Spotlight on our recent publications
“Accumulating harm and waiting for crisis”: Parents’ perspectives of accessing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for their autistic child experiencing mental health difficulties. In Press. Autism Journal
This manuscript is one of the first to explore how accessible Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are for autistic children and young people. It highlights key barriers that contribute to ongoing health inequalities faced by this vulnerable group and offers practical recommendations for clinicians, policymakers, and researchers working in child mental health.
Based on the experiences of 300 parents, the findings reveal widespread difficulties in accessing appropriate support. Many reported that their child was either not referred to CAMHS or was turned away without an assessment. Common reasons included diagnostic overshadowing, high referral thresholds, and a lack of autism-specific knowledge among professionals.
Even when referrals were successful, families often encountered services that lacked reasonable adjustments during assessment and therapy and/ or provided therapies that were ineffective or inappropriate. As a result, many autistic young people struggled to engage with the support offered, and their mental health either failed to improve or worsened over time.
The manuscript calls for a more neuro-inclusive, personalised approach within CAMHS—one that includes better-informed professionals, tailored adjustments, and therapies that genuinely meet the needs of autistic children and young people. It also highlights the urgent need for further research, investment, and training to create more accessible, timely, and effective mental health care.
Applied Principles for Inclusive Practice in Neurodevelopmental Research: A Selection and Report of Illustrative Case Studies. Current Developmental Disorders Reports Journal
Inclusive research practices are important for neurodevelopmental studies, facilitating the involvement of community members throughout the research process. Highlighting this value, we reiterate our previously proposed framework for inclusive research practice and present a selection of case studies showcasing successful implementation of inclusive approaches. Across four invited case studies, authors illustrate how neurodivergent people can be effectively involved in research, providing meaningful input and shaping outcomes. Our report concludes that these case studies underscore the significance of building relationships, prioritizing community well-being, and considering diverse identities in neurodevelopmental research. We call for careful evaluation of the impact of inclusive practices on community representatives and advocate for enhanced reporting in academic journals, and use of online repositories to share the materials that support coproduction. Despite the recognized benefits, a lack of detailed reporting on inclusive methods poses a challenge for researchers. This report provides valuable insights for researchers aiming to instigate, establish or develop their inclusive practice.
Cautious capitals: Parenting autistic children at mainstream school. In Press Sociology Journal
This study explored how social class and disability intersect to shape the relationships between parents and schools, focusing on 17 middle-class families of autistic children in mainstream schools in England.
While these parents used their economic, social, and cultural resources—and developed deep expertise in autism—to advocate for their children, they often felt dismissed by schools. Many described being judged against narrow expectations of how ‘good’ parents and children should behave, leading them to internalize blame and carefully manage how they presented themselves to avoid jeopardizing support.
The research draws on Bourdieu and Foucault to show how privilege can be undermined when families are navigating systems that misrecognize or marginalize autism. Parents often walked a fine line—advocating for their child’s needs while being cautious not to appear pushy or disruptive. Despite growing awareness of neurodiversity, many still faced reductive views of autism and felt the pressure to conform to school norms.
This work highlights the complex, and often invisible, power dynamics that shape the everyday experiences of families trying to support their autistic children in mainstream education.
Long-term segregation and seclusion for people with an intellectual disability and/or autism in hospitals: critique of the current state of affairs: commentary. The British Journal of Psychiatry
Human beings are wired for connection—enforced isolation is fundamentally traumatising. Long-Term Segregation (LTS) is not a therapeutic practice; it causes harm, particularly for autistic individuals and those with lived experience of trauma.
To bring about meaningful change, we must move beyond outdated systems. Ending LTS requires systemic transformation—beginning with co-produced and co-delivered psychiatric education that is both trauma-informed and neurodiversity-informed. These approaches can support relational safety, reduce the use of restraint, and promote dignity in care.
Critically, any shift must be underpinned by a robust framework of intensive, collaborative, and consistent support, led by practice leadership that actively listens to, learns from, and centres the voices of those with lived experience.
Social and sensory deprivation is never okay. Autistic people do not need no sensory input—they need the right sensory input, tailored to their needs.
🎬 Watch our latest animation, narrated by the brilliant Alexis Quinn, as she shares her powerful personal story and explains why it's time to end the unnecessary and harmful practice of solitary confinement.
👉 Watch the full animation here
