Here are brief biographical details of the team members
Joanna Baker-Rogers is an independent autism researcher who also teaches in higher education. Joanna's interest in the world of autism stems from the diagnosis of her son with Asperger syndrome. In 2006 she graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with an MA in the Education of Children and Young People with Autism. She is currently writing her Thesis for her doctorate on the meaning of sociality and friendship for persons with autism. Her interests in the field of autism include: social barriers, special educational needs, the lived experience of persons with autism, and the phenomenon of friendship and autistic sociality. Joanna is a founder-member of the Independent Autism Research Group.
Luke Beardon started as a volunteer aged fourteen and has now worked for over three decades in the autism field in a whole range of positions, from a hands-on support worker all the way through to his current role as a Senior Lecturer in Autism at Sheffield Hallam University’s Autism Centre where he is the Course Leader for the Post Graduate Certificate in Autism and Asperger Syndrome. With multiple autism-related awards, inspirational teaching awards, four books to his name, and several other publications Luke is passionate in trying to make the world a better place for the autistic community through teaching and other forms of knowledge transfer.
Nicholas (Nick) Chown is an independent autism advocate, mentor, researcher, and trainer (as well as a book indexer specialising in indexes for academic titles). He has undertaken research on barriers to learning for autistic students, autism awareness in the UK police service, viva protocols for autistic doctoral students, and diagnostic pathways for autistic adults. He set up the Independent Autism Research Group and a (secret) Facebook site for autistic autism researchers. Nick’s two books are Understanding and Evaluating Autism Theory (Jessica Kingsley Publishers) and Neurodiversity Studies: A New Critical Paradigm (Routledge) which he co-edited. Prior to working in autism Nick had a lengthy career in insurance loss adjusting and corporate risk management. You can access him on ResearchGate at this link: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nicholas-Chown/research
Kleio Nicola Cossburn is a former police officer and parent of two children with autism. She has a Bachelor of Science degree, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Kleio is currently developing her research skills prior to undertaking doctoral studies. Her particular interests in the field of autism concern operational policing, and autistic service user involvement in professional training. Kleio is a founder member of the Independent Autism Research Group.
Elizabeth (Liz) Hughes is a former civil servant and IT systems designer/analyst who has a child with Asperger syndrome. She has an academic background in economics at degree and post graduate levels but more recently has studied autism, various qualifications including a Post Graduate Certificate in Asperger Syndrome. She is a school governor with particular interests in special educational needs and autism. Liz advocates for and supports individuals with autism, and runs an online support group for people who live with autism and hypermobility. She is a founder member of the Independent Autism Research Group.
Julia Leatherland is an autistic mother of five autistic children. She has spent the majority the last decade studying autism, at Sheffield Hallam University’s Autism Centre, and has successfully completed the PG Certificate in Asperger Syndrome, MA in Autism, and a PhD, with a focus on the impact of informed teaching practice on the anxiety levels of autistic pupils attending mainstream secondary school. Julia designed and developed a new system (FAMe™) to communicate individual pupil’s classroom support needs to their teachers via the class register, an evaluation of which was integral to her doctoral thesis. She has also written and contributed to a number of journal articles and book chapters. Julia is passionate about undertaking research in areas considered to be a priority by the autistic population and has a particular interest in education - barriers to learning and successful outcomes; children and young people; mental-health and well-being; and Animal Assisted Interventions. She has recently co-founded a Community Interest Company, which offers autistic owner-trainers the opportunity to train their pet dog to support them in public and with areas of their daily lives in which they experience difficulty. Through her work as the Autism Support and Education Lead, Julia uses the FAMe™System methods to inform person-centred good practice; develops workshops and webinars for dog-trainers wanting to better understand the support needs of their autistic clients; and supports autistic client members throughout the full training process. She is also involved in the creation of the dog training programme, ensuring each stage can be delivered to the individual through a variety of media, and in a way that supports their learning preferences and communication style. You can access me on ResearchGate at this link: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Julia-Leatherland-2/publications
Shona Murphy is a PhD student researching false fabricated and induced illness in autistic children, which is a problem which came up in her recent research on the pros and cons of being an autistic parent. Her background is in banking but when she and her children were identified as autistic she did an MA in autism at Sheffield Hallam university and gave up banking to work in an area where she can have a positive impact on autistic people, including her own family. As well as being a researcher she teaches people about autism, and is a mentor.
Elsa Suckle has a long-standing interest in the politics of minorities, marginalization and social ‘othering.’ Her PhD (Warwick, 2010) examined Muslim religious value claims in public institutions within the value framework of liberal political neutrality. After an extended period raising children and supporting students with various learning needs in a secondary school context, she has now turned both her academic and professional interest to the field of neurodiversity, undertaking postgraduate training in autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. She currently works as a training and development manager for Optimum student support, alongside providing mentoring and study skills support to neurodiverse students in HE, as well as diagnostic assessments for dyslexia.