We aim to conduct ground-breaking scientific research to enhance our knowledge about support, education and outcomes for autistic people, their families and those who support them.
This research is participatory in nature; doing research with autistic people, rather than on, about or for them.
Current Projects
Just 33–51%[link] of autistic pupils achieve five GCSEs at grades 9–4 [A*–C for older folk], compared with 72% of their neurotypical peers. This gap that persists even where access arrangements such as extra time and rest breaks are already in place.
Could the design of the exam papers themselves be part of the problem? In collaboration with the Nuffield Foundation, CRAE is working with assessment providers, educators and neurodivergent young people to find out whether features like multi-part questions or idiomatic wording disadvantage some students. Perhaps we can design exemplar papers that assess everyone fairly.
Past research themes at CRAE
Employment
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics highlight that only 21.7% of autistic adults are employed, compared to 53.6% of all disabled people. CRAE researchers want to help get more autistic people into meaningful employment.
Perception
Research has found that autistic people can take in more information at any given moment. This could be useful in some situations, but problematic in others. CRAE researchers are finding out who might flourish and workarounds to help.
Education
All learners deserve access to a high-quality education. Yet we know that autistic people often report negative experiences of school. CRAE research focuses on better understanding autistic educational experiences.
Justice
Access to justice is a key issue for many sectors of society, but can be particularly problematic for those with communication difficulties. This makes us think that autistic people may be at risk in the justice system (in both criminal settings and family courts).
Mental Health
Know Your Normal aimed to examine the mental health experiences of young autistic people, and promote an understanding of what wellbeing looks like for this group.
Diagnosis
Accessing an autism diagnosis is a key milestone for autistic people and their families. Yet, lengthy delays in receiving an autism diagnosis are commonly reported.
Research Passport
We developed a research passport as a tool for improving autistic people’s experiences of taking part in research. It is a way for autistic people and researchers to have a conversation about things like communication preferences and the research environment.
Robots
The DE-ENIGMA Horizon 2020 project was a large, EU-funded project. It studies the potential of human-like robots as tools in autism education.
Puberty and menstruation
CRAE researchers identified that very little research exists on the experience of puberty for autistic girls, especially for those who are minimally verbal with additional intellectual difficulties. We found that, despite parents’ worries, puberty was generally a positive experience with the girls coping well with the changes they were experiencing.