Jessica Dark - Research Profile

In this article I explain the value of autistic perspectives in research and argue that support for autistic scholars, community leaders and professionals are required as an inclusive research consideration. I propose consolidation, innovation, and evaluation of inclusive research principles, with consideration given to epistemic agency, autistic participation, and actionable research outcomes. I then present “Eight Principles of Neuro-Inclusion,” a reflexive tool that I have designed as a way of encouraging new developments of inclusive research practices. Through flexible application of this approach, it is hoped that innovative new inclusive methods will materialize, in pursuit of epistemic justice, and in support of actionable research outcomes that benefit our autism community.
This article introduces an original methodological contribution to inclusive research design: the Neuro-Cognitive Trait Interaction Model (NCTIM). Developed to address the exclusion and misunderstanding of neurodivergent people in traditional research, NCTIM provides a flexible, values-based framework that centres lived experience. Building on earlier work on neuro-cognitive trait interaction and inclusive research methods, NCTIM encourages researchers to respond to how neurodivergent people process information, interact, and communicate, rather than relying on diagnostic labels. Grounded in the neurodiversity paradigm and informed by epistemic justice, NCTIM focuses on how cognitive processing traits such as communication preferences, executive functioning, sensory processing, and attention styles shape research participation. It follows a three-stage process: mapping study demands, identifying potential trait interactions, and embedding inclusive features. The model’s application is demonstrated through my doctoral research with autistic women in the workplace. NCTIM offers a timely, neurodivergent-led contribution to reimagining research design, supporting greater inclusion, authenticity, and respect for neurodivergent expression and engagement in research.
This commentary presents a collaborative autoethnography exploring the experiences of two autistic Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) who navigated postgraduate study and teaching responsibilities within UK higher education under overlapping contracts. Drawing from our shared autistic neurotype and broader neurodivergent experiences, we critically examine the distinct cognitive, emotional, and relational demands inherent to the GTA role. We reflect on how these challenges interact with our autistic processing, including executive functioning, sensory processing, and social communication, as well as the additional pressures arising from life circumstances such as parenting and the timing of diagnosis. Through this discussion, we illustrate how informal peer support, intuitive co-teaching arrangements, and neuro-affirming practices were critical protective factors, enhancing our sense of stability and reducing isolation. By examining the limitations of existing support structures, we draw from recent literature to recommend peer mentoring, accessible onboarding, flexible roles, and university-wide neuro-inclusive training, with the intention of promoting inclusive changes that enhance well-being, academic success, and genuinely inclusive higher education settings.
In this contemporary commentary I draw from my doctoral thesis on autistic people’s experiences of diagnosis disclosure in the workplace to discuss how the mainstream understanding of autism is inherited from past generational concepts, many of which are not conducive of current clinical and community insights. In pursuit of a more representative understanding of autism, I draw from the teachings of ‘autism embodiment’, the view that autism is an integral informant of a person’s cognitive and physical experience of the world (De Jaegher, 2013). I also draw on the notion of ‘epistemic enablement’, the consideration of how cognitive-processing traits interact with different aspects of the environment (Catala, Faucher & Poir, 2021) to present a neuro-trait-interaction perspective by which to research autistic communities. In application of this approach, I consider personal, social, and environmental informants of autistic experiences. I also demonstrate how a neuro-trait-interaction approach to research may reduce the reliance on drawing from past generational concepts leading to epistemic justice, a more representative understanding of autistic people’s experiences of work, to be reflected in research (Catala, Faucher & Poirier, 2021).
This article explores one family's evolving understanding of autism through a neurodiversity-affirming lens, guided by lived experience, poetic inquiry, and critical reflection. As both researcher and parent, I reflect on how my own autistic identity emerged while supporting my neurodivergent children-especially my middle daughter, whose internal distress was initially dismissed. Using Poetic Autoethnography and Poetic Ethnography, I weave together original poetry, personal narrative, and academic insight to examine how identity, recognition, and advocacy develop within everyday family life. This work adds to neurodivergent scholarship by centering lived experience and community-informed perspectives, and by promoting more inclusive and compassionate approaches to education, parenting, and research.
This paper focuses on the “lost generation” of autistic women’s experiences of secondary school using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach. Autistic women were supported through inclusive research practices to share their experiences of secondary school as an unrecognised autistic child, as captured through an online questionnaire and semi-structured interview. The core features of the cohort included a diagnosis of autism post eighteen years old, and attendance at a mainstream secondary school in the United Kingdom. The findings highlight the participants’ difficult experiences, including bullying, difficult relation-ships with peers, sensory difficulties within their school environment and processing differences within their learning. The findings also showed two areas that positively contributed to their school experiences, including friendships and positive relationships with teachers. Discussions centre on the benefits that autistic adults bring to informing educational enquiry and why the phenomenon of the lost generation of autistic girls is still a current concern.

The following articles provide insight into Jess’s growing inclusive and community-focused research profile:

In addition to her growing academic profile, Jessica has also written several articles for The Psychologist Magazine.

The article shares Jessica’s perspective on autism research, arguing that traditional, deficit-focused approaches often exclude autistic voices. It highlights the importance of lived experience and calls for more inclusive, participatory research led with autistic people rather than about them.
Jessica discusses reactions from the autistic community to Mattel’s release of the first “Autistic Barbie” doll, showing mixed responses. While some welcome the visibility and representation, others note that no single doll can reflect the wide diversity of autistic experiences, highlighting both the value and limits of symbolic inclusion.

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Jessica Dark - Research Profile

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