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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland

@heasutherland.com
2.7K followers 708 following 192 posts

audhd postdoctoral researcher @Cambridge_Uni // currently midrash, reading diversity, and creativity // generally autism, neurodiversity, mixed methods

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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 14/08/2026
I got a fellowship! I'll be spending the next 3yrs looking at how autistic people conceptualise (dis)honesty in conversations. Huge thanks to @britishacademy.bsky.social for funding this important research; and to Clare College, Cambridge, who have taken me on as a JRF. What a dream come true.
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 26/06/2026
Something I am discovering about myself, as do more academic writing, is that I cannot be trusted with unrestricted access to the "Insert Footnote" button.
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 24/04/2026
#INSAR26 I have a poster today! It covers ambiguous language interpretation, a novel creativity task we've been developing, and our experiences with using LLMs for qualitative coding. Fri 12.30-1.30, poster 21B: "How does autism impact adults' ability to identify and exploit ambiguous language?"
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Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre (SMRC) @salvesenresearch.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Today we are showcasing a published article by @heasutherland.com (@cam.ac.uk), @cjcrompton.bsky.social, Joseph Long (Scottish Autism) and @suereviews.bsky.social in the Sage journal Neurodiversity. This study explored autistic people's experiences of social communication with non-autistic people.
The title of the article is 'Read my lips, not my body: a thematic analysis of autistic people's social communication preferences, experiences and expectations.' The authors of this article are HEA Sutherland, Catherine Crompton, Joseph Long and Sue Fletcher-Watson. There is a graphic of three people with speech bubbles underneath the authors' names. There is a graphic of four people with differently coloured speech bubbles underneath a description of the study background and aim.Description of the participants and what they were asked in an online focus group. There is a graphic of a woman with long brown hair at a computer and three pink speech bubbles with yellow markings underneath the description.
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 20/02/2026
I've got this ongoing issue where I intermittently think "I'd love to start a blog about my various autism research thoughts", but a) have no time, and b) can't think of anything I urgently want to write about that doesn't feel like it might potentially involve swinging a bat at a hornet's nest.
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Sue Fletcher-Watson @suereviews.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
This is cool! National Autistic Taskforce offering small funding awards to autistic people based in the UK, for work supporting autistic people to live their best lives. Closing date is 28th Feb. nationalautistictaskforce.org.uk/nat-founders...
nationalautistictaskforce.org.uk
NAT Founders Award
The National Autistic Taskforce was founded in 2018 by Dr Dinah Murray, a well known autistic community member and an independent researcher and campaigner. Dinah died in 2021 and is sadly missed p…
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 12/12/2025
📜 New preprint with my INSAR '25 co-panelists - "Making space for Autistic people with ‘complex support needs’: Recommendations for inclusive research practices". About our experiences doing neurodiversity-oriented and participatory research with autistic people with CSN. osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io
OSF
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 27/11/2025
📃New paper alert!📃 Editorial with @suereviews.bsky.social and @sarah595.bsky.social on doing research in high support needs autism services. We cover practical challenges, ethics, consent/assent issues, safeguarding, and the emotional burdens of research. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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methods@manchester @methodsmcr.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
🪧 Thank you to @heasutherland.com, Verity Ward and Jill Bradshaw for sharing your fantastic research! Read the full article 🔗 www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/i... #ResearchMethods #Methodology #CreativeMethods (3/3)
manchester.ac.uk
Innovating inclusion: Creative methods for non-speaking communities
I was absolutely delighted to welcome a diverse and engaged group of researchers and practitioners to our recent event, where we explored innovative and effective ways to research with non-speaking au...
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 06/11/2025
This is happening tomorrow! You can get both in-person and online tickets still.
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methods@manchester @methodsmcr.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
It's just 🚨3 DAYS 🚨 until MethodsLab: Listening to the non-speaking experience With workshops from @talkingmats.bsky.social & Digital Stories & talks from @heasutherland.com, Verity Ward, Jill Bradshaw & Freddie Jones. 🗓️ Friday 7 Nov ⏰ 11-4:30pm 📍 AMBS Book now 🏃 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1683441712...
