It is posited that, to enable neuro-inclusive practice, it is beneficial to firstly explore what social care practitioners understand about neurodivergence and how they adapt their practice (Deacon 2022). In this presentation we will share findings from a small-scale qualitative exploratory study investigating this, focusing specifically on autistic individuals who access social care services (Aspray et al. 2024).

The research focus emerged from a group of nine social care practitioner-researchers working collaboratively through the Facilitated Practice-based Research (FPR) ( University of Sunderland) approach (a trauma-informed neuro-inclusive approach to engaging practitioners in research) (Deacon 2023 and Deacon et al. forthcoming)). Focus groups and interviews were conducted with fifteen social care practitioners (n=15). Clarke and Braun’s (2013) six-stage thematic analysis framework was used in three phases to identify themes.

Findings suggest social care practitioners perceive the Neurodiversity movement as positive but see diagnostic labels such as Autism Spectrum Disorder as negative towards autistic individuals. Social care practitioners’ understanding of Neurodiversity is emerging from personal knowledge rather than formal training, with training being seen as outdated (both in practice and in education). This potentially influences how these practitioners tend to conflate autism with learning disability leading to a lack of confidence in raising the topic of autism with individuals.

The findings demonstrate how acceptance is key, both conceptually and pragmatically, to how social care practitioners felt their practice could be adapted to ‘the person not the label’. Accept the individual first as they are, accept it may take more time, accept ability to engage may fluctuate and accept that as a practitioner they should challenge their own assumptions…