Inadvertent Exclusion: Rethinking Research Design for Neurodivergent Inclusion

Approximately 1 in 7 people are Neurodivergent, yet human-centred research is often designed in ways that inadvertently exclude them through embedded norms, standards, and expectations for participation. Moving beyond individualised and deficit-based explanations, this session examines how structural features of research design — including communication norms, data collection methods, and assumptions about valid participation — can privilege Neurotypical ways of thinking and responding. Drawing on research with Neurodivergent young people and lived experience advisory work, the session highlights how these design choices can shape who is able to participate, whose perspectives are heard, and how findings are interpreted. Importantly, it will also explore alternatives, beginning with reflexive practice and the meaningful inclusion and empowerment of Neurodivergent voices in research design. Participants will be supported to critically reflect on their own research practices and identify practical ways to develop more inclusive, flexible, and responsive approaches that better account for Neurodivergent experiences.

Learning Objectives

o Develop a meaningful, non-medicalised, and transdiagnostic understanding of neurodivergence and its diversity.

o Critically evaluate how current research practices may inadvertently exclude Neurodivergent people through embedded norms, assumptions, and expectations.

o Identify key structural features of research design that can create barriers to Neurodivergent inclusion.

o Reflect on their own research practices, assumptions, and forms of expertise (including lived and professional), and consider how these shape who can participate and whose perspectives are represented.

o Identify and apply practical, feasible strategies to develop more inclusive, flexible, and accessible research questions and processes.

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