Thanks to everyone who took part in this research I led for the Neurodivergent Task & Finish Group! We explored neurodivergent perspectives on a strengths & needs-led approach in schools—support that focuses on strengths and support needs, and can be used without waiting for a diagnosis.

Key takeaways:

🌱 Promising but fragile ➕ Should complement, not replace, diagnosis 👥 Must be genuinely co-produced

A diverse group of people is depicted under a title 'What do neurodivergent people think about strengths and needs-led approaches to identifying support in schools?' The project was led by a team at the University of Birmingham: Charlotte Brooks, Nikki Smith, Prof. Laura Crane and Prof. Karen Guldberg.

Why look beyond diagnosis? Diagnosis waits often delay meaningful help. Schools may recognise needs, but lack day-to-day strategies. Neurodivergent voices are often missing from system design.What is a strengths and needs-led approach? Identifies a young person’s strengths and support needs. Does not require a diagnosis first Looks at the whole person, not just school attainment. This approach has already been implemented in different ways. In our study, we were interested in what people thought about the ideas behind the approach more generally.Who took part in the survey? 38 neurodivergent participants took part in our survey. Mostly autistic and neurodivergent in multiple ways. Largest represented age group were young people (aged 16-24). Many were also parents or worked with neurodivergent young people.A notepad-style graphic with key findings and recommendations. The approach is: Promising but fragile. Approaches should complement, not replace, diagnosis. Will only work with genuine collaboration.What did participants see as potential strengths? Support could happen earlier Young people and families could have an active role in decision-making More neuroaffirming than deficit models Looks beyond attainment to the whole personA quote from a neurodivergent parent: My child’s school supported us to get a referral for a formal autism assessment, but didn’t know how to actually support them day to day. If the tool is genuinely neurodiversity-affirming, it would have helped the teachers know what to do (#20, Neurodivergent parent, aged 35-44). Key concerns raised: Ongoing misunderstandings of neurodivergence in schools Risk of losing protections linked to diagnosis Masking, multiple neurodivergences and cultural differences being missed Limited funding, training and capacity in schoolsQuotes from 3 participants: Reports like these don’t always have the clout or the same protections [as a diagnosis] (#2, Neurodivergent person, aged 25-34); Many schools are already strained as they are (#15, Neurodivergent person, aged 16-24); Until the resourcing problem at the heart of the issue is improved, everything else can only make small changes here and there. (#1, Neurodivergent person, aged 35-44).What's needed for this approach to work? Clear national direction and adequate funding Regular review so report stays responsive Genuine co-production with neurodivergent peopleA reminder of the key take-home message: Promising but fragile Approaches should complement, not replace, diagnosis Will only work with genuine collaboration.

Young people wanted to understand strategies for creating inclusive environments that ensure nonbinary autistic students feel supported throughout school. From participants in my PhD research, these questions inform a subsequent study with teachers #AutRes

Questions autistic nonbinary young people have for their teachers... How do you ensure your classroom environment is supportive for nonbinary autistic students?

My participants were curious about how teachers recognise and support diverse identities, experiences and needs to help them feel included, respected and understood in school. From participants in my PhD research, these questions inform a subsequent study with teachers #AutRes

Questions autistic nonbinary young people have for their teachers... How do you ensure individual needs and preferences are taken into account.

Had a great time sharing my PhD research at #AutismEurope2025 on autistic nonbinary young people’s school experiences. Early findings highlight the importance of support identity as part of a holistic approach. Poster: thegoo.se/aec-poste…

Charlotte stands smiling in front of a poster titled "Mapping Support" at the Autism Europe 2025 conference.

In my PhD, my participants drew floorplans of their schools, which guided our interviews and evoked the physicality of spaces around school. Colour coding added another layer, helping them to reference areas they felt more/less comfortable in the interview #AcademicSky #PhDlife #AutRes

A hand-drawn floor plan of a school is illustrated with notes and colored dots, accompanied by instructions for a creative exercise aimed at exploring personal experiences in different spaces. Those completing the exercise as asked to try to include on their floorplan try to include spaces where they felt included or like they could be themselves (colour-coded in green), spaces they felt left out or pressure to be someone else other than themselves (in red), and spaces they had mixed experiences (in yellow). There is also a note about critical cartography, saying ‘engaging marginalised groups to create their own maps may offer alternative perspectives and understandings of space.

Auto-generated description: An illustration showing three interconnected concepts around my approach: Experiential, Participatory, and Situated, with arrows and symbolic images.

In my doctoral research,

  • I’m interested in individuals' lived experiences
  • I’m engaging with participatory methods
  • I’m interested in knowledges that are situated in spaces within the school

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

📖 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

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)

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)