Autism, Neurodivergence, Support Needs and Inclusion — What’s New in February
In this research roundup, Ann Memmott brings together recent February papers exploring Neurodivergence and Learning Disabilities. The studies cover drug trials, gender parity, social communication preferences, later-life Autism diagnosis, bullying patterns, ADHD and mind wandering and mental health and suicidality in older Autistic adults—highlighting the importance of understanding, support, and respect for diverse ways of being.
What do we mean by ‘listening skills’?
Neurodivergent people are often told that we are ‘not listening’, when we are. In ADHD and Autistic communities, listening is often done very differently and in ways that respect the differences in brain design. But, in standard Westernised societies, listening is more performative, with just the right amount of eye contact, nodding, body positioning, face expressions, small noises of engagement, gesturing of hands, etc. Anyone who does not comply is seen as disengaged and disinterested. How fair and reasonable is this, in classrooms, groups or workplaces? I like this reflective essay by Feibush, and it raises a lot of significant points for reflection.
Feibush, L. (2026). The Schooling of Gestural Listening. Literacy in Composition Studies, 12(2), 26–45. https://licsjournal.org/index.php/LiCS/article/view/3219
Experiences of Autistic adults on inpatient mental health wards
Williams takes a look at the lived experiences of Autistic adults on inpatient mental health wards. The findings suggest that in too many cases, we are still a long way from having ward teams who understand their Autistic patients and are in a position to support improvements to wellbeing. A concern, after many years of excellent materials and improved training on the topic, readily available for all teams. A worthwhile read to gain insights into patient views and be better able to offer wise advice to the teams in their work.
The researcher interviewed 10 UK-based autistic adults who had spent time in NHS England inpatient mental health wards to find out about their experiences. All participants found their time on mental health wards difficult, and there were some common reasons for this, including: autism needs not being recognised or understood, the environment of the ward not fitting their needs, and feeling as though they had no power to make changes in their care. This suggests that changes need to be made to how inpatient mental health care is delivered to autistic service users
Williams, R. (2026). “It’s not fair, this isn’t what an autistic person should go through”: Experiences of autistic adults on inpatient mental health wards. Autism. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251412722
ADHD: Is mind-wandering only a characteristic of being ‘inattentive’? Seems not.
ADHD is formally diagnosed based on characteristics such as inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, but mind-wandering was assumed in the diagnostic manual to be just part of the ‘inattention’ side of this. Arabacı and Parris asked over 600 adults about this. They note that it seems to be linked to all three things.
Previous work has shown that the core symptoms of ADHD, inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, were related to increased spontaneous mind wandering…We conducted a survey study of 627 emerging adults measuring the tendencies of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity as well as daily life reports of mind wandering. Consistent with effects in an experimental setting, spontaneous mind wandering was linked to all three core symptoms of ADHD. A novel finding was that inattention and hyperactivity were also related to the reports of deliberate mind wandering. Our findings reveal a consistent link between mind wandering and the three core symptoms of ADHD, suggesting mind wandering is not associated with just the core symptom of inattention in emerging adulthood.
Arabacı, G., & Parris, B. A. (2026). Daily life mind wandering and its relation to symptoms of ADHD in a community sample of emerging adults. Current Psychology, 45(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-08962-x
Arbaclofen to ‘treat’ autism?
Parellada and team study Arbaclofen as a potential ‘treatment’ for Autistic children. I’m offering this as an example for reflection.
Arbaclofen’s side effects and percentage of people experiencing them are well known:
Nausea: 18.3% – 21.7%
Asthenia (Weakness/Fatigue): 16.4% – 18.9%
Dizziness: 15.3% – 16.1%
Somnolence (Sleepiness): 9% – 12.7%
Urinary Tract Disorder/Infection: 33.6% – 34.7%
Vomiting: 9% – 15.8%
Headache: 7.4% – 10.5%
The team finds "no significant improvement" on the main outcomes, the VABS social scale, (which tests whether the children have perfect social manners yet, by non-Autistic standards) or indeed on another clinician-rated scale. So, they search for any ‘secondary effects’ they can claim as a success – things they really weren’t testing for, but seem to have happened anyway.
None of the children were asked whether it ‘worked’ for them. One of the children became psychotic, whilst taking it.
In other words, it did not work, and it may have caused serious harm to at least one Autistic child.
This is one example of a fairly endless stream of daily research findings that claim that various existing drugs ‘work’ in some way to stop autistic ‘core symptoms’. As always, I caution against the assumption that an Autistic child is better off for being effectively drugged to make them non-Autistic, without asking the children how tolerable the experience was, and whether it improved their lives. We need to be thoughtful about what we’re trying to achieve in all of the work we do, especially when listening with parents who may have heard about various potential ‘wonder-drugs’ and might seek them in non-approved ways. Whilst good support and effective healthcare is vital for all, very few Autistic people wish for a cure, and even fewer wish to be made ill in someone else’s quest for one.
