We are delighted to be supported by and led by an active Neurodiversity Participatory Research Advisory Board with lived experience of neurodivergence. Engaging communities and people with lived experience of neurodivergence is important to ensuring neurotechnology is created with the users in mind and incorporates important features that support them.
Many members of our Participatory Research group wear multiple hats both with other organisations, charities and within academia. Our members represent and can give views from autistic adults, adults with ADHD, parents and relatives of children with a range of neurodevelopmental conditions, SEN teachers and other neurodivergent professionals.
RESPECT 4 Neurodevelopment will carry out participatory research as part of our Responsibility working group. We also facilitate participatory research by advertising specific projects by our network members to our Participatory Research Group. This may include qualitative research (focus groups, interviews) or larger-scale surveys. Where possible, we encourage researchers to consult the NPRA and PRG during the design stage of interview schedules or surveys, to ensure that questions are easily understood by neurodivergent people or to get insights about possible missing areas for which input from neurodivergent people could be valuable.
Why not ask our Participatory Group who have come forward to share their lived experience of neurodiversity, either because they are neurodivergent themselves or have a family member that is.
A key aim of the network is to put families and people with lived experience at the centre of the network to ensure that the neurotechnologies being developed are desired, responsible, and ethical from the outset.
Where possible, we encourage researchers to consult the Participatory Research Group during the design stage of interview schedules or surveys, to ensure that questions are easily understood by neurodivergent people or to get insights about possible missing areas for which input from neurodivergent people could be valuable.
If you would like to draw on this collective knowledge base, please contact the network directly.