Centre for Research in Autism and Education - CRAE

04/06/2026

It's today (Thur 4th June) at 4!
Vinny Carter Leno this morning for our on brain mechanisms of heightened sensory responsivity in early childhood.

Still time to book 👇

Vinny Carter Leno considers: Why are some children more responsive to everyday sensory inputs than others?

03/06/2026

Ahuvia et al. (2026)
Identifying as Autistic Without a Formal Diagnosis: Who Self-Identifies as Autistic and Why?

Self-identifying autistic adult, on fear of seeking diagnosis, "They won't take me seriously."

Background: Adults increasingly self-identify as autistic without a formal diagnosis, yet little research has systematically investigated (a) the unique charact...

02/06/2026

New paper
Language interventions for autistic people Linden et al. 2026
356 autistic adults, parents, and professionals were asked what they thought about language interventions for autistic people?
Read the full open-access paper here:

Key findings:
Language matters! For self-advocacy, independence & navigating a world built for non-autistic people
BUT it's one tool, not the only one... Interventions must be neurodiversity-affirming, individualised, and respect autistic identity & agency.
“Autistic people don't live on “autism island”, we live in a world that is made by and for neurotypical people. To live well here, it's much easier if we have language”
but...
“teaching us to mimic neurotypical speech and behavior can be devastating to our sense of self and to self-acceptance and feeling we are OK as autistic people”
The autism community surveyed demands that future language interventions should put autistic people first; their goals, their choices, and their authentic selves.

Background Identifying interventions for developing language skills in autistic people is a top research priority. To develop effective language interventions, it is essential to understand whether ...

01/06/2026

What's happening in the brain when some autistic children experience heightened sensory responsivity?
Join Vinny Carter Leno this Thu 4 June for a on the SENSOR project.

Book here👇

Vinny Carter Leno considers: Why are some children more responsive to everyday sensory inputs than others?

01/06/2026

Autistic people are in every profession, and that includes the law. But research into how the legal workplace shapes, and is shaped by, autistic practitioners is thin. A new study supported by CRAE is starting to change that, through listening to autistic legal professionals across the UK.

If that's you, and you can help us with an online interview, get in touch at [email protected]

We'd love to talk with any legal professional, at any career stage, diagnosed or self-identifying .

Not you? A share would help us reach others 🙂

01/06/2026

“My whole life has been a process of finding labels that fit”: A Thematic Analysis of Autistic LGBTQIA+ Identity and Inclusion in the LGBTQIA+ Community

McAuliffe et al. (2023)

Background: Being nonheterosexual and noncisgender appears to be more common among autistic people. This intersection of identities is often stigmatized in rese...

28/05/2026

From our archives
Higher levels of neurodivergent traits associated with lower levels of self-efficacy and wellbeing for performing arts students. Buckley et al. 2024

https://crae.ioe.ac.uk/higher-levels-of-neurodivergent-traits-associated-with-lower-levels-of-self-efficacy-and-wellbeing-for-performing-arts-students/

27/05/2026

"Research with impact is really important to us, and what better way to ensure it has impact than to go to the source – the community that we are trying to impact – and ask them, ‘what will have the greatest impact?’ We aim to do that across all our research projects." - Mel

Director Mel Romualdez and Comms & Engagement Officer Brian Irvine met with UCL Public Engagement to talk CRAE's participatory approach to autism research... full article here:

UCL Homepage

27/05/2026

Jones et al. (2025)
Race, Autism, and Intersectional Stigma Among Black and White Autistic Adults

"I'm always left in this middle ground, like this Venn diagram where I am a part of them, but none of them." Black autistic participant

Background: Autistic adults frequently experience social stigma, which may be compounded by additional marginalized identities such as race, gender, and sexual ...

26/05/2026

It's not all bleak. Some autistic educators describe schools where their expertise is recognised, autonomy is real, and "everyone can learn from everyone".
New of Spiegler et al. (2025) Autistic educators’ views and experiences of inclusion and exclusion: How workplace culture shapes belonging

In Jessica Spiegler and team's paper, autistic teachers, TAs, technicians and school leaders kept diaries about their working lives.

The bad: there are deficit framings that drive educator's masking, sensory environments that are rarely understood by colleagues, and accommodations treated as voluntary rather than essential.
The good: there are some flattened, non-hierarchical school cultures where autistic expertise is actively valued and monotropic interests are recognised as professional strengths.

Autistic educators may be an indicator of broader school culture. Where they flourish, a culture of belonging is taking root, one that values unique skillsets over conformity.

https://crae.ioe.ac.uk/autistic-educators-experiences-of-inclusion-and-exclusion/