f535e1d93089206098b996a/?utm_source=chatgpt

Lion, V. (2015). "A dystopic autistic future": Protecting neoliberalism and the human race in I Am Autism and Children of Men. [Article]. https://consensus.app/papers/a-dystopic-autistic-future-protecting-neoliberalism-and-lion/eb76dd4dad7754468a33d455a1664730/?utm_source=chatgpt

Cruickshank, J. (2016). Putting business at the heart of higher education: On neoliberal interventionism and audit culture in UK universities. Open Library of Humanities, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.16995/OLH.77

Query: Research on how functioning labels in autism reflect the commodification of cognitive labour, adaptive behaviour, and social compliance under capitalist economic systems.

Kapp, S. K. (2023). Profound concerns about “profound autism”: Dangers of severity scales and functioning labels for support needs. Education Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13020106

Keates, N., Martin, F., & Waldock, K. (2024). Autistic people's perspectives on functioning labels and associated reasons, and community connectedness. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06316-3

Werkhoven, S., Anderson, J. H., & Robeyns, I. (2022). Who benefits from diagnostic labels for developmental disorders? Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 64(9), 944–949. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15177

Hochmann, J. (2010). Autism in the neoliberal era. Enfances & Psy, 15–29. https://consensus.app/papers/autism-in-the-neoliberal-era-hochmann/b8a4ab1d8f535e1d93089206098b996a/?utm_source=chatgpt

Nah, Y. H., & Tan, P. (2023). The effect of labels on preschool teachers’ perception towards strengths and difficulties in autistic students. International Journal of Early Childhood. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-023-00347-0

Mogensen, L., & Mason, J. (2015). The meaning of a label for teenagers negotiating identity: Experiences with autism spectrum disorder. Sociology of Health & Illness, 37(2), 255–269. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.12208

Lester, J. (2012). A discourse analysis of parents' talk around their children's autism labels. Disability Studies Quarterly, 32(4). https://doi.org/10.18061/DSQ.V32I4.1744

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