Lead supervisor:
Dr Jacky Tyrie 
Other supervisor(s):
- Dr Michelle Brinn
- Dr Dai Thomas
Start date: October 2025 (Full time)
Award: General
Subject Pathway:
Education
Thematic Cluster:
Language, Learning and Behaviour Cluster
Our Voices, Our Strengths: Understanding Neurodiversity and the Educational Participation of Young People in Wales.
This cross-sectional study aims to explore how the neurodiversity movement influences educational participation from the perspectives of students, teachers, and parents. Using qualitative methodology, it will examine how these views impact young individuals' experiences.
This qualitative study explores the experiences of neurodivergent students in education, focusing on participation and empowerment through a neurodiversity lens. Using purposive sampling from local mainstream secondary schools, it will target Years 8 and 10. Participants, either awaiting or having received a neurodivergent diagnosis, will be known to the school’s ALNCo.
Data will be gathered through focus groups, observations, the mosaic approach, and interviews with students and staff. There will be a period of familiarisation, during which lunch clubs will be held to engage with students and promote a neuroaffirmative environment and a sense of community. This will be followed by workshop sessions that will discuss key concepts such as participation and the neurodiversity movement, and explain participatory methods such as photovoice, journaling, and artwork. Participants will record their own perspectives using a method that suits their learning style.
Staff and parent perspectives will be explored via semi-structured interviews to gain additional insight. Responses will be transcribed, coded, and thematically analysed using an inductive approach. After the research contributions, workshops will reconvene to discuss and analyse data, deliberate, and answer research questions 1 & 2 (Burchardt, 2014).
A narrative observation framework (Hobart & Frankel, 2009) will also be used in class or one-to-one to understand how neurodivergent students are empowered in their education.
Research Impact
This research aims to empower the neurodivergent community to recognise and advocate for their strengths. Education is critical to helping young people develop lifelong learning and employment strategies (Barnes et al., 2016). Recent research has shown that neurodivergent individuals encounter challenges securing employment and maintaining productivity in work environments (Burton et al., 2022). Therefore, equipping them with the skills to identify their strengths in school will enable them to advocate for themselves.
Neurodivergent young people often struggle to communicate their needs effectively (Sturrock et al., 2022). Consequently, active facilitation and participation are crucial for empowering them to express themselves (Gillespie-Lynch et al., 2020). Recent reports suggest that effective support depends more on individuals' commitment than on a structural framework designed to promote inclusive practices (Senedd, 2024). When this support is lacking, it can lead to distress for students at school and higher rates of absenteeism (Connelly et al., 2023), placing additional strain on parents (Senedd, 2024).
Furthermore, educational experiences can vary significantly for marginalised groups, including individuals from low-income backgrounds, minority ethnic groups, and women and girls (Chatzitheochari & Butler-Rees, 2022). This is due to hegemonic social structures that favour white, male, neurotypical individuals (Lewis & Arday, 2023). Therefore, participatory research involving individuals positioned within the system has a significant epistemological advantage (Friesen & Goldstein, 2022).
Previous research often overlooks the viewpoints of experts themselves, such as young people (Chatzitheochari & Butler-Rees, 2022). There is also a notable lack of participatory research involving neurodivergent young people (Lewis et al., 2023). By highlighting successful techniques identified by neurodivergent students, we can develop practical methods to enhance their academic experiences and foster a more inclusive educational environment.
Bibliography
Burchardt, T. (2014). Deliberative research as a tool to make value judgements. Qualitative Research, 14(3), 353-370. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794112469624
Barnes, S. A., Brown, A., & Warhurst, C. (2016). Education as the Underpinning System: Understanding the propensity for learning across the lifetime (Future of Skills & Lifelong Learning Evidence Review).
Burchardt, T. (2014). Deliberative research as a tool to make value judgements. Qualitative Research, 14(3), 353-370. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468794112469624
Barnes, S. A., Brown, A., & Warhurst, C. (2016). Education as the Underpinning System: Understanding the propensity for learning across the lifetime (Future of Skills & Lifelong Learning Evidence Review).
Chatzitheochari, S., & Butler-Rees, A. (2022). Disability, Social Class and Stigma: An Intersectional Analysis of Disabled Young People’s School Experiences. Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385221133710
Connolly, S. E., Constable, H. L., & Mullally, S. L. (2023). School distress and the school attendance crisis: a story dominated by neurodivergence and unmet need. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1237052.
Friesen P, Goldstein J. (2022). ‘Standpoint Theory and the Psy Sciences: Can Marginalization and Critical Engagement Lead to an Epistemic Advantage?’ Hypatia;37(4):659-687. doi:10.1017/hyp.2022.58
Gillespie-Lynch, K., Dwyer, P., Constantino, C., Kapp, S. K., Hotez, E., Riccio, A., ... & Endlich, E. (2020). Can we broaden the neurodiversity movement without weakening it? Participatory approaches as a framework for cross-disability alliance building. In Disability alliances and allies (Vol. 12, pp. 189-223). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Hobart. C. and Frankel, J. (2009). ‘Commonly used observation techniques.’ In Hobart. C. and Frankel, J. (eds). A Practical Guide to Child Observation and Assessment. Nelson Thomas. Cheltenham.
Lewis, C. J., & Arday, J. (2023). We’ll see things they’ll never see: Sociological reflections on race, neurodiversity and higher education. The Sociological Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380261231184357
Lewis, K., Hamilton, L. G., & Vincent, J. (2023). Exploring the experiences of autistic pupils through creative research methods: Reflections on a participatory approach. Infant and Child Development. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2467
Senedd (2024). ‘Do Disabled Children and Young People have equal access to education and childcare? Welsh Parliament: Children, Young People and Education Committee https://business.senedd.wales/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=40923
Sturrock, A., Chilton, H., Foy, K., Freed, J., & Adams, C. (2022). In their own words: The impact of subtle language and communication difficulties as described by autistic girls and boys without intellectual disability. Autism, 26(2), 332-345. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211002047