Programme

.Employment is a critical factor contributing to wellbeing and quality of life of autistic people of working age. Historically, research has focussed on interventions and employment-related outcomes. This has been largely generated without the input of autistic workers, leading to practices based on the autistic worker fitting into the working environment; however more recent research reflects autistic workers’ experiences of employment. This approach denotes a shift to considerations of how the workplace should change to reflect the cognitive differences of this historically marginalised group.

This research discusses the results from a series of 18 semi-structured interviews, considered within the context of data from a thorough systematic review of autistic employment experience literature. The results show themes derived from the first-hand experiences of autistic workers, that have been identified through categorical and reflexive analysis.

The three categories identified were Navigating social demands, doing the job, and your individuality in the workplace. Narratives identified differ from previous literature, such as social aspects of the workplace being considered both a positive and a strength to some. Additionally, significant experiences were identified such as the vulnerability of disclosure, importance and danger of manager relationships, balancing flexibility and structure, and identifying the ideal work environment.

These experiences demonstrate the value of including autistic workers’ voices in research and practice. These voices identified areas otherwise overlooked and discussions that differ from the narrative found when autistic voices are excluded, placing more focus on changing the workplace to meet the needs of the individual.

Studies carried out with samples extracted from gender clinics suggest that up to 26% of transgender people seeking gender-affirming healthcare have an autism diagnosis. Autistic writer Chris Bonello has also informally quantified the overlap, with findings that suggest almost 19% of autistic people identify as transgender. Very few studies, however, have sought to understand how transgender autistics understand and develop their gender identity, and how this interacts with their gender expression: Instead, researchers tend to focus on pathologising enquiry, seeking to establish whether autism may be a “cause” of transgender identities.

The study presented aims to remedy this through the platforming of seven autobiographic accounts of transgender autistics, analysed thematically. What emerges is a multiplicity of kindred yet distinct narratives where transgender autistics grapple with the tension between cisgender expectations, binary transgender modes of expression and their own unique identities, to the detriment of their wellbeing. However, these are also narratives of liberation and joy, highlighting how, when transgender autistics are able to exercise agency over their own gender expression, the result is exuberant flourishing.

This research was conducted for my senior honour’s dissertation, an edited and abridged version of which is currently in peer review at Sociology Compass.

Little is known about autistic individuals’ experiences of grief and loss. As such, this study used qualitative content analysis to consider community-produced narratives of grief and loss, as (re)presented by neurodivergent individuals on social media. Taking a transdiagnostic approach, this research acknowledges that co-occurrence between neurodevelopmental disorders is the norm rather than the exception; therefore, in order to explore autistic wellbeing in relation to grief and loss, one must consider the broader transdiagnostic situatedness of autism. As such, 731 posts across 6 social media platforms discussing neurodivergence and grief were analysed revealing key areas of support for autistic wellbeing following a loss, as well as several risk factors. The analysis identified 5 main themes: 1) Emotional Understanding; 2) Coping with Grief: “but we truck on”; 3) Remembrance: Constancy & Echophenomena; 4) Understanding Grief: “neurodivergent grief is not like neurotypical grief”; 5) Grief & Identity: “a part of you”. The analysis replicates and expands on findings from a recent systematic review, highlighting (mis)understanding and disenfranchisement of autistic experiences of grief, whilst also adding important discussions on the Grief & Relief Cycle of late diagnosis, object personification, and difficulty with remembrance, as highlighted by an Out of Sight, Out of Mind understanding. Implications will be discussed. 

Research on acoustics and sound perception has historically overlooked the perspectives of people with auditory differences, such as people with higher sensitivity or hyperacusis. Thus, the perception of people with higher sensitivity to noise is not appropriately considered in building standards and regulations. 

This study explores the experiences of 12 autistic adults living in the UK, providing first-hand perspectives on challenging as well as positive environments and sounds, impact on daily life activities, and common coping strategies (some of which can lead to further negative repercussions). The results highlight the crucial importance of accessible acoustic environments for learning, working, socialising or resting, as well as the frequent lack of understanding from society, dismissal of their experiences and sensory gaslighting, and inadequacy of current acoustics standards to meet their needs. All these factors are associated with high levels of stress and health issues, and a negative impact on self-image, personal and professional prospects, and overall wellbeing. 