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methods@manchester @methodsmcr.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
📢 Speaker announcement - Dr Holly Sutherland AuDHD researcher and postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge, Holly has worked with a range of qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the #neurodiverse experience. We're excited to have Holly at MethodsLab on 7 Nov!
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 24/10/2025
I'm going to be at this fantastic event on doing qualitative research with non-speaking neurodivergent people. I'll be talking about ethnography as an inclusive methodology when working with autistic adults with high support needs. Would love to see you there! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/methodslab...
eventbrite.co.uk
MethodsLab: Listening to the non-speaking experience
A full-day event bringing together academics, parents, educational practitioners and non-speaking neurodiverse young people.
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 23/10/2025
Editing the research proposal for a grant application with a bad head cold, and I think perhaps I have unlocked a specific circle of hell.
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 07/10/2025
Today's new academic achievement is my first fellowship rejection 🥲
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 30/09/2025
I'm coming to realise that the primary purpose of a doctoral thesis is that it's essentially a nicely-organised citation repository for my specific interests.
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Josephine Flockton @jflockton.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Thanks to @cfaa.bsky.social for having me speak at their AI symposium, & @heasutherland.com for joining me in our panel session on the science and considerations around AI use across different human-computer interactions. Glad to have met some lovely experts across a range of sectors using AI! ✈️ 👩‍💻 ⚓
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 12/09/2025
Hello! Im at #AECongress25 - do come say hi if you see me. I also have a talk this afternoon about the double empathy problem in care and support services!
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Themis Efthimiou @themisefth.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
Does neurotype affect social connection? Our new @PLOSONE paper finds autistic people report lower rapport in conversations, but it's not that simple. We found that awareness of who you're talking to is key! Paper link (OA): doi.org/10.1371/jour...
doi.org
Diagnostic status influences rapport and communicative behaviours in dyadic interactions between autistic and non-autistic people
A growing body of research suggests that the behaviours and experiences of autistic and non-autistic people are influenced by whether they are interacting with someone of the same or different diagnos...
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 18/08/2025
I'm going to be speaking at this, as part of the "Human-AI teaming: Whose voices are missing?" session - talking about how neurodivergent voices and minds need to be included when designing AI to work collaboratively with humans.
A promotional image with a teal background and a headshot of Dr Holly Sutherland, a white woman with short curly hair, wearing glasses and a collared white shirt with black jumper smiling at the camera, in a circular orange frame. White text on the image reads: CfAA Symposium speaker: Dr Holly Sutherland. Dr Holly E.A. Sutherland is an AuDHD researcher and postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge. Her PhD at the University of Edinburgh looked at autistic people’s social communication from the autistic perspective, and investigated ways in which non-autistic people might misunderstand or struggle to interact with autistic people. In our 'Human AI Teaming - whose voices are missing' session Dr Sutherland will explore the need to ensure all voices are considered when it comes to human-AI teaming and what challenges this may bring. Join us 23-25 September 2025
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 29/07/2025
Belated because I've been super busy, but I graduated a few weeks ago! I'm *officially* Dr. Sutherland now. Not sure I can really explain what that means to me - I've wanted a doctorate for as long as I can remember. Huge thanks to the wonderful supervisors who helped get me there. 💜
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 23/07/2025
Would really love it if I could verbally reason with R Studio, actually. (Brought to you by: an error message telling me I can only use Function A with Function B, which is... the exact function I'm using it with... via identical syntax to that in the documentation...)
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 21/07/2025
Hello! I do cognitive science-ish things, neurodiversity (mostly autism), mixed methods research, and sometimes weird interdisciplinary stuff. I love giving talks. Currently doing a postdoc at @ Cambridge. You can find my papers, datasets, talks archive etc. on my website: www.heasutherland.com
heasutherland.com
Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland
Holly E. A. Sutherland, PhD - AuDHD neurodiversity researcher
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 21/07/2025
In honour of the fact I have hair now: new profile photo! This way I will hopefully stop alarming people by being unexpectedly not-bald when I see them at conferences.
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 24/06/2025
Very excited to be attending the Critical Neurodiversity Studies conference today, from the @ndhumanities.bsky.social network. Sad I can't be there in person, but their online provision is wonderful, and lots of very cool speakers in the lineup...
