Behind the Curtain: Recommendations for Neurodiversity Research

Authors

Andree Koehler, University of CharlestonFollow

Abstract

Researchers have explored neurodiversity in terms of gender, gender identity and expression, masking, and more, yet the focus is often on neurodiversity as synonymous with autism. There remains a challenge to expand the body of neurodiversity research that is broader than autism. In my article, neurodiversity will be discussed as an element of the broad human condition, rather than a singular state or condition of impairment isolated to a portion of the population to delineate the paradigm based on neurological variations from medical and social models. This paper was designed to offer a “how to” for conducting research into neurodiversity through an appreciative lens as it serves as an element of human intersectionality, using individual narrative research designs such as autoethnography and Personal Network Analysis (PNA) as tools for inquiry. The potential value of such research is that it may result in calls to action for researchers, practitioners, and educators that serve to lift neurodiversity by gathering stories directly from neurodiverse people to show the common nature of experience shared by all.

Keywords

neurodiversity, personal network analysis, autoethnography

Author Bio(s)

Andree Koehler has worked in education for more than 30 years. She completed doctoral studies at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California, with a dissertation entitled "Using Social Network Analysis to Examine How Perceived Beliefs Affect Service Quality in Public Higher Education Institutions" as well as a post-doctoral certificate through Fielding’s "Teaching in the Virtual Classroom" program. She is a member of several social, educational, and writing associations, and has published both academic and fiction works. She is an assistant professor at the University of Charleston, where she currently serves as teaching faculty and Year 2 coordinator for the Doctor of Executive Leadership program. She also sits on the board for the Neurodiversity Education Research Center. Please direct correspondence to andreekoehler@mailbox.org

Publication Date

9-14-2024

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2024.7360

Recommended APA Citation

Koehler, A. (2024). Behind the Curtain: Recommendations for Neurodiversity Research. The Qualitative Report, 29(8), 2326-2343. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2024.7360

ORCID ID

0000-0001-7871-2364