The study is, as far as we know, the first one in acoustics reporting the short and long-term impact of real-life soundscapes, acoustics characteristics of spaces, and measures, directly involving the participation of autistic adults (half of them being over 45 years old), and also of people with hearing loss and other differences, instead of having “typical hearing”. It is part of a PhD project seeking to understand the experiences of those who have been considered “outliers” in acoustics due to higher noise sensitivity, with the aim of developing recommendations for the creation of more inclusive spaces. 

Background: An increasing body of research suggests an overlap between autism and gender. However, there is a dearth of qualitative research regarding the experiences of autistic gender-diverse adults, and the research that does exist generally focuses on gender dysphoria. We addressed this knowledge gap by using qualitative methods to understand the broader lived experiences of autistic gender-diverse adults.

Methods: Twelve gender-diverse autistic adults (mean age= 27 years, SD= 9) participated. Participants described their gender as: non-binary (n=5), transmasculine (n=3), non-binary female (n=1), non-binary/agender (n=1), genderqueer (n=1), and genderqueer woman (n=1). Participants completed an online semi-structured interview or open-ended survey. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Results: Three central themes were generated: (1) Navigating a gender journey - participants felt they understood gender differently from neurotypical cisgender individuals and emphasised the importance of self-authenticity. (2) impact of social context on self – participants discussed increased discrimination, but also facilitative relationships founded in commonality. (3) Healthcare provision – participants stated that healthcare professionals lack awareness of the co-occurrence of autism and gender diversity which limits the support they receive. Participants also identified ways in which they could be better supported.

Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the intersection of being autistic and gender-diverse can present individualised challenges but can be a positive experience. Results highlight the difficulties that autistic gender-diverse participants experienced when trying to access support. This study contributes to this limited evidence base by providing important insights on the intersection of autism and gender diversity and has important implications for healthcare provisions.

Autistic people in professional roles, such as education and health, are at risk of employment experiences having a negative impact on wellbeing. The consequences of this include underemployment and working in positions below their qualifications as well as issues of poor participation, exclusion and impoverished longer-term work. There is a clear and urgent need for remediation and practice change in work environments. To identify solutions, understanding people’s own lived experiences is not only valuable, but completely essential. In this qualitative study, we explored the experiences of 34 autistic teachers and autistic health professionals in Scotland. Participants were either formally diagnosed or self-identified and rates of disclosure in the work setting were variable. The research was conceived and carried out by a neurodiverse team of autistic and non-autistic people. Through a process of thematic analysis, we identified supportive factors described by autistic people which can improve wellbeing during recruitment and in employment. Participants identified how context, including organisational culture or environment contribute, and understand the ‘journey’ to successful employment. Learning from this research supports development of experience-based good practice guides focused on making health and education careers and workplaces more accessible and less discriminatory. Key messages, recommendations and resources for employers and employees are in development.

Very little research has been conducted investigating autistic, asexual women and gender minorities. However, recent studies demonstrate that autistic women have much poorer health as opposed to neurotypicals, and that LGBT+ populations are significantly likelier to suffer from poor health outcomes (Hollocks et al., 2018). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six participants who identified as both autistic and asexual. Four identified as gender minorities. Thematic analysis was applied, with three themes being found: ‘Anxiety Related to Autism and Asexuality’, ‘Fear of Stigma and Utilisation of Camouflage’, and ‘Increasing the Visibility of Asexuality and Autism’. The first theme showed that participants identified anxiety resulting from a lack of control over environmental stimulus and societal issues, which they related to being autistic. The second theme highlighted participants’ perception of poorer mental health, which was generally due to self-stigmatisation as well as stigma from others. With this, participants experienced harmful stereotypes directed towards them and autistic people generally, even within settings such as medical situations, thus negatively impacting their mental health and sense of self. Finally, within the last theme participants discussed the lack of education about autism as well as the lack of representation in the media and elsewhere. Participants suggested that the lack of awareness from broader society impacted their mental health negatively. This study demonstrates that much more work needs to be done in order to understand how to support positive wellbeing outcomes, particularly in regard to mental health and the factors impacting this as a result of being autistic.