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 12/06/2025
If you're interested in autism, religious experience, and people who are minimally-speaking / have higher support needs, do check out this job at U of Aberdeen: www.abdnjobs.co.uk/vacancy/rese... You'd get to work on a very interesting project with a really great team.
abdnjobs.co.uk
Research Assistant/Fellow (DHP143R) | University of Aberdeen
The Centre for Autism and Theology is an international hub for research, working to resource faith communities. Our goal is to ensure that autistic and other neurodivergent people are actively support...
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 11/06/2025
This is now published in the Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research! ▶️ sjdr.se/articles/10....
sjdr.se
‘A Difference in Typical Values’: Autistic Perspectives on Autistic Social Communication | Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 03/06/2025
Just got an invite to review a paper, from a journal which I had, no more than *two hours before*, submitted a paper review to. Please... a week between reviews, I beg... one week is all I ask for...
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Dr. Daniel P. Jones @danielpjones.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
I’m so excited to share that our call for papers for a special issue of ‘ #Neurodiversity’ is now live! We’re looking for papers, podcasts, videos (and more) that align with the critical turn in #ND studies! 🤩 @ainokash.bsky.social @louisecreechan.bsky.social journals.sagepub.com/pb-assets/cm...
journals.sagepub.com
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Steven Kapp @drstevenkapp.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
UK Channel 5 show Are You Autistic? channel5.com/show/are-you... through interviews w/ autistic people & autism researchers a GP shows sensory issues & camouflaging, hence females, are better recognized. Consistent w/ autism as innate, lifelong, sensory-based. 1/ www.frontiersin.org/journals/int...
frontiersin.org
Frontiers | Sensory–movement underpinnings of lifelong neurodivergence: getting a grip on autism
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Catherine Crompton @cjcrompton.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
New paper alert! Information transfer within and between autistic and non-autistic people is out today in @nathumbehav.nature.com nature.com/articles/s41... THREAD! 🧵⬇️
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 12/05/2025
The podcast I did about my PhD research with the wonderful Middletown Autism Centre is now out: www.buzzsprout.com/1184276/epis... (+ Apple & Spotify ) It's a pretty casual chat, not a super technical academic thing - so if you're a carer, practitioner, etc. do give it a listen!
buzzsprout.com
Holly Sutherland - Understanding Autistic Communication - The Middletown Centre for Autism Podcast
In the latest Middletown Podcast,  we chat with researcher Holly Sutherland about her ground-breaking work focusing on autistic communication. We discuss differences in communication between auti...
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 12/05/2025
Thesis corrections were submitted Saturday! Three added sections on the ethics of and participation recruitment for my studies, and also a bit on my epistemology and how that interacted with my methods. It was hard work to write them, but I'm glad I did it - the thesis is better with them in.
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Brian Irvine @brianirvine.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Phone recharged! Time for the brilliant @heasutherland.com Communicatively Resourceful, Interpretatively Curious: (mis)Communications in Social Care Settings for Autistic People with High Support Needs. An ethnography 🤩 in interactional relationships.
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 04/05/2025
Another excellent and very thorough live-skeet of our panel today, for those who couldn't be there in person!
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Dr Aimée Fletcher (@aimee_speaks) @aimeespeaks.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Now hearing the fantastic @heasutherland.com present on her PhD research looking at communication in social care setting for autistic people with high support needs. Holly opens by highlighting that there is a gap of research in this area. #INSAR2025
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Dr Aimée Fletcher (@aimee_speaks) @aimeespeaks.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Now attending the Neurodivergence-Affirming and Inclusive Research Practices for Autistic Peopke with High Support Needs panel discussion: @drstevenkapp.bsky.social, @dianatan.bsky.social, @heasutherland.com & Teresa Gironomo are live presenting, Aimee Grant & Jackie Ryan have recorded. #INSAR2025
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Themis Efthimiou @themisefth.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
So honoured our work on social motor synchrony and rapport received an INSAR award! While I regret not being there in person tomorrow, the brilliant @sarah-foster.bsky.social will be presenting. Please stop by Poster 442.292 in Hall 4A at 12:30 to chat with her! #INSAR2025
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Rachel Calderon @rachelcalderon.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
“Autistic people have been researched to death. We need to research autistic people back to life.” Grant Bruno. Fabulous.
