2024 Research Placement Project
About The Project
Autism is a lifelong condition that can be missed until mid-to-late adulthood. Increasingly, more autism diagnoses are made in mid-to-late adulthood but very little or no support is offered after diagnosis.
In Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, the number of adults with a confirmed autism diagnosis is estimated to rise from 7,135 in 2022 to 10,410 by 2025 (Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System, 2022). While a local pre-diagnostic support service has been commissioned, post-diagnostic support is still limited due to diagnostic assessments being the priority of local services. However, it is not clear how limited post-diagnostic support is and how it is perceived by late-diagnosed autistic adults in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
This project, co-created by researchers from Nottingham Trent University (NTU), the University of Nottingham and partners at Autistic Nottingham, aims to address this question. Autistic Nottingham develops and offers post-diagnostic support to late-diagnosed autistic adults, and is a not-for-profit organisation run for and by autistic adults without learning disabilities. The outcomes of this project will provide valuable insights into the unmet needs of late-diagnosed autistic adults in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
Project Aims
This project aims to understand the perspectives of late-diagnosed autistic adults on local post-diagnostic support in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. This project aims to produce outcomes that will inform changes to local policy, research and clinical practice to improve the quality of life for late-diagnosed/older autistic adults.
The Project Team
- Placement Candidate: Angela Holland
- Lead Supervisor: Dr Lai-Sand Iao, Nottingham Trent University
- Co-Supervisor: Dr Blandine French, University of Nottingham
- Community Supervisor: Claire Whyte, Autistic Nottingham