Motor differences are prevalent in autism, affecting 88% of autistic children (Bhat, 2022) and often persisting into adulthood (Cho et al., 2022). These motor challenges have the potential to impact the overall wellbeing of individuals on the autism spectrum.

Our research team has utilised smart tablet gameplay to explore motor differences between autistic children and their typically developing peers. Developmental trends in motor control were found to differ in autistic children (Chua et al., 2022), and the movement differences were context-dependent during gameplay (Lu et al., 2022). Additionally, these motor signals can be leveraged to develop machine learning models for early identification of autism, enabling timely intervention (Anzulewicz et al., 2016). Ellipse drawing tasks on a smart tablet have also revealed variations in adherence to the two-thirds power law in both autistic children (Fourie et al., 2022) and adults (Lu et al., 2023). Furthermore, efforts are underway to translate this knowledge into wearable sensor technology, enabling the identification of motor signatures in younger children who may lack the motor control skills required for smart tablet-based activities.

Leveraging smart sensors in tablet or wearable devices provides a means to identify these motor signatures in autistic individuals. This understanding not only raises awareness of the motor differences but also facilitates the development of tailored intervention plans and policy changes aimed at reducing the challenges associated with these motor differences. Ultimately, such initiatives aim to foster a more autism-friendly environment that promotes the wellbeing of individuals on the autism spectrum.

The presentation is about the CalmSpaces website which was developed out of research by a team of three Autistic researchers at the University of Glasgow, two peer researchers and one academic researcher. It aims to improve the quality of life and therefore wellbeing of older (50+) Autistic people through providing reviews of Autistic friendly venues and services in the UK by older Autistics for older Autistics. However, the reviews will be open to everyone. The need for the site was identified by a survey of older Autistics and its specifications obtained and prioritised through follow-up feedback groups and interviews.

Currently minimal attention is paid to the needs of older Autistic people in service provision and venues. Those for older people rarely consider the sensory, communication and other requirements of older Autistics. There are few facilities for Autistic adults and those that exist may be used predominantly by younger Autistic people.

We are about to start end-user testing, involving some of our research participants, as well as the second stage of site and other facilities development. This will include the development of a forum to support the development of a community of older Autistic people round the website, as well as additional options for reviews and site functions. We will also develop stickers for organisations to indicate they have been reviewed and icons to

link to the review, as well as encouraging them to learn from the reviews to be more welcoming to (older) Autistic people.

This systematic review explores lived experiences of grief in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), considering mental health impacts and how these experiences are expressed/understood. Reviewing qualitative research and grey literature centred on lived experience, 39 articles were identified through a systematic search of 8 databases and 1 page-ranked search engine. The articles were critically appraised, and results synthesised using thematic analysis and meta-synthesis. Four main themes and an overarching theme, titled Recognise the Unrecognised, emerged: 1) Hidden Grief; 2) Supported & Included; 3) Understanding My Loss; 4) The Double Taboo of Death & Disability. The results indicate that grief often goes unrecognised in individuals with NDDs, especially following non-death losses. The implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed. 

The Double Empathy theory proposes a lack of shared understanding between autistic and non-autistic people leads to interaction difficulties between them. Social self-efficacy, (confidence in one’s social abilities), makes an important contribution to social interactions. Research has shown that autistic people show a social identity (one’s sense of self based on membership of social groups) with other autistic people, and this impacts positively on well-being. In addition, research shows that autistic people have a number of social identities. This study aims to understand whether social self-efficacy relates to mental well-being in autistic adults, and whether social identity plays a role in this relationship. 512 autistic adults completed measures of social self-efficacy, social identity, mental well-being, and autistic traits. In-group social self-efficacy was found to be higher than out-group social self-efficacy. Secondly, in-group social self-efficacy was positively associated with well-being. Finally, social identity did not mediate the relationships between social self-efficacy and mental well-being. These findings suggest social self-efficacy may relate to the nature of the group one interacts with. The findings support further research into the relationship between social self-efficacy and well-being, as well as using double empathy theory as a framework for further investigations in other social groups.