Parellada, M., San José Cáceres, A., Delorme, R., Moscoso, A., Moreno, C., Calvo, R., Canal-Bedia, R., Franco Martín, M. A., Charman, T., Strydom, A., Parr, J. R., Urbiola Merino, E., Burdeus-Olavarrieta, M., Hernández Jusdado, P., Solis, A., Lucas, M., Sipos, L., González Navarro, P., Blázquez, A., & Lázaro, L. (2026). Efficacy, safety, and tolerability of arbaclofen in Autistic children and adolescents, the AIMS-2-TRIALS-CT1: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II trial. EClinicalMedicine, 92, 103760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.103760
Autistic people generally prefer to communicate with other Autistic people
More evidence that Autistic people do not have ‘broken’ social communication. It seems, from fairly endless recent research, to be a genuine difference.
De Laet and team did a large study aimed at finding out who Autistic people prefer to chat with. The answer, generally, other Autistic people.
While prevailing theories suggest social interaction difficulties are inherent to individuals with autism, the theory of the double empathy problem proposes that these difficulties result from a mismatch between neurologically different interaction partners…In this study, adults with autism completed an online mixed-method questionnaire, consisting of 14 statements (N = 407) comparing various aspects of interaction between individuals with and without autism and six open-ended questions (N = 337). The statements revealed that adults with autism experienced all, except for one, aspects of communication to be better and easier with others who also have autism than with others who do not. The only aspect of communication they did not experience to be better was body language. The open-ended questions’ results mainly support the findings from the statements, but also provide additional nuance. Themes highlighted easier interactions between individuals with autism, characterized by mutual understanding and absence of judgment. Additionally, when they know someone also has autism, they feel less need to camouflage. However, some interaction difficulties were also noted. In conclusion, the experiences of adults with autism in our study align with the theory of the double empathy problem, however further systematic research is warranted to test this theory.
De Laet, H., Nijhof, A. D., & Wiersema, J. R. (2026). Adults with autism’s communication preferences with others with and without autism: A mixed-methods study. Research in Autism, 131, 202814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2026.202814
Bullying: Who does this, & what happens? A team asks the parents
Hong and team looked at responses from over 50,000 parents, asked to talk about their child’s experiences of bullying or being a bully. In short, generalising, it’s not the disabled/Neurodivergent children who are the bullies. Important for anyone engaged with people who may not have access to modern information on this, and may still be relying on the old myths of e.g. Autistic people being the more likely bullies.
The study uses the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, a large-scale survey completed on children’s health, ages 0–17, in the United States. A total of 139,923 households were screened for eligibility. The study participants consisted of 50,212 caregivers of a child who completed the survey. Findings revealed that among caregivers of children without disabilities, 79.5% reported that their child was uninvolved, and 20.5% reported that their child was a victim of bullying. Children in the developmental disabilities, speech and/or language disorders, and learning disabilities groups, showed significant odds of being in the bullying victim group compared to those without any disabilities. The study did not find that children in any disability groups were likely to be in the perpetrator group.
Jun Sung Hong, Jin Hyuk Lee, Rose, C. A., Marsack, C. N., Daniels, D. E., & Adrijana Grmusa. (2024). Bullying Involvement and Subtypes of Disabilities: Who is Likely to be Affected by What? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06547-4
Autistic adults and loved ones’ experiences of later life diagnosis
Ward and team ask six Autistic adults age 35+, and six of their loved ones. Was an Autism diagnosis in later life useful. In summary, yes. This adds important findings to the discussion about whether we are diagnosing ‘too many’ Autistic people. The purpose of a diagnosis is to lead to an improved quality of life, and we can see evidence of this. More work needs doing, of course, but it adds to a large number of findings from other teams which are saying similar things.
Six autistic individuals (> 35years) and six loved ones of Autistic adults were interviewed and their results analysed using multi-perspective interpretative phenomenological analysis. Eight themes were generated; six themes across both samples: (1) positive changes, (2) autism stigma, (3) accepting and adjusting, (4) missed opportunities, (5) mental health difficulties, and (6) understanding autism creates a lens to see autism in others. Two themes were generated for autistic participants only: (7) feeling different, and (8) post-diagnostic support. Many autistic participants experienced mental health difficulties, felt different to others, and wondered whether an earlier autism diagnosis may have made life easier. Families were supportive, although adjusting to support autistic loved ones was difficult. Autism stigma affected autism disclosure for fear of rejection. An autism diagnosis increased sense-making, self-compassion, and confidence.
Ward, N., Randle-Phillips, C., & Aldridge, R. (2026). Autistic Adults and Loved Ones’ Experiences of a Later Life Diagnosis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-026-07232-4
Equal numbers of Autistic men and women? Yes, it seems.
