CYP Hub Stewart Alan Robertson Public Lecture: Creating Neurodiversity-affirming Environments in Schools Presentation title: Creating neurodiversity-affirming environments in schoolsSpeaker: Dr Rebecca Wood, Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Education, University of GlasgowChair: Dr Samantha Friedman, Lecturer in Applied Psychology, University of EdinburghAbout this eventIt’s no secret that neurodivergent children and young people can face multiple barriers in school that not only impact negatively on well-being, but make it difficult to learn. Despite considerable research in this area, and policy and practice initiatives, progress in improving the educational outcomes of neurodivergent children and young people has been slow. Our research on the Autistic School Staff Project shows that neurodivergent school staff can also experience a range of issues such as sensory impacts, a lack of support and understanding, and social and communication differences. These issues can amount to professional exclusion and a denial of basic rights. Importantly though, we have found that when the circumstances are right, neurodivergent school staff can make a particular contribution to inclusive practices in education and may be able to offer specific skills such as subject expertise and alternative approaches to teaching. These aptitudes can benefit neurodivergent – and neurotypical - learners. In this presentation with a predominantly autism focus, Rebecca will outline the difficulties neurodivergent children and adults experience in school, but crucially, will share research findings that highlight the particular skills, aptitudes and advantages of neurodivergent teachers. In these ways, Rebecca will show how supporting and valuing autistic teachers can enable autistic children and young people to flourish, for the benefit the whole school community.About the speakerDr Rebecca Wood is a Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Education at the University of Glasgow. She is a former teacher and inclusive education practitioner who completed her first degrees at the Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford, and her PhD at the University of Birmingham, where she was funded by a full-time scholarship. This was followed by an ESRC-funded postdoctoral fellowship at King’s College London and then a senior lectureship at the University of East London. Rebecca was project manager of the tri-national Transform Autism Education project, funded by the European Commission, and Principal Investigator of the Autistic School Staff Project, funded by the John and Lorna Wing Foundation. She is currently PI of How I Communicate, also funded by the John and Lorna Wing Foundation. Her first book, Inclusive Education for Autistic Children, and her second book, an edited volume of which she is lead editor, Learning from Autistic Teachers: How to Be a Neurodiversity-Inclusive School, have both received 5* reviews. Rebecca is regularly invited to present at national and international meetings and has a number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Rebecca is @thewoodbug on social media.This will be a hybrid event, held in Charteris Land 5.02, Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, and on Zoom.**Zoom login details will be available upon completion of your registration.**Refreshments will be available in Charteris Land 5.11 from 3:30-4:00pm, so please join us then, if you can.For any enquiries, please contact us at MHSES-RKEI-Events@ed.ac.uk. Related links Autistic School Staff ProjectInclusive Education for Autistic ChildrenLearning from Autistic Teachers: How to Be a Neurodiversity-Inclusive School Tags Education events Equality Diversity and Inclusion events Conferences, seminars and lectures Children and Young People Apr 28 2025 16.00 - 17.00 CYP Hub Stewart Alan Robertson Public Lecture: Creating Neurodiversity-affirming Environments in Schools This public lecture, co-hosted by the Children and Young People Thematic Hub and the Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity (CREID), is part of the Stewart Alan Robertson Lecture Series funded by the Robertson Endowment. Charteris Land 5.02 Moray House School of Education and Sport University of Edinburgh Holyrood Road Edinburgh EH8 8AQ Register by 25th April
CYP Hub Stewart Alan Robertson Public Lecture: Creating Neurodiversity-affirming Environments in Schools Presentation title: Creating neurodiversity-affirming environments in schoolsSpeaker: Dr Rebecca Wood, Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Education, University of GlasgowChair: Dr Samantha Friedman, Lecturer in Applied Psychology, University of EdinburghAbout this eventIt’s no secret that neurodivergent children and young people can face multiple barriers in school that not only impact negatively on well-being, but make it difficult to learn. Despite considerable research in this area, and policy and practice initiatives, progress in improving the educational outcomes of neurodivergent children and young people has been slow. Our research on the Autistic School Staff Project shows that neurodivergent school staff can also experience a range of issues such as sensory impacts, a lack of support and understanding, and social and communication differences. These issues can amount to professional exclusion and a denial of basic rights. Importantly though, we have found that when the circumstances are right, neurodivergent school staff can make a particular contribution to inclusive practices in education and may be able to offer specific skills such as subject expertise and alternative approaches to teaching. These aptitudes can benefit neurodivergent – and neurotypical - learners. In this presentation with a predominantly autism focus, Rebecca will outline the difficulties neurodivergent children and adults experience in school, but crucially, will share research findings that highlight the particular skills, aptitudes and advantages of neurodivergent teachers. In these ways, Rebecca will show how supporting and valuing autistic teachers can enable autistic children and young people to flourish, for the benefit the whole school community.About the speakerDr Rebecca Wood is a Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Education at the University of Glasgow. She is a former teacher and inclusive education practitioner who completed her first degrees at the Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford, and her PhD at the University of Birmingham, where she was funded by a full-time scholarship. This was followed by an ESRC-funded postdoctoral fellowship at King’s College London and then a senior lectureship at the University of East London. Rebecca was project manager of the tri-national Transform Autism Education project, funded by the European Commission, and Principal Investigator of the Autistic School Staff Project, funded by the John and Lorna Wing Foundation. She is currently PI of How I Communicate, also funded by the John and Lorna Wing Foundation. Her first book, Inclusive Education for Autistic Children, and her second book, an edited volume of which she is lead editor, Learning from Autistic Teachers: How to Be a Neurodiversity-Inclusive School, have both received 5* reviews. Rebecca is regularly invited to present at national and international meetings and has a number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Rebecca is @thewoodbug on social media.This will be a hybrid event, held in Charteris Land 5.02, Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, and on Zoom.**Zoom login details will be available upon completion of your registration.**Refreshments will be available in Charteris Land 5.11 from 3:30-4:00pm, so please join us then, if you can.For any enquiries, please contact us at MHSES-RKEI-Events@ed.ac.uk. Related links Autistic School Staff ProjectInclusive Education for Autistic ChildrenLearning from Autistic Teachers: How to Be a Neurodiversity-Inclusive School Tags Education events Equality Diversity and Inclusion events Conferences, seminars and lectures Children and Young People Apr 28 2025 16.00 - 17.00 CYP Hub Stewart Alan Robertson Public Lecture: Creating Neurodiversity-affirming Environments in Schools This public lecture, co-hosted by the Children and Young People Thematic Hub and the Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity (CREID), is part of the Stewart Alan Robertson Lecture Series funded by the Robertson Endowment. Charteris Land 5.02 Moray House School of Education and Sport University of Edinburgh Holyrood Road Edinburgh EH8 8AQ Register by 25th April
Apr 28 2025 16.00 - 17.00 CYP Hub Stewart Alan Robertson Public Lecture: Creating Neurodiversity-affirming Environments in Schools This public lecture, co-hosted by the Children and Young People Thematic Hub and the Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity (CREID), is part of the Stewart Alan Robertson Lecture Series funded by the Robertson Endowment.