This systematic review explores lived experiences of grief in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), considering mental health impacts and how these experiences are expressed/understood. Reviewing qualitative research and grey literature centred on lived experience, 39 articles were identified through a systematic search of 8 databases and 1 page-ranked search engine. The articles were critically appraised, and results synthesised using thematic analysis and meta-synthesis. Four main themes and an overarching theme, titled Recognise the Unrecognised, emerged: 1) Hidden Grief; 2) Supported & Included; 3) Understanding My Loss; 4) The Double Taboo of Death & Disability. The results indicate that grief often goes unrecognised in individuals with NDDs, especially following non-death losses. The implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed. 

Autism in Theology and Church

In theology, attention to autism is fairly recent. In this presentation, I first briefly introduce the recently established Centre for Autism and Theology (CAT), and then present my research on the autism and church services.

The role of spirituality and especially religion (as organised or institutionalised spirituality) is contested in Western societies, not least amongst autistic people. Whilst some would deny that autistic people can relate to the Divine, other argue the opposite (Bogdashina 2013; Bustion 2017); for many the faith community can be an important social and spiritual place (Waldock, Mccarthy, and Bradshaw 2021). The role of CAT is to reflect theologically on autistic experiences and insights into spirituality and religion.

My own research focus is on autistic experiences of church, especially of church services – the gathering of Christians, typically on Sunday mornings. A qualitative study of these experiences with people in Singapore, the UK, and the USA, revealed several important themes for (theological) reflection: 1) belonging (and exclusion); 2) the desire for friendship; 3) participation in activities during the church service; 4) the role of sensory perception; and 5) thinking logically. From a theological perspective, church should be a safe space where everyone is valued and is not only included, but actually belongs. In fact, autistic people have a lot to offer to faith communities (Van Ommen and Endress 2022; Van Ommen forthcoming).

Autism and Prayer

The second project (Henna Cundill) entails Action Research. Henna’s project seeks to listen and respond to autistic Christians' experiences of Christian prayer, anxiety, and the relationship between the two. A research advisory group of four autistic Christians worked with one non-autistic researcher and 9 research participants to compile and analyse a range of views and experiences. The analysis identifies specific points where the dominant theology and practice of the church regarding prayer conflicts with autistic lived experience, and this project seeks to make recommendations as to what can be done to address this.

Autistic ministry leadership

The third project (Harry Gibbins) concerns how autistic leadership (ministry) strengthens Christian communities rather than presenting a simplistic problem to overcome. In churches, autism is often seen as a deficit in various social factors whilst ministry is a socially rooted Christian vocation (leading church services, serving their congregation etc.) Autistic-led ministry, consequently, becomes an oxymoron. Over against such a deficit view, by engaging directly with autistic ministers themselves and rooting the research in their experiences, a new framework emerges for autistic leadership.

Peer Support group in schools

Many neurodivergent students who attend mainstream secondary education, report negative school experiences. Peer support interventions have been suggested, by autistic school leavers, to help neurodivergent young people feel more included (Crompton et al., 2022). However, often these have been designed by non-neurodivergent individuals, focusing on teaching ‘neurotypical’ social norms as the standard (Bottema-Beutel, et al., 2018). The aim of this research was to trial a peer support programme that was co-designed by neurodivergent young people, and adults who work with neurodivergent young people. The programme, in which neurodivergent young people support each other, was trialed for ~6 months by four Scottish high schools varying in size, urbanity, and social economic status.

