Academic

Making space for Autistic people with ‘complex support needs’: Recommendations for inclusive research practices
The neurodiversity movement has reshaped how autism is conceptualized, represented, and increasingly researched. Yet Autistic people …
Diana W. Tan, Grant Blasko, Teresa Girolamo, Aimee Grant, Holly E. A. Sutherland, Jackie Ryan, Steven K. Kapp, Vikram K. Jaswal
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Doing research in services for autistic people with complex support needs: Challenges and considerations based on UK experiences
(Joint first author.) There have been multiple calls to improve autistic people with CSN’s representation in autism research (e.g. Lord …
Sarah Donald, Holly E. A. Sutherland, Sue Fletcher-Watson
Cite Project DOI Open access paper
Doing ethnographic research with autistic people with high support needs
A full-day event bringing together academics, parents, educational practitioners and non-speaking neurodiverse young people.
Nov 7, 2025 11:00 AM — 4:30 PM University of Manchester, Manchester, England
Project Slides DOI
Doing ethnographic research with autistic people with high support needs
Human-AI teaming: Whose voices are missing?
Bringing together leading experts from academia and industry who are committed to advancing safe autonomy and AI.
Sep 25, 2025 11:30 AM — 12:30 PM York, England
Slides DOI
Human-AI teaming: Whose voices are missing?
The double empathy problem in support services for autistic people with high support needs: a UK-based ethnographic study
An ethnographic study of care and support services for autistic people with higher support needs.
Sep 11, 2025 8:00 AM — Sep 13, 2025 6:00 PM Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Project Slides DOI
The double empathy problem in support services for autistic people with high support needs: a UK-based ethnographic study
“The same, but entirely different”: reframing autistic social communicative (dys)function through mixed methods research
The way autistic people talk to and interact with other people has often been considered ‘wrong’ or ‘impaired’. Previous research has …
Holly E. A. Sutherland
Cite Project DOI Thesis
'A difference in typical values': autistic perspectives on autistic social communication
Autistic people socialise and communicate differently to non-autistic people. However, qualitative exploration of this, particularly …
Holly E. A. Sutherland, Catherine J. Crompton, Joseph Long, Sue Fletcher-Watson
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Neurodivergence-Affirming and Inclusive Research Practices for Autistic People with High Support Needs
A panel looking at how the neurodiversity paradigm is beneficial to, and inclusive of, autistic people with higher support needs.
May 3, 2025 10:30 AM — 12:30 PM Seattle, USA
Project Slides DOI
Neurodivergence-Affirming and Inclusive Research Practices for Autistic People with High Support Needs
'Read my lips, not my body': a thematic analysis of autistic people’s social communication preferences, experiences, and expectations
Differences in socialising and communicating between autistic and non-autistic people are well documented, but primarily from the …
Holly E. A. Sutherland, Catherine J. Crompton, Joseph Long, Sue Fletcher-Watson
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Ethnography, neurodiversity, and higher support needs
Part of a panel about qualitative methods for including nonspeaking and high support needs neurodivergent people in research.
Jan 30, 2025 12:00 PM — 1:00 PM Online
Project Slides Video DOI
Ethnography, neurodiversity, and higher support needs