For the last 100 years, researchers and teams have assumed that Autism is a largely male thing. It is not. Fyfe and team studied the whole population of Sweden who were born between 1985 and 2020, and by age 20, it was pretty much even between men and women. We are getting better at finding Autistic females, but there is more to be done.
Results: …The male to female ratio decreased with increasing age at diagnosis…For the final year of follow-up in 2022, the cumulative male to female ratio for incidence of ASD was 1.2 by age 20 years. Further projection of these trends suggested that the cumulative male to female ratio would reach parity at age 20 years by 2024.
Fyfe, C., Henric Winell, Dougherty, J., Gutmann, D. H., Kolevzon, A., Marrus, N., Tedroff, K., Turner, T. N., Weiss, L. A., Yip, B. H. K., Yin, W., & Sandin, S. (2026). Time trends in the male to female ratio for autism incidence: population based, prospectively collected, birth cohort study. BMJ, 392. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2025-084164
What do we know about wellbeing at work for people with a learning disability?
Leclerc and team review what’s already been written on this subject, hoping for clarity on what’s important. Alas, they found no previous research that considered whether employment improved wellbeing for people with a learning disability. A deeply concerning finding, given the push by society to get people into work in safe and meaningful ways for them. They rightly conclude that much more work needs doing on this. Such work should put the views of people with a learning disability at the centre.
This systematic review revealed the theoretical models and indicators of well-being at work used in the literature on people with intellectual disabilities. Job satisfaction emerged as the most widely used indicator. The findings also highlighted several significant factors associated with well-being, including work-related factors such as job resources and job demands, and individual factors such as self-determination. Notably, none of the included studies implemented interventions aimed at improving well-being. This highlights the need for further research to identify determinants of workplace well-being in this population and to develop targeted intervention strategies.
Leclerc, E., Ginoux, C., & Isoard‐Gautheur, S. (2026). A Systematic Review of Indicators, Predictors, and Intervention Strategies for the Well‐Being at Work of Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/jppi.70047
Cultural differences in interpreting Autistic traits – Iran, Malaysia, Morocco and The Netherlands
A lot of research is centred on Westernised nations, with little thought to what happens in other areas of the world. Good to see this study from Fani and team which considers cultural differences. In my view, it may help explain why the apparent rate of Autism is so vastly different, between different countries. Could it be that some Autistic characteristics are considered good, and normal, in a lot of countries, but are seen as a big deficit in countries where social persuasion skills and winning against the competition, by any means that people can get away with, are often highly valued? If deep focus, greater honesty, and extreme need for routine is seen as a good thing elsewhere, why would anyone seek a diagnosis for it? May be helpful when supporting people from very different cultures and backgrounds who may struggle to understand why an autism diagnosis is important here.
The results indicated, consistent with previous studies, cross-cultural differences in both self-reported autistic traits and the commonness of these traits. Cross-cultural differences in reporting autistic traits showed that cultural background might affect their interpretation. There was a relationship between self-reported and the commonness of autistic traits. When autistic traits are considered more common, people also self-report more traits. In addition, more knowledge about autism was related to lower self-reported traits. However, within individual countries, the relationships were more nuanced.
Fani, O. R., de Jonge, M. V., Janssen, S. M. J., Ahami, A. O. T., & de Vries, M. (2026). Cross-Cultural Differences in the Interpretation of Autistic Traits: A Comparison Between Iran, Malaysia, Morocco, and The Netherlands. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-026-07242-2
Content Warning: Suicide
Autistic traits and suicidality in midlife and old age: investigating effects of mental health and social connectedness
Work on how to improve quality of life in middle aged and older Autistic adults is vital, but there’s been very little done so far. Too many middle aged and older Autistic people have considered taking their own life, or have taken steps towards doing so. Good to see this new study which looks at the factors around why this happens. The more we know, the more chance there is of putting in place actual support in society, one hopes.
Suicidality is increased among middle-aged and older autistic adults, but little is known about the underlying factors linking autism with suicidality in midlife and older age. Here we report a cross-sectional observational study of 9,979 adults (76% female) aged 50+ years who completed questionnaires measuring Autistic traits, current mental health, social connections and suicidality (suicidal ideation and suicidal self-harm)... Our results find that depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), loneliness and social isolation all significantly mediate the relationship between autistic traits and suicidal ideation…For suicidal self-harm, male sex, depression, PTSD and social isolation were found to be mediators. We conclude that mental health difficulties and social isolation mediate higher rates of suicidality in 50+-year-olds with high autistic traits. Targeted and individually tailored interventions for people on the autism spectrum across the lifespan are important.
Nuzum, E., Medeisyte, R., Eshetu, A., Hoare, S., Corbett, A., Ballard, C., Hampshire, A., O’Nions, E., John, A., Stewart, G. R., & Stott, J. (2026). Autistic traits and suicidality in midlife and old age: investigating mediating effects of mental health and social connectedness. Nature Mental Health, 4(2), 255–262. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00579-0