At the end of the 6 months, student (N = 21) focus groups and staff interviews (N = 4) were conducted to provide insight into the feasibility and effectiveness of the peer support group. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to explore student and staff experiences across the schools. Preliminary results indicate that many students found the group a place where they could relax, be themselves, and connect with others who understand them. Students and staff alike noted how the programme fostered wellbeing and self-confidence. Three schools have opted to continue the group, making adaptations to address unique challenges found whilst running the group. The peer support group resources will be further developed based on the findings of this study and will be made available for all Scottish high schools, with a view to do a larger evaluation.

Parent training in autistic and non-autistic parents

Parents are aware of the importance of good parenting and the impact this can have on a child’s development (Radey & Randolph, 2009). Parents chose to participate in parenting classes to increase knowledge of parenting and learn ways to support their children. Parents of Autistic children also participate in parenting classes to learn strategies to support their children (Papageorgiou & Kalyva, 2010).

An online mixed method survey was used to investigate the views and experiences of 70 parents who have attended a parenting class. 30 identified as autistic, 3 identified as other (Neurodivergent), 33 identified as non-neurodivergent. Preliminary results show that parents express mixed feelings around reasons for attending parenting classes. Occurring themes from preliminary results show that parents feel classes are a prerequisite to assessment for their child and want to feel prepared for their child being born. Overall, 58% of the parents asked, would not recommend the parenting class they attended. 21% of parents would recommend the classes they attended.

This study highlights the need for appropriate support to be made available to parents regardless of whether they themselves, or their child, are autistic. The study further highlights the need for reform with regards to the assessment pathway as well as the need for more autistic led classes for all parents.

Autism and Employment in Psychology Career Paths

Background: Employment can be potentially challenging for autistic graduates. Evidence suggest that autistic adults usually face challenges in the pursuit to obtain and maintain a job. The upsurge in employment initiatives including interventions and support for autistic individuals to obtain, maintain and progress on a job has greatly enhanced their employment outcome (Remington & Pellicano, 2019). However, there has been little research into the personal experiences of autistic people when entering the world of work and even less on the progression of autistic psychology graduates pursuing a career a specific career path.  

Aim: The current study aimed to investigate the challenges of autistic adults entering employment and pursuing a career within psychology. 

Methods: 16 autistic psychology graduates recruited via snowball sampling, completed online semi-structured interviews about their personal employment experiences. Eight people were recent graduates whereas eight were working within psychology.  

Results: Using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis, four key themes emerged: Disclosure, Application Process, Influences of Education and Support. Participants were selective if and when they would disclose their diagnosis and found that there were key barriers around the application process and the support available.  

Conclusions: The findings suggest that educational institutions should include programs that aim to support the transitioning of autistic psychology students into the world of work and workplaces should focus on continuous individual-based support for autistic graduates and psychologists for better employment outcomes. Furthermore, the systemic barriers such as team dynamics, communication barriers can also be worked upon to accommodate autistic employees. 

The impact of Bilingualism in Autistic Wellbeing 

Many autistic people use the social coping strategy of camouflaging to mask and compensate for their autistic traits, often to the detriment of their mental health. In contrast, bilingualism has many reported benefits for autistic people, including new social opportunities and improved self-understanding. Hence, autistic bilinguals may have a nuanced understanding and experience of camouflaging, particularly those with predominantly monolingual educational backgrounds. This autism-led study aimed to explore camouflaging in autistic bilingual UK-based university students, by highlighting their lived experiences. Seven participants completed online demographic and languages questionnaires. They were then interviewed about what autism and bilingualism meant to them, and how they socialised at university. These online, semi-structured interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and then analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Three superordinate themes were established, alongside ten subthemes. These included: Identity Acceptance; Coping at University; and Connecting Through Language. Most participants reached acceptance in their autistic identities but often minimised the importance of their bilingual identities. Camouflaging was mainly employed via avoidance and monitoring behaviours, but many participants discussed actively wanting to reduce camouflaging (i.e., unmasking), for instance, by establishing healthier boundaries with peers. Bilingual language was also found to uniquely influence social communication and the demands for camouflaging. These findings add valuable insights to the current literature on autistic bilingual students, including their unique dual identity acceptance, use of coping strategies at university, and language-motivated connections. This study has implications for considering individual needs when curating disability adjustments and encouraging neurodiversity-informed language within bilingual families.  

