About my research

My research area is Autistic women, and I am currently a PhD candidate at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre at La Trobe University. My PhD is titled Creating supports for Autistic working mothers. It will investigate whether autistic women require specialised support in managing work and motherhood.

February 2024 - "Maybe No One Knows We Need Help": Understanding the Experiences of Autistic Working Mothers in Australia

My Master’s research was the first known study of the experiences of Autistic working mothers.

The qualitative findings highlight the importance of work in supporting mental well-being, financial independence, and social support for Autistic working mothers, whilst balancing challenges, including supporting the needs of their often neurodiverse children, managing workplace accommodations, and autistic burnout.

Link to short summary of the research –

https://sway.office.com/N0PTFdH8MHuc5CFc?ref=Link

Link to full research article –

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/aut.2022.0089

September 2024 - Investigating the mental health of Autistic working parents: A scoping review

A scoping review is a method used by researchers to better understand the type and extent of previous research on a particular topic. Screening of published research and grey literature identified 12 relevant research studies that were included in the review.

The review showed that more research is needed in a few main areas. Firstly, whether the mental health of Autistic parents with a job is different than other groups. Secondly, it is also important to include Autistic working parents who are raising neurodivergent children. More research also needs to look into whether Autistic working parents would benefit from customised supports.

Link to full research article - https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330241272174