ABOUT US

Everybody working on the project is Autistic, although we do have some non-Autistic advisors.

STUDY LEAD

Dr Aimee Grant

Find out more about Aimee…


  • Aimee is a researcher with a PhD in social policy, examining welfare reform for Disabled people.

    She has researched experiences of pregnancy and motherhood since 2012, and is particularly interested in the experiences of marginalised groups, like those on low incomes, those living in stigmatised locations and those with Disabilities.

    Aimee is leading the Autism from Menstruation to Menopause project.

    Aimee comes from a working class background, is multiply Disabled (she uses an electric wheelchair) as well as Autistic and Dyslexic. She has always been strongly committed to social justice issues.


  • After her own negative experiences of being in hospital for treatment for an ectopic pregnancy, she decided to combine her interest in maternity with Autistic people’s experiences.

    When she asked the Autistic community what they’d like from a research project on Autistic maternity experiences, they told her that other areas of reproductive health were important to them too, so the project has grown into covering a much larger period of reproductive health, which is exciting.


  • Aimee was diagnosed aged around 37 following a significant period of Autistic burnout, that she’s still not recovered from four years later.

  • She’s not sure; before becoming physically Disabled, running was definitely the thing that helped to re-regulate her, but she hasn’t found something to replace it yet.

    She has a wide range of stim toys on her desk at all times.

  • Trees, especially when their leaves start to turn red in the autumn.

    The beach.

    Dogs, especially snoring dogs.

    Feeling understood and connected to people.

RESEARCHERS

Everybody working on the project is Autistic, although we do have some non-Autistic advisors.

RESEARCHER

Gemma Williams

Find out more about Gemma…


  • I’m an Early Career Researcher with a PhD in Linguistics (the study of language). For my PhD I researched the communication breakdowns that can sometimes occur between autistic and non-autistic people from the perspective that these breakdowns are two-way problem (not just an autistic ‘problem’).

    Before joining this project I held an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship in Social Policy at the University of Brighton. During that time I collaborated with some autistic and learning disabled artists and Figment Arts to develop some amazing short animations sharing the findings from my research, along with their personal reflections on communication difficulties and loneliness. See them here! I also coordinated a group of autistic healthcare users and autistic and non-autistic healthcare providers. As a group we co-produced a report called “More than words: Supporting effective communication with autistic people in health care settings” – which you can access free, here.

    I came into academia as a mature student following an (autistically typical) atypical route. One of the things I did before becoming a researcher was working in the NHS as a Maternity Auxiliary Nurse for several years and as a trainee midwife for a while, which felt like a real privilege.

    As part of my interest in shaping social change, I’m also an Associate with the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi) where I’ve worked on projects and guidance reports around sensory environments in hospital settings and housing; sensory-friendly lighting; autism and ageing; and neurodivergence and homelessness. You can find links to these reports and open access academic papers I’ve written, here.


  • Firstly, it’s autistic-led, designed according to social justice and ethical approaches that I feel strongly about and will be delivered by an absolutely fantastic autistic team.

    It also brings together a lot of my passions- heartful, qualitative research; creative methods; a focus on health and healthcare with the view to improving people’s experiences and making positive change in the world; and a focus on the autistic experience of having a womb. Absolute dream project.


  • I received an autism diagnoses in 2015, in my early 30s.

  • Being in or around water! Swimming, floating, being submerged in a hot bath, hearing the rain, bobbing up and down on a boat and watching the light on the river surface…

  • I get a LOT of sensory-based joy – especially when in nature. Colours, dancing, eating delicious food, talking long deep chats with friends, pottering in the garden, making music…