The public discourse on genetics in autism communities: a content analysis of Reddit posts

Abstract

Purpose There is ongoing debate in the autism community on the role of genetics. Most research examining the discourse on genetics in autism have focused primarily on caregivers. This study explored the public discourse on genetics within the broader autism community. Methods We collected 30,014 Reddit posts on genetics within autism communities, since the platform’s inception through August 1, 2024. Using topic modelling, we identified key topics and we conducted sentiment analysis to compare the emotional tone across these topics. Finally, we examined how user characteristics were related to the sentiment of a post. Results We identified seven topics related to genetics: personal stories, place in society, parental support, familial inheritance, healthcare, research, and moderator messages. Threads on healthcare and personal stories were relatively negative, whereas research and moderator messages threads were more positive. Comments on healthcare were relatively negative, while parental support and moderator messages comments were more positive. Users who generally post more positively also expressed more positive sentiment when discussing genetics in the context of autism. Conclusions The online discourse on genetics in online autism communities encompasses multiple topics. Researchers and clinicians should continuously engage with the autism community to address concerns regarding genetics in autism.