Dr Jen Kirton - Autism and neurodivergence researcher

My interview for Mensa IQ magazine.

We are currently looking for participants to take part in an important research project focused on improving cancer care for autistic patients in the Northwest.

This collaborative study, led by the University of Liverpool alongside The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, aims to better understand the needs and experiences of autistic individuals within cancer services. The goal is to co-develop meaningful recommendations and resources to improve care and support.

We are keen to hear from:
• Autistic individuals who have experienced cancer care in the Northwest within the last 12 months
• Relatives of autistic patients with recent experience of cancer care

Participants can get involved through:
• One-hour interviews (online or face-to-face)
• In-person workshops

All participation opportunities are compensated.

If you, or someone in your network, might be interested in contributing to this work, please take a look at the flyer below or share it within your networks. Your support in reaching the right communities would be hugely appreciated.

For more information, please contact:
Dr Jo Clough – [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
or Gemma Cherry – [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

Thank you for helping us improve cancer care experiences for autistic patients.

Are you aged 50+ and have ADHD?

We are inviting you to take part in a creative storytelling initiative exploring ADHD in middle and older age.

Share your experiences, identity or perspectives through:

Art
Writing
Photography
Audio
Or any other creative form
A few important notes:

This is a public engagement activity, and will not be used for research
You keep copyright
Anonymous or named – it is your choice
Selected work may feature in a digital gallery, exhibitions, or a printed collection, to help share experiences of ADHD in middle and older age with a wider audience. This will be decided based on the number and type of submissions.

Submit here:

https://livpsych.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a4cgq9Y0sPLnWwm

If you have any questions or would prefer to send your submission via email, you can contact Dr Amber John ([email protected])

Adele Curley this seems like quite a while ago now!

This World Autism Acceptance Month, we're sharing a brilliant interview from two people from our University of Liverpool community.

Autism researcher Dr Jennifer Kirton and disability advocate Adele Curley, share both their professional and lived experience of neurodiversity.

Their work is a great example of bringing together expertise, informed by neurodivergent voices, to create positive change and offer practical solutions.

Read the full interview ➡️
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/alumni-magazine/2025/interviews/nd-voices/

We had a wonderful day filming for the Hidden Barriers documentary series, https://lnkd.in/ex9xdkww
sharing information about the Autistic Communication Tool.

It was an absolute pleasure to film alongside Adele Curley and Claire Newey. It was such a fantastic experience collaborating with passionate professionals who are committed to making healthcare more accessible for autistic patients. Thank you to Julie Bradford and Joey Lynch for putting it together and a special thanks to Rich berry for making the experience so comfortable and accessible.

I only wish the rest of the team could have been there to share the moment with us too! Looking forward to seeing the impact this series will have. 🎬✨

I’m really saddened to see this aricle being published in TES. This is potentially so damaging. It is really upsetting and shows clearly that those who were once at the forefront of autism knowledge production, just fail to incorporate the new research evidence.
Uta seems to dismiss lived experience totally! I’m devastated that this has been published- tell everyone that you know- to disregard this article. https://www.tes.com/magazine/teaching-learning/general/uta-frith-interview-autism-not-spectrum?

fbclid=IwZnRzaAQWc4FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeItCKa3br1LutprRruVWrpw71YuGgKV9AnvihfSfVyAJRoL00OzoOZRfE7-4_aem_inTRy9ZJiGV2lfT1TNHxXg

Uta Frith: why I no longer think autism is a spectrum The autism spectrum has widened to the point of collapse, affecting how teachers should support autistic pupils in the classroom, researcher Uta Frith tells Helen Amass

I’ve been working on our research project ‘autistic experiences of cancer care’ for a year now. We are aiming to find ways to improve services for autistic cancer patients.

I’ve spoken to so many wonderful patients and healthcare professionals. However, actually going through cancer services with my dad has given me an additional depth of insight and underscored the importance of this project.

Trigger warning- Autistic patients have much worse health outcomes across all healthcare but are twice as likely to die from cancer. It is really important we work towards changing this.

We are still recruiting autistic people with experience of cancer care and their supporters- please get in touch if you’d like to share your experiences.

I said I would be better in 2026 at updating this page. However, doing this is well and truly out of my comfort zone. It is week one of 2026 and i really must try to keep at least one resolution

Today, I have a rather daunting interview - with MENSA magazine. The focus being autistic intelligence...
Gulp!
Wish me luck

Mensa • Bi-monthly magazine• Weekly e-newsletter• Varied programme of events• Access to Special Interest Groups• Networking opportunities.

The https://autisticcommunicationtool.com/ project continues. We have just been awarded further funding to pilot the tool in collaboration with Brownlow Health. Please visit our site and share it widely.

Autistic Communication Tool (A.C.T.) A patient-owned tool that empowers autistic people during healthcare consultations.

I loved launching the Autistic Communication Tool (A.C.T.) for Primary Care at Autism Congress in Dublin in September with Claire Newey & Thomas Mohaupt

Autistic Communication Tool (A.C.T.) A patient-owned tool that empowers autistic people during healthcare consultations.