Select campus:UKDubai
University of Birmingham
Menu

Study with ACER

The Autism Centre for Education and Research

Taught Courses

The MA Inclusion postgraduate programme, including both the Autism Children and Autism Adults pathways, is a part-time, distance learning course (over a 36 month period).

Research degrees

You may choose to study for a PhD which focuses on autism here at the University of Birmingham. Please refer to our list of Academic Staff to consider which academic staff members best match your research interests.

ACER has a vibrant body of doctoral students. Many of our students engage in research and teaching in ACER. The Education PhD can be offered as a full-time course (3 years), or part-time course (6 years). Please view the Postgraduate Research pages for more information on applying for a PhD at the University of Birmingham.

The PhD in Education has a running start date, though a September start is advised. We advise that an application is submitted by June, though note that funding deadlines are typically in the January/February. Please pay careful attention to the details.

You may study a diverse range of topics within the scope of autism research and examples of current research include:

  • Facilitating inclusion in secondary schools for nonbinary autistic young people: stakeholder views and the role of autistic masking
  • Using video modelling to teach daily living skills to young autistic students
  • The impact of theatre on the autistic community
  • Autistic young people's experiences of school non-attendance
  • Autism in Viet Nam
  • How do maternity services support autistic women and birthing people? Exploring improvements to help autistic people and the staff who support them
  • To what extent do parents of students with autism participate in their child’s education within an inclusive setting in Saudi Arabia
  • Single Afro-Caribbean mother with an autistic child and their experiences in education.
  • 'Inclusive Students as Researchers' (iSaR); exploring the value of a novel, social learning model of student voice
  • Intersubjective connections: how to enable pupils with complex communication differences and/or autism diagnoses to reflect on their experience of a mainstream school through the use of individualised transactional support methods

Current PhD students

Maram Altharthi

Her research focuses on to what extent do parents of students with autism participate in their child’s education within an inclusive setting in Saudi Arabia

Leoni Boyle

Leoni’s research explores the experiences of the autism community in Vietnam, with a focus on support and services available to this community.

Charlotte Brooks

Charlotte’s research explores ways forward for inclusion in secondary schools for autistic nonbinary students.

Keren Coney

Keren Coney is studying for a part-time PhD, which is exploring what can be done to support and empower autistic students to progress to employment when they graduate. Keren is a Lecturer in Career Development at the International Centre for Guidance Studies at the University of Derby but prior to this, worked as a career guidance professional for twenty years in universities, schools, colleges and the community. For much of this time, Keren has been a disability and neurodiversity specialist careers professional. Keren also has the role of Research and Knowledge Director at AGCAS (the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, the membership organisation for higher education career development and employment professionals) and has represented AGCAS on several visits to the House of Lords to discuss the disadvantages experienced by disabled individuals. Keren also is a member of the national Disabled Student Commitment Advisory Group and chairs the Transitions to Employment sub-group, which is looking at what can be done to remove the employment gap for disabled graduates. In addition, Keren works as a freelance trainer for Thriiver (a neurodiversity consultancy) and Ambitious About Autism; she also sits on Ambitious About Autism's Employ Autism impact steering group. Keren regularly speaks at conferences and events and last year was delighted to be shortlisted for the 2024 Shaw Trust Disability Power 100, which recognises the most influential disabled people in the UK.

  • Supervisors: Andrea MacLeod and Karen Guldberg.

Lorna Davies-Bailey

Lorna’s research explores the lived experiences of single Afro-Caribbean mothers raising their autistic child, with a particular focus on how they navigate and engage education and clinical professionals.

Elaine Davis-Kimble

Her research focuses on how to create transactional supports for and with autistic pupils to enable them to reflect on their experience of a mainstream school. She engaged in one-to-one sessions with four participants (aged 7-9) over eight months exploring their experiences of school through drawing, role play, creative discussions, projected play with dolls, and Lego.

Helen Evans

Helen's research looks at making research accessible, meaningful and fun through a strongly participatory approach. Her fieldwork has been conducted in several post-secondary SEND provisions, developing a social-learning model of student voice with small groups of students who have learning disabilities and are autistic.

Suzanne Fields

Suzanne's research explores the experiences and views of autistic young people who have been unable to attend school. Her research particularly focuses on their opinions about the strategies which were used to support them before, during and after an extended period of school non-attendance.

Sara King

Sara's research explores autistic women and birthing people's experiences of maternity services, and maternity staff understanding and experience of supporting autistic people.

Marianna Moustaka

Her research explores the effectiveness of video modelling in teaching daily living skills to autistic preschool-aged students.

Victoria Shuttleworth

Vicki's practice-based research focuses on the Impact of Theatre on the Autistic Community. As part of her PhD, Vicki will also have her ability as an Actor assessed. As a member of the autistic community herself, Vicki reflects on her own experiences through autoethnographic data collection alongside the data collected from her research participants through ethnographic means.

 

Funding your postgraduate research