Charlotte Brooks Profile Photo

Charlotte Brooks

♾️ Autistic PhD Researcher in DISN at University of Birmingham; researching autistic nonbinary experiences in school 🏫

📌 Autism and Gender diversity: Supporting trans and autistic children and young people

I’m excited to share this talk on ‘Autism and Gender diversity: Supporting trans and autistic children and young people’, which I made to contribute to course materials for the University of Birmingham MA in Inclusion: www.youtube.com/watch

Autistic children and young people are four times more likely to be gender diverse than non-autistic children and young people (Hisle-Gorman et al., 2019).

🏳️‍⚧️ My talk provides an introduction to terms around gender diversity, the overlap with being autistic, and how gender diversity may be experienced by autistic young people. 🤝 I then go on to talk about what autistic gender diverse young people need from professionals working to support them. I also provide further resources to explore this topic further (see video description)

How are the findings from my Master’s research informing my #AutRes PhD on the school experiences of autistic nonbinary young people?

  • I’m asking participants what they found supportive at school

  • (and what they wish was different)

  • I’m anticipating that findings will provide recommendations for schools

How are the findings from my Master’s research informing my #AutRes PhD on the school experiences of autistic nonbinary young people?

  • I’m guided by what past participants think research should focus on

  • I’ve asked for feedback on study materials and my analysis

  • I’m asking participants what teachers should be asked for interviews in the second phase of my research

My experience of PMS as an #ActuallyAutistic person is of an enhanced sensory and emotional experience. This can include overwhelm and emotional distress, but also a hyper-realness that draws my attention to the beauty in little things. Like a pre-menstrual monotropism.

How are the findings from my Master’s research informing my PhD on the school experiences of autistic nonbinary young people?

  • I’m focusing on underrepresented perspectives

  • I’m giving a choice of interview modality so non-speaking people can take part

  • I’m taking an intersectional perspective encouraging participants to talk about many identity aspects and how they interact

Welcome to a series of #AutRes posts highlighting key findings of my Master’s research1 where I interviewed nonbinary autistic people about what future research about them should look like.

3. Research should look at ways forward.

  • Participants felt that research should focus on improving lives of autistic nonbinary people
  • They felt research that reconfirms the negative experiences of nonbinary autistic people was less helpful

Quotes from Charlotte Brooks' research question

Auto-generated description: Quotes from Charlotte Brooks' research participants discuss the empowerment of autistic individuals in research and the hope for reduced negative life events through increased understanding. *Quotes are transcribed verbatim from participants in Charlotte Brooks' research1

  1. Brooks, C. (2022) Exploring views on future directions of research involving nonbinary autistic people through lived experience. Master’s Dissertation. University of Birmingham. Available at: https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/13703/ (Accessed: 17 July 2024). ↩︎

Welcome to a series of #AutRes posts highlighting key findings of my Master’s research1 where I interviewed nonbinary autistic people about what future research about them should look like.

2. Research should be community led.

  • Participants were engaged with research and aware of participatory research approaches
  • They expressed that autistic gender diverse people should be involved in decisions and fairly compensated for their expertise at all stages of research process

Auto-generated description: Quotes from Charlotte Brooks' research participants emphasize meeting people where they are, listening, sharing knowledge, and grounding research in lived experience. *Quotes are transcribed verbatim from participants in Charlotte Brooks' research1

  1. Brooks, C. (2022) Exploring views on future directions of research involving nonbinary autistic people through lived experience. Master’s Dissertation. University of Birmingham. Available at: https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/13703/ (Accessed: 17 July 2024). ↩︎

Welcome to a series of #AutRes posts highlighting key findings of my Master’s research1 where I interviewed nonbinary autistic people about what future research about them should look like.

