“Tell Me What My Job Is”: A Qualitative Exploration of the Experiences of Autistic Academic Staff Working in Higher Education in Ireland

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. three authors of this publication are identified as autistic in the project.

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Kenny, N., Doyle, J. K., O’Neill, C., Doyle, J. K., O'Kelly, J., Earley, F., & Neilson, S. (2026). “Tell Me What My Job Is”: A Qualitative Exploration of the Experiences of Autistic Academic Staff Working in Higher Education in Ireland. Autism, 30(7), 1724-1737. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613261440799

Publication date: 24 Apr 2026 Added to AutiHub: 12 Aug 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
7
Publication authors identified as autistic
3 / 7 (42.9%)
  1. Neil Kenny
  2. Jessica K. Doyle *
  3. Claire O’Neill *
  4. Jessica K. Doyle *
  1. Jane O'Kelly
  2. Fiona Earley
  3. Stuart Neilson

Abstract

This co-produced study explores the experiences of autistic staff working in higher education in Ireland, a group largely overlooked in existing research. While much attention has been given to autistic students, little research has explored how autistic academics navigate their professional roles. This study investigates the challenges and strengths autistic staff encounter within academic environments. Eleven autistic participants took part in semi-structured interviews, conducted flexibly to respect individual preferences and communication needs. Data were analysed using the Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Four key themes emerged: (1) Discovering being autistic, (2) Role ambiguity and institutional invisibility, (3) Stress, burnout, and workplace unpredictability, and (4) Autistic strengths. Participants described strengths such as hyper-focus, problem-solving, and deep commitment to teaching while also highlighting barriers such as unclear expectations, a lack of visibility, and high emotional labour. The findings underscore the need for more inclusive institutional practices that reduce the pressure to mask and protect against burnout. Supporting autistic staff through affirming environments not only enables individuals to thrive but also enriches the wider educational community by fostering diverse approaches to teaching, learning, and communication. Lay Abstract This study explores the experiences of autistic people who work as academic staff in universities. Autistic staff often face challenges such as unclear job expectations, misunderstandings from colleagues, and barriers to being open about their identity. Through interviews, we learned that many autistic academics care deeply about their work but feel unsupported in environments that reward constant social interaction, speed, and competition. Despite this, participants found creative ways to make space for themselves and others. This research helps us understand what autistic staff need to thrive in universities and shows why workplaces should value different ways of thinking, working, and communicating. Making these changes could benefit not only autistic staff but the wider academic community as well.

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 14:05.

Cited references
49
With a DOI
41
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
8
24 / 49 (49.0%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
4 / 49 (8.2%)
References with detected author names
45 / 49 (91.8%)
Without detected author names
4
Without a structured title
4
Without a stable identifier
7
References with raw author names still to review
0
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
191
From DOI or external metadata
191
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
8
116 / 191 (60.7%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 75 / 191 (39.3%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
42 / 191 (22.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 42 / 116 (36.2%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 32 / 168 (19.0%).
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