[9] She wrote a paper[10] challenging the ethical and scientific foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)-based autism interventions.
She also challenged the medical necessity of ABA for individuals with autism in the Supreme Court of Canada in Auton v. British Columbia, 3 S.C.R.
[2] Before working under Laurent Mottron, Dawson was a postal worker for the Canada Post[12] until she took a leave of absence in 2002.
The award states "She has documented the poverty of scientific and ethical standards in autism intervention research, and the resulting harm to autistic people.
Contrary to long-entrenched views, she believes that autistics deserve the same basic rights as the rest of humanity.