Research Updates:
This page shares my latest research, publications, and ideas as they develop. My work sits within Organisational Psychology and focuses on inclusive research design, workplace inclusion, and understanding neurodivergent experiences through a neurodiversity-informed lens. While much of this work is published in academic journals, it is shaped by daily engagement with our neurodivergent communities.
Across this page, you will find summaries of my publications, reflections on key ideas, and updates on work in progress. Where possible, I share these in a way that bridges academic and everyday language, so the research can be engaged with by a wider audience, including neurodivergent people, practitioners, and organisations.
The Eight Principles of Neuro-Inclusion were developed to address a persistent challenge in research: many people are still not fully heard, and their experiences are not always understood in ways that reflect their meaning. This work began as a way to reflect on those gaps and to explore how research could become more inclusive, not just in who takes part, but in how their contributions are recognised and interpreted.
These principles highlight areas where current research approaches often fall short. They draw attention to barriers within design, participation, and dissemination, and encourage a more thoughtful and flexible way of working. Rather than prescribing a single method, they offer a framework for questioning assumptions, exploring new approaches, and creating space for different ways of thinking, communicating, and engaging.
At the centre of this work is the idea that inclusion should be built into research from the very beginning. This means considering who is represented, how participation is supported, how language shapes understanding, and how power is shared throughout the process. It also means recognising that research does not end with findings, but with how those findings are used, shared, and made meaningful in real-world contexts.
As such, the Eight Principles of Neuro-Inclusion provide a foundation for research that is reflective, responsive, and connected to the people it seeks to understand. They support a shift towards inclusive approaches by design, while remaining open, creative, and grounded in the realities of neurodivergent experience.
The Eight Principles of Neuro-Inclusion laid the foundation for thinking differently about research, highlighting where voices are often missed, misunderstood, or constrained by the way research is designed. They brought attention to participation, representation, language, and impact, but also revealed something deeper: inclusion is not a single action or adjustment; it is shaped by a complex interplay of people, processes, and environments.
It is from this point that the Neuro-Cognitive Trait Interaction Model (NCTIM) began to take shape. Rather than focusing only on what inclusive research should include, the model shifts the focus towards understanding how participation is experienced in practice. It begins from a simple but often overlooked idea: neurodivergent traits do not exist in isolation. They interact with each other and with the environments people are placed in, shaping how research is experienced, navigated, and understood in practice.
This shift moves the conversation beyond static categories and towards a more dynamic understanding of participation, where inclusion is not added on, but designed through an awareness of interaction, context, and lived experience.
This model moves away from relying on diagnostic labels alone and instead focuses on how different aspects of thinking, processing, communication, and sensory experience come together in context. By doing so, it offers a more nuanced way of understanding participation, one that reflects real experiences rather than assumptions about ability or need.
At its core, NCTIM provides a structured yet flexible approach to inclusive research design. It is built around three interconnected stages: first, understanding the demands of the research itself; second, considering how these demands may interact with different neuro-cognitive traits; and third, embedding responsive features that reduce barriers and support meaningful engagement.
Rather than offering a checklist of adjustments, the model encourages a more reflective, responsive approach to designing research. It supports researchers in thinking critically about how participation is shaped and in creating environments that are better aligned with how neurodivergent people process, communicate, and engage.
The aim of NCTIM is not only to improve access, but to improve the quality and authenticity of research itself. By recognising complexity and designing with it in mind, the model contributes to more inclusive processes, richer data, and more meaningful outcomes in real-world contexts.
In addition to her growing academic profile, Jessica has also written several articles for The Psychologist Magazine.
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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.
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Jessica Dark - Research Profile
To read more of my work, here is a full list of current publications