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How can universities ensure PhD students of all neurotypes can thrive? Professor Debbie Riby, Dr Amy Pearson, and Jess Hirst, from our Department of Psychology, discuss how to provide neurodiversity-affirmative supervision.

The PhD community is . It includes researchers whose brains work in different ways, and some of those researchers will be neurodivergent. Being prepared to provide neurodiversity-affirmative PhD supervision means being prepared to understand and support all types of thinkers. When supporting neurodivergent , it means being prepared to understand neurodiversity and consider how best to feed this understanding into supervision practices, especially where students may have additional needs that require focused support. 

The number of neurodivergent university students is rapidly . At postgraduate research level, 16 per cent of students reported a known disability in 2022-23, up from 10 per cent in 2018-19, . More students are reporting developmental conditions, learning differences, social/communication conditions or multiple impairments – all of which may be associated with neurodivergence – than ever before.

Of 192 STEM-based disabled PhD students surveyed by , 92 per cent were neurodivergent, suggesting that this group is highly represented within a broader disabled postgraduate research community. Across the UK, the actual number is likely to be higher than indicated by quantitative data. Many choose not to disclose, perhaps due to , or have experienced barriers to diagnosis, such as . Alongside increasing numbers, completion times can be longer and  rates can be higher for , including neurodivergent PhD researchers. Creating the right support is essential and supervisors play a central role.

What can supervisors do?

While far from exhaustive, we provide a sensible starting point for positive actions to both increase the quality of supervision for neurodivergent postgraduate researchers and 

All supervisors should have access to, and complete, training on neurodiversity. Such training should include the importance of using respectful and  regarding neurodiversity:

  • Acknowledge that neurodivergence is not limited to individuals of a specific gender, colour, age or ethnicity, but is intersectional in nature. Some neurodivergent individuals will experience multiple forms of minority group membership
  • At the start of supervision, discuss a communications approach – for example, oral, written, visual – and  that combines the preferences of the supervisee and supervisor. This may include how regularly you meet and who takes meeting notes. It may be that if the supervisor takes responsibility for note-taking, then the supervisee can engage more freely in discussion (see 
  • When communicating, be knowledgeable on the concept of  – the idea that people of different neurotypes may communicate in different ways which leads to misinterpretation of each other. If the supervisor and supervisee are from different neurotypes, consider the requirements of 
  • Avoid the many hidden nuances of academia (for example, assuming that students will have innate knowledge of conference dress codes or training expectations)
  • Be aware of potential  that might contribute to the increased likelihood of . Masking could include mimicking facial expressions and tone of voice, making forced eye contact, and hiding responses to sensory overwhelm
  • Note that neurodivergence and  can frequently intersect. It’s even more important to  and structure workload, as the risk of  is higher for neurodivergent people
  • Increase explicit planning, reduce uncertainty, use clear timelines, increase task structure and reduce multi-tasking expectations
  • Consider scaffolding questions with clear, concrete information
  • Be mindful that some students may be more sensitive to negative feedback, possibly due to more frequent experiences of . Autistic students, those with ADHD or with heightened anxiety may be particularly affected
  • Allow individuality and creativity to flourish. Bringing together people who think differently allows for more creative problem-solving. Many  are capitalising on neurodiverse creativity.

What can higher education institutions do?

Institutions need to reflect on the principles for the Universal Design for Learning and its implications on  in doctoral-level education and research training. Has your university made a commitment to supporting the needs of its neurodivergent doctoral community? Institutions should: 

  • Ensure support is provided on a needs-based, rather than diagnosis-based model, recognising that the number of neurodivergent students will be far greater than those with a formal diagnosis or who opt to engage with local disability services. Neurodiversity-affirmative provision means provision for all neurotypes
  • Encourage neurodiversity training for all PhD supervisors, irrespective of supervision experience and through a programme of continued professional development
  • Reflect on the , ensuring this is evaluating intellectual, rather than social, capabilities. Consider how the  is structured, where it takes place, guidance provided to examiners and whether an independent chair is involved.

These reflections are about enabling postgraduate researchers of all neurotypes to thrive and the additional considerations needed to support the growing number of neurodivergent PhD students. It is about ensuring that higher education and PhD supervision is neurodiversity-affirmative as part of our wider research culture.

Find out more

- The article was originally published by .
- Read about the work of Debbie Riby, Amy Pearson, and Jess Hirst
-  Our Department of Psychology is ranked 74th in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024. Visit our Psychology webpages for more information on our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.   

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