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Increasing awareness of neurodiversity

13 February 2022
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A chalk drawing of a human head and brain

We are really pleased that the Centre for Neurodiversity & Development has been awarded funding for this new project from the institutional EDI fund for increasing awareness of the needs and requirements of neurodiverse students within our community.

The project will be run by Professor Debbie Riby and Dr Mary Hanley, the Co-Directors of the Centre and members of the Department of Psychology, and will take place between February and September 2022. The project will;

  • Deliver a new guiding policy on the teaching of autism and neurodiversity within the academic curriculum (e.g. especially around language and approach)
  • Reflect on the lived experience of autistic university students so that these insights can help shape our approaches and policies.

Core activities during the project will include;

  • Focus groups with autistic students at Durham University
  • A scoping literature review in terms of current knowledge and the emphasis on current literature/theories guided by autism researchers
  • Developing a written report as a guiding policy on teaching, language-use, and approaches which includes both expert views and the lived experience of autistic students.
  • A workshop for staff in the Department of Psychology to deliver the principles of the policy and begin embedding them in practice.

This is an exciting project that has the potential to make real-world impact for both the curriculum and our student community.

 

Find out more