There’s so much amazing research happening at all levels of Durham University; staff at the library work hard to support this – for example through making sure researchers have access to library resources or advising about open access, citations, copyright, policies and much, much more!
It was therefore really appreciated that researchers from the Centre for Neurodiversity and Development, based in the Department of Psychology (but with members from a range of departments including Sociology, Education and Sport and Exercise Sciences), visited the library in December 2024 to give us a glimpse into their research and show us the impact it has.
Debbie Riby, Mary Hanley, Chloe Fielding, James Mcleod and Amy Pearson from the Centre for Neurodiversity and Development stand with Kelly Hetherington from the Library.
I approached the Centre for Neurodiversity and Development because, as a parent-carer of a neurodivergent child, I am passionate about raising awareness and believe that a deeper understanding of neurodiversity benefits the whole of society. I attended a talk by the Centre for the university’s carer network and knew that colleagues at the library would find this interesting. (Durham University staff can find out more about the carer’s network here: https://durhamuniversity.sharepoint.com/teams/StaffNetworks/SitePages/Carers-Network.aspx)
Some of the key things that I personally took away:
Monique Botha’s research about how autistic people can be dehumanised in society was really shocking.
Chloe talked about neurodivergent ‘school distress’ – a term that recognises that ‘school refusal’ is problematic as it negates the impact of their negative school experiences. ‘School distress’, she told us, is still not a perfect term, so it will be interesting to see if this evolves during her research.
As well as her research, Amy Pearson discussed her positionality as an autistic autism researcher and how having a lived experience of autism has played a part in the development of her research methods.
Following a blog post back in 2021 about the Triple-A project, it was fantastic to hear about the positive impact that this project is having for children with anxiety, sensory arousal and attention difficulties within the classroom environment.
I’m looking forward to finding out how James’ research into Physical Education challenges for neurodivergent pupils progresses (and seeing his PhD thesis on our etheses repository!)
The external community partners that the centre have, which include local councils, NHS trusts and charities, demonstrate the level of impact and the importance of the research for the community.
Amy’s recent research has been able to reach more people due to the green open access versions in Durham’s repository:
The session was received positively by library staff members and the members of the centre who attended:
“It is encouraging to know that research is being undertaken into areas of life that can really affect autistic children and adults, such as school avoidance, participation in physical education, and adult intimate relationships. I have found myself recommending this team and its research to friends outside of work, and in other contexts. I hope to attend more of the events and training that is offered by this team, and think it was really well-received by our library team.” -Naomi M.
“An interesting look into Neurodiversity, opening my eyes on the areas being explored by professionals, that I feel is only the tip of the iceberg.” -Rob H.
“It was a really thought-provoking and informative session. As someone with lived experience of struggling to explain and gain support for a child’s neurodiverse needs, hearing about the work that is being done in this area was very heartening.” -Ben T.
“Thank you for inviting members of the Centre for Neurodiversity & Development to the Library today to talk about our research and impact activities – it was great to see so many members of your team at the session and to hear everyone being so engaged with the issues that we are studying. We hugely appreciate your support and the opportunity to engage a wider audience within the Durham community with this research.”
Prof Debbie Riby
I would definitely recommend attending talks from the centre and you can find out about their upcoming events here, which currently includes a global seminar series, with a new topic for every month of 2025.
You can follow the DRO team on bluesky to find out more about what we are up to:
This morning we welcomed @debbieriby.bsky.social, @dramypearson.bsky.social, @mimhanley.bsky.social , @drmbothapsych.bsky.social, @chloefielding.bsky.social to @dulib.bsky.social to talk about research projects happening in the Centre for Neurodiversity & Development (@durhampsych.bsky.social)
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