1. Research should include a diverse range of people and experiences.

  • My participants felt autism research did not represent the diversity of the autistic community or fully consider how identities may intersect
  • They noted how the voices of gender diverse people, people of colour, and non-speaking autistic people are missing from research

Auto-generated description: Quotes from Charlotte Brooks' research participants question the visibility of nonbinary, agender, genderfluid, and gendervague individuals, and states that research often focuses on white people. *Quotes are transcribed verbatim from participants in Charlotte Brooks' research*1

  1. Brooks, C. (2022) Exploring views on future directions of research involving nonbinary autistic people through lived experience. Master’s Dissertation. University of Birmingham. Available at: https://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/13703/ (Accessed: 17 July 2024). ↩︎

📖 I’ve submitted my first book chapter!

It’s for a book on Neurodivergent Education and Lifelong Learning being edited by @keatesresearch.bsky.social and @krysiawally.bsky.social! I’m so excited! My chapter reviews research on the experiences of nonbinary autistic young people #AutRes

A webpage displays information about an upcoming book project titled Neurodivergent Education and Lifelong Learning: From Babble to Later Life, including a chapter submission on autistic and nonbinary youth.

How I think referencing will go… I know exactly what I need to cite, I’m so well-read and amazing 😎 How it actually goes… WHERE is the proof for this thing I know exists 😩

I both cite as I write & go back to find references afterwards, how about you? #AutRes

My amazing partner, @snugg.ie, has made me my very own website at https://thegoo.se!

🔬 I plan to post about my PhD and research
📲 The site will also bring together my social media profiles, so everything is in one place (with a bit of tech magic)

Check out https://thegoo.se/silly for a laugh 🪿

Autism and Gender diversity: Supporting trans and autistic children and young people

I’m excited to share this talk on ‘Autism and Gender diversity: Supporting trans and autistic children and young people’, which I made to contribute to course materials for the University of Birmingham MA in Inclusion: www.youtube.com/watch

Autistic children and young people are four times more likely to be gender diverse than non-autistic children and young people (Hisle-Gorman et al., 2019).

🏳️‍⚧️ My talk provides an introduction to terms around gender diversity, the overlap with being autistic, and how gender diversity may be experienced by autistic young people. 🤝 I then go on to talk about what autistic gender diverse young people need from professionals working to support them. I also provide further resources to explore this topic further (see video description)

I’m helping to run the online event this year. I usually go in person, and it’s such an amazing experience.

Teachers and LGBT allies, please consider responding to the UK government’s proposed changes to guidance for RSHE in schools. Many of the changes are concerning, but most worrying are moves to ban teaching about gender identity in schools and make teaching about LGB families optional. The consultation closes on 11th July

🔗Link to a guide to responding to the consultation: lnkd.in/eBv5yidu

🔗Link to the consultation: lnkd.in/e2KuB5nN

It was great to see some policy recommendations for a positive focus on sexual and gender diversity with autistic youth and adults by @dewinterjeroen at #INSAR23 including recommendations for education, clinical practice, research and policy drive.google.com/file/d/12JD7SD…

Looking forward to presenting my poster at #INSAR2023 on Thursday in the Family and Stakeholders session at 11:30! Poster will be on research interests of non-binary autistic people and participatory methods: doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.…

With hyperempathy you have to consider, not only ‘will I be triggered by this?’ but also, ‘will other people be triggered by this, and will I be forced to sit in a room of triggered people absorbing all their feelings?’ #actuallyautistic

Fantastic talk by @HelenEvansFE about ensuring informed consent with people with learning difficulties, but also just everyone at #MGSDTPConf22 Well done, Helen!

I just attended a great #CRAEwebinar with @jorislechene about decolonialising autism and autism research. Hosted by @CRAE_IOE and a recording will hopefully be available soon at: youtube.com/channel/UCRHm8… tw: racist and ableist language

I waited three months to hear from the Adult Neurodevelopmental Assessment Service that apparently my GP didn’t provide enough information regarding the impact of being suspected #ActuallyAutistic

#AskingAutistics What are some of the biggest things you've learnt about yourself from the #ActuallyAutistic community?