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Steven Kapp @drstevenkapp.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
@heasutherland.com is part of my invited panel (co-chaired by Diana Tan) on neurodivergence-affirming research for autistic people w/ high support needs Saturday 10:30-12:30 at #INSAR2025. Also presenting: Aimee Grant @proudmum95.bsky.social Teresa Girolamo. Discussants: Grant Blasko, Vikram Jaswal.
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Thinking Person's Guide to Autism @thinkingautism.com · 01/05/2025
Nordahl: With proper support, there is no reason why autistic people with high support needs cannot participate in research. Not every attempt will be successful, but researchers should learn how to accommodate high-support autistic subjects so they can at least try to be included. #INSAR2025
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Sue Fletcher-Watson @suereviews.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
If you’re at autism research conference #INSAR2025 in Seattle please look out for the following research in which I was privileged to be involved! By @heasutherland.com presenting on the relationships autistic people in social care services have with staff, autistic and non-autistic
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 28/04/2025
Who on here is going to INSAR this week? #INSAR25 Drop a comment if you'd like to meet up (either before or during! I'm around from Tuesday onwards, minus a few prior commitments) - it'd be great to catch up with people, or to meet people I only know as profile pics on here :)
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 16/04/2025
I'm always bewildered when people reply to my work, which often amounts to "we should try being nicer and more accomodating to autistic people", with "NO, autism is a DISABILITY". Like. That's a true but entirely unrelated point. Unless you're saying we should be mean to disabled people...?
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 15/04/2025
This is now peer reviewed and out in Neurodiversity - my first published PhD output! 📰 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
‘Read My Lips, Not My Body’: A Thematic Analysis of Autistic People's Social Communication Preferences, Experiences, and Expectations - HEA Sutherland, Catherine J Crompton, Joseph Long, Sue Fletcher-...
Differences in socialising and communicating between autistic and non-autistic people are well documented, but primarily from the perspective of non-autistic re...
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 08/04/2025
Reminder that I'm doing a talk tomorrow for the Middletown Centre on neuro-affirming support for autistic people with higher support needs. Aimed at carers, professionals, parents etc. - do come along! More info & ticket link: www.heasutherland.com/talk/neuro-a...
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 07/04/2025
Reminding me that I really, *really* need to take "Empire of Normality" with me to read on my annual leave next week. (Fein, 2018; "Autism as a Mode of Engagement")
Screenshot of some text: "The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule both exemplifies contemporary pressures toward the routinization and standardization of social life, and enforces the imperative to render those pressures invis ible by manifesting social behavior that appears sufficiently “spontaneous” and not inappropriately “scripted.” As such, it equates social health with a particular contemporary form of authenticity, characterized by a linked pair of cultural imperatives: the requirement to adjust one’s behavior to a precise set of social norms, while simultaneously making it appear as though one were acting purely out of one’s own immediate, spontaneous, and internally generated inclinations. An autistic mode of engagement is incompatible with these imperatives, because the cultural products that structure behavior remain obdurately visible as such, thus confronting us with the rigid, repetitive, routinized forms that populate and order our social lives. We are inevitably shaped by the ways in which we have shaped our surroundings"
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 07/04/2025
Thesis corrections continue; currently reading Elizabeth Fein's "Innocent Machines", which a) is excellent and I'm a little bit obsessed, but b) is going to necessitate a glass of wine to get through, I think.
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 02/04/2025
We're now a month out from INSAR 2025. So it's a good time to mention that, on the Saturday, I'll be on a panel about the neurodiversity paradigm and how it applies to and benefits autistic people with higher support needs. See you there! www.heasutherland.com/talk/neurodi...
heasutherland.com
Neurodivergence-Affirming and Inclusive Research Practices for Autistic People with High Support Needs | Holly E. A. Sutherland
A panel looking at how the neurodiversity paradigm is beneficial to, and inclusive of, autistic people with higher support needs.
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Dr. Holly E.A. Sutherland @heasutherland.com · 14/03/2025
Belated, but really excited to announce I'll be speaking at Autism Europe #AEC2025 about my ethnographic work involving the neurodiversity paradigm and autistic people with higher support needs!
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