One of our students, @chloeapter.bsky.social, is recruiting autistic adults in the UK who have (also) been assigned the “challenging behaviour” label for interviews (emails, text chat, video, or London) on their experiences and how they make sense of the term, for her @uoppald.bsky.social MSc. 🙏

Chairing #INSAR2026 panel on Autistic People's Views on Autism Diagnosis and Intervention w/ talks questioning "optimal outcome", on autistic autism diagnosticians, early intervention strategies benefits and harms, and barriers to autism identification among ethically and racially minoritised adults

@uopcidd.bsky.social Director Prof Beatriz López presented meta-analysis w/ ~30k participants: higher variability in autistic ppl for theory of mind & flexibility executive functioning tasks than central coherence or planning EF task. Variability was *not* higher over time #INSAR2026 #neurodiversity

Also the first Autism Acceptance Day for @drstevenkapp.bsky.social’s paper on how sensory and movement differences contribute to autism across the lifespan, related perception and neurological processing, their impacts, and means of supporting or addressing them. www.frontiersin.org/journals/int...

Neurodiversity movement: autism is difference *&*disability. 1st Autism Acceptance Day for this paper showing strengths eg enhanced auditory perception can contribute to challenges eg speech divergence. *Holistic classification* needed for assessment, support. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Happy Autism Acceptance Day! Our module coordinator, supervisor & tutor @drstevenkapp.bsky.social commented on the UK Government's commissioned interim report on autism, ADHD & mental health (see below), supporting self-identification and raising concerns about further limits on access to diagnoses.

On April 30 at 4 pm (UK time) @drstevenkapp.bsky.social will present a free webinar on his research on neurodiversity with implications for support, @uopcidd.bsky.social, and our online MSc course. Sign up to register and receive a recording even if you cannot attend. www.port.ac.uk/news-events-...

Happy Neurodiversity Celebration Week! Thank you @drstevenkapp.bsky.social for mentioning our course at Portsmouth's Celebrating Neurodiversity event & UK clinicians via nscience. Re: US Dr Kapp & @autisticadvocacy.org raised concerns about new autism committee: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

We're hiring in Psychology at Portsmouth Uni (apps due next Fri)! Teaching Fellow: TF: mss.port.ac.uk/ce0732li_web... Perhaps place that enabled me to become British (via hire for @uoppald.bsky.social) can become your home too? (Pictured: UK passport that arrived yesterday alongside my US passport)

US gov't has awarded a non-competitive grant to study (debunked) association btwn autism & vaccines, removed warning for dangerous autism "treatments", & now announced new public antivax advocates. You can keep up w/ latest from, & early access to research by, @drstevenkapp.bsky.social+ in our MSc

New free @forrt.bsky.social paper co-authored by our own @drstevenkapp.bsky.social, Bridging Neurodiversity and Open Scholarship: How Shared Values Can Guide Best Practices for Research Integrity, Social Justice, and Principled Education. spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Hi! We are a part-time (can work alongside) online ("live" *options*; costs the same in/outside the UK, can study from everywhere) MSc course on learning/intellectual disability, autism, and neurodiversity. Students have own tutor. We are recruiting for this term: www.port.ac.uk/study/course...

I have officially finished the first year of my MSc despite chronic illness flare-ups around *practically every deadline*. For anyone interested in learning disability, autism, & neurodivergence, @uoppald.bsky.social is utterly wonderful with the most supportive tutors - do check the course out!

In case you missed it, a presentation by our Director Beatriz López. @drstevenkapp.bsky.social, and @eminegurbuz.bsky.social delivered a good practice research showcase on Creating an inclusive research culture for neurodivergent researchers, as part of the Uni's Research Culture Connect-Fest.

Please consider taking part in this quick online study about how people form first impressions in social interaction, using AI avatars, by our student @valrentinaolivieri.bsky.social. The study also presents an opportunity to give feedback about the AI-generated scenarios. To participate, see below.

