Doing research in services for autistic people with complex support needs: Challenges and considerations based on UK experiences

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Donald, S., Sutherland, H. E. A., & Fletcher-Watson, S. (2025). Doing research in services for autistic people with complex support needs: Challenges and considerations based on UK experiences. Autism, 30(1), 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251390277

Journal or book title
Autism
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Volume
30
Issue
1
Pages
3-8
Publication date: 26 Nov 2025 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)

Abstract

No structured abstract stored for this reference.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 07:53.

Cited references
27
With a DOI
17
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
10
1 / 27 (3.7%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
7 / 27 (25.9%)
References with detected author names
21 / 27 (77.8%)
Without detected author names
6
Without a structured title
7
Without a stable identifier
10
References with raw author names still to review
6
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
101
From DOI or external metadata
101
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
9
39 / 101 (38.6%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 62 / 101 (61.4%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
2 / 101 (2.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 2 / 39 (5.1%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 2 / 99 (2.0%).
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    Type: Article DOI: 10.1002/aur.1329 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1909988460
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    Type: Other
    Crossref
  9. Sarah Parsons , Tony Charman , Rachel Faulkner , Jude Ragan , Simon Wallace , Kerstin Wittemeyer (2013). Commentary – bridging the research and practice gap in autism: The importance of creating research partnerships with schools . Autism, 17(3), 268-280. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  10. The Centre for Research in Autism and Education. (2024). PLASN R pan London autistic schools’ network research. https://crae.ioe.ac.uk/plasn-r/
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  11. Challenging Research Network. (n.d.). https://challengingresearch.org/
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  12. Katherine McDonald , Nicole E. Conroy , Robert S. Olick , The Project ETHICS Expert Panel (2017). What's the Harm? Harms in Research With Adults With Intellectual Disability . American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 122(1), 78-92. Informa UK Limited.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  13. Department for Education. (2023). Schools’ costs 2022 to 2024. UK Government. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1137908/Schools__costs_2022_to_2024.pdf
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  14. Allison Jack , Kevin A. Pelphrey (2017). Annual Research Review: Understudied populations within the autism spectrum – current trends and future directions in neuroimaging research . Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58(4), 411-435. Wiley.
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  15. Donald S. (2025). Donald S. (2025). Improving research practices for autistic people who are minimally verbal and/or have intellectual disabilities [PhD thesis]. City St. George’s. Improving research practices for autistic people who are minimally verbal and/or have intellectual disabilities.
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  16. Smita Kumar , Liz Cavallaro (2018). Researcher Self-Care in Emotionally Demanding Research: A Proposed Conceptual Framework . Qualitative Health Research, 28(4), 648-658. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  17. Ginny Russell , Will Mandy , Daisy Elliott , Rhianna White , Tom Pittwood , Tamsin Ford (2019). Selection bias on intellectual ability in autism research: a cross-sectional review and meta-analysis . Molecular Autism, 10(1), 9. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex
  18. Sue Fletcher-Watson , Francesca Happé (2019). Autism . Routledge.
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  19. Ailbhe McKinney , Emma JL Weisblatt , Kathryn L Hotson , Zahra Bilal Ahmed , Claudia Dias , Dorit BenShalom et al. (2021). Overcoming hurdles to intervention studies with autistic children with profound communication difficulties and their families . Autism, 25(6), 1627-1639. SAGE Publications.
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  20. Simon E. Kolstoe , Jonathan Pugh (2024). The trinity of good research: Distinguishing between research integrity, ethics, and governance . Accountability in Research, 31(8), 1222-1241. Informa UK Limited.
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  21. Audrey Thurm , Alycia Halladay , DAVID S. MANDELL , Melissa Maye , Sarah Ethridge , Cristan Farmer (2022). Making Research Possible: Barriers and Solutions For Those With ASD and ID . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(10), 4646-4650. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
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  22. Catherine Lord , Tony Charman , Alexandra Havdahl , Paul Carbone , Evdokia Anagnostou , Brian Boyd et al. (2022). The Lancet Commission on the future of care and clinical research in autism . The Lancet, 399(10321), 271-334. Elsevier BV.
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  23. Lucas M. Classick R. Skipp A. Julius J. (2023). Cost-of-living crisis: Impact on schools. National Foundation for Educational Research. https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cost-of-Living-Crisis-Impact-on-Schools-School-Provision.pdf
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  24. Nind M. (2008). Conducting qualitative research with people with learning, communication and other disabilities: Methodological challenges . ESRC National Centre for Research Methods, 12, 1.
    Type: Other
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  25. Sutherland H. E. A. (2025). ‘The same, but entirely different’: Reframing autistic social communicative (dys)function through mixed methods research . ‘The same, but entirely different’: Reframing autistic social communicative (dys)function through mixed methods research.
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  26. Zschomler S. (2023). A toolkit to Support Researcher Wellbeing (RES-WELL): Practical strategies for UK research institutionsfunders, and researchers in the context of emotionally or ethically challenging research . A toolkit to Support Researcher Wellbeing (RES-WELL): Practical strategies for UK research institutionsfunders, and researchers in the context of emotionally or ethically challenging research.
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