Neurodiversity in Higher Education

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Gregory, D. & Murray, F. (2025). Neurodiversity in Higher Education. In Neurodivergent Education and Lifelong Learning (pp. 49-72). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-8044-4.ch003

Publication date: 8 Aug 2025 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Book chapter Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
2
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 2 (50.0%)
  1. Debi Gregory
  2. Fergus Murray *

Abstract

Neurodivergent students are systematically disadvantaged in higher education. Many of the barriers that they face stem from the persistence of outdated narratives about disability and difference, and institutional refusal to listen to students when it comes to their own needs. In addition to all of the usual steep learning curves faced by students when they first enter university, many neurodivergent students need to learn how to be their own advocates for the first time: understanding their own access needs, what can help, and how to fight for support. We draw on our own experiences and those of students we have helped support, along with the research literature, to examine the realities of university life for neurodivergent students, and look at the factors in the way of personal and academic thriving. We argue that a neurodivergence-affirming, student-centred approach, coupled with semi-formalised peer support, has the potential to smooth the way.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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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 14:03.

Cited references
74
With a DOI
55
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
19
14 / 74 (18.9%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
18 / 74 (24.3%)
References with detected author names
57 / 74 (77.0%)
Without detected author names
17
Without a structured title
18
Without a stable identifier
19
References with raw author names still to review
17
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
170
From DOI or external metadata
170
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
18
66 / 170 (38.8%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 104 / 170 (61.2%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
29 / 170 (17.1%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 29 / 66 (43.9%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 25 / 163 (15.3%).
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