Today our own Alessandra Fasulo co-authored presentation on Improving prosocial behaviour in the primary school classroom through a school-based mindfulness programme, & @drstevenkapp.bsky.social presented on paper below on experience of autistic ppl AFAB, at Childhood & Youth Symposium. See thread:

@drstevenkapp.bsky.social presented on behalf of supervisee Bethany Fearon regarding her @uoppald.bsky.social MSc-turned-paper w/ @dramypearson.bsky.social on autistic ppl assigned female at birth's experiences of puberty & adolescence (free copy here): researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/publicati... 1/

Have 15 minutes for a study on interactive AI-generated avatars, to inform understanding of first impressions and social interactions? This is for @valrentinaolivieri.bsky.social's MSc, supervised by @drstevenkapp.bsky.social. Link (or use the QR code on poster below): research.sc/participant/...

@drstevenkapp.bsky.social's panel at International Society for Autism Research on Neurodivergence-affirming research practices for autistic people w/ high support needs illustrates relevance of neurodiversity framework for people w/ significant disabilities - an important principle of our MSc course

Following public false claims on autism causation and attacks on science, INSAR has released a statement that people are “born with autism” www.autism-insar.org/page/insarst.... Autism as innate and lifelong is the focus my new free paper (long thread incoming): www.frontiersin.org/journals/int...

@drstevenkapp.bsky.social has timely new paper (w/ 600+ sources) on autism as a lifelong neurodivergence underpinned by sensory+ differences prior to & if applicable even after meeting criteria. It deconstructs "autistic regression” & challenges outgrowing autism: www.frontiersin.org/journals/int...

New papers on autistic ppl's experiences by our graduates from their @uoppald.bsky.social dissertations are temporarily free. See Beth Fearon's on puberty and adolescence (free this month) www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/aut.2024.0298 & below thread for @addiebabe.bsky.social's on mental health.

Not April Fools: @uopcidd.bsky.social has worked w/ neurodivergent ppl & local partners to co-design profiling tools. 3 temporary research assistant positions to create a website to centralise & disseminate tools+, create & maintain a database to evidence impact of benefit from tools, lead project

Edward Fisher is recruiting autistic adults who have been assessed by the ADOS for his @uoppald.bsky.social project, to share experiences and views. The ADOS could have been anytime (even as children) and does not need to have resulted in diagnosis. Participation options include video, audio & email

In honour of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, a paper accepted in Neurodiversity co-authored by our Neurodiversity Studies module coordinator @drstevenkapp.bsky.social on neurodivergent researchers' views on what the neurodiversity movement is and what it should do free here: oro.open.ac.uk/101508/

As we close Neurodiversity Celebration Week, let's observe World Down Syndrome Day 2025 with this short video, NO DECISION WITHOUT US: youtube.com/watch?v=xRIQ... #EndtheStereotypes #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek #worlddownsyndromeday2025

New @autisminadulthood.bsky.social paper: social and emotional impact of puberty and adolescence on autistic people assigned female at birth. Beth Fearon's @uoppald.bsky.social MSc thesis supervised by @drstevenkapp.bsky.social with @dramypearson.bsky.social. Free: www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/...

Thanks to those who shared a version of this study on the experiences of autistic parents of autistic children (who became aware of being autistic or sought their autism assessment since having an autistic child). Here is the corrected link - @thinkingautism.bsky.social kindly shared an older post.

My @uoppald.bsky.social student Sarah Harwood is calling autistic parents (especially fathers) of autistic child(ren) to share their experiences, by e-mail or video anywhere, or in person (SW England). 5-min questionnaire to express interest (more options on poster): research.sc/participant/... Thx

Our student Sarah Harwood is recruiting autistic fathers of autistic child(ren) living anywhere for a short interview. Online (e-mail, video) and in-person (in SE England) options. If you think you meet criteria, please fill in the initial (5-min) questionnaire: research.sc/participant/ Thank you

We are recruiting for a study on the support experiences and needs of autistic university students in the UK, alongside @notts-psych.bsky.social @uniofnottingham.bsky.social researcher Dr Lauren Marsh. Please consider participating if eligible and share widely with your networks. More info below!

@uoppald.bsky.social graduate Addie originally gave MSc course unsolicited, positive review on Twitter prior to Musk's takeover. Here are her updated thoughts, having since been graduation speaker for all of Psychology at Portsmouth, presented her thesis at ITAKOM w/ paper on the way, started a PhD.

Hello, we are a 2-year part-time (can work alongside) online ("live" *options*; costs the same, can study from everywhere) MSc course on learning/intellectual disability, autism, and neurodiversity. Students have own tutor. We are recruiting for September. To learn more: port.ac.uk/study/course...