Double Empathy and Social experiences 

Existing work on autistic social communication focuses heavily on ‘deficits’ in autistic communication, from a non-autistic perspective. Despite increasing theoretical and experimental work challenging this (double empathy, monotropism, etc.), there is still a dearth of literature exploring autistic people’s perspectives on and experiences with communication and socialising. In this study, we wanted to explore these perspectives and experiences – focusing specifically on things that made social communication with non-autistic people difficult, and on participants’ ‘social values’ (their needs and expectations around communication). 

9 autistic adults took part in an online, forum-style focus group for two weeks. The primary topics were: (1) people’s ‘social values’, (2) experiences/frustrations interacting with non-autistic people, (3) what made social interactions positive, and (4) a space for ‘anything else’. A thematic analysis produced the following themes: 

• Clear, Honest, Authentic: autistic people placing importance on, and having an expanded definition of, honesty. 

• Invisible Demands: socialisation and communication places a lot of demands on autistic people, many of which are not visible, and the work they do to manage these demands is not seen or appreciated. 

• Empathy & Double Empathy: things that are received as empathy by non-autistic people may not be by autistic people. There is a mutual lack of understanding; autistic people give but often do not receive empathy. 

• Autistic Strengths: the same things that can produce challenges in social communication can also be sources of strength. 

• The Autistic “Tribe”: being around other autistic people is valuable, but autistic communities (especially online) can be difficult. 

Photovoice Exploration of Stigma in Autism  

Stigma is a process through which negative labels and stereotypes are attributed to people based on their characteristics. Internalized stigma, specifically, is a dimension of stigma experienced by socially stigmatized groups. Internalized stigma happens when an individual is not only aware of the negative labels socially attributed to them, but also incorporate those labels into their own self-concept. Even though there is evidence in the autism literature of internalized stigma negatively impacting on autistic people's mental health and sense of self, research on this phenomenon is very limited, and only quantitative studies have been conducted so far. For this reason, this study aims to investigate first-person accounts of autistic adults' experiences of stigma and the impact of those experiences on their wellbeing and personal identities. This exploratory studies uses a qualitative and participatory methodology called Photovoice, which involves taking pictures of daily experiences that communicate one's feelings and ideas around a certain topic. Photovoice facilitates the involvement of a diverse sample in terms of communications needs/preferences, as it does not solely rely on verbal communication, allowing for the inclusion of autistic voices that have been traditionally excluded from research. A group of 10 autistic adults will be recruited for this study, in which individual interviews and focus groups will be conducted to discuss participants' pictures, guided by the following research questions: (a) 'how do autistic participants to this study feel about themselves and autism?'; (b) 'do participants feel that widespread negative framings of autism impact on those feelings?'.This study addresses two of the top-5 research priorities of the autistic community in Scotland indetified by Cage et al. (2022), namely 'knowledge and attitudes towards autistic people' and 'mental health'. Our findings, generated through first-person accounts, will also inform policy and interventions centered in autistic perspectives.  

Evening light exposure may disrupt circadian sleep-wake patterns, suppress melatonin and increase alertness. People with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDC) are 2–3 times more likely to have sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances compared to neurotypical people. Atypical sensory experiences are apparent in 60–90% of individuals with NDC, including over-sensitivity to light.  

Besides evoking visual responses, light elicits non-visual responses via melanopsin-based intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) that directly project to the hypothalamus, the master pacemaker that regulates sleep-wake rhythms and melatonin secretion. 

Does hyper-sensitivity to light in people with NDC impact on non-visual photoreception and, by extension, sleep and circadian disruption and mood symptoms? 

During this flash talk, I will illustrate this hypothesis as well as report feedback from a lived experience advisory group. 

This work has the potential to quantify the impact of modern lighting on neurodivergent young people and highlight lifestyle changes relating to light exposure that may mitigate negative outcomes.