need help to do research

A

amirreza_mdn

New member
Who I am

Hi, my name is Amirreza Madani. As an urban planning student, I am currently working on my dissertation on neurodiversity and urban space. The first time I heard about neurodiversity was when I read "Thought In The Act - Passages In The Ecology of Experience". This book discusses how people with differing cognitions understand and create art differently. Due to my background in urban planning and urban design, I thought about why urban planning and urban design do not consider cognitive differences when planning cities, so the idea of this study developed.

Research aim

By conducting this research, we will be able to analyze the existing urban space critically and develop a theoretical framework that will assist in creating an inclusive space for both neurotypical and neurodiverse individuals. My approach to urban planning and urban design is to consider cognition as something unique to each individual, and we should consider this when designing an urban environment. I hope this research sheds light on why we need neurodiverse urban planning and design.

Participation

To complete my dissertation, I must speak to neurodivergent people, especially those who are autistic, since the results of this research are more valuable when informed by neurodivergent people. This is the first of its kind, so everyone who considers themselves neurodivergent is welcome to participate. I would value input from autistic people in particular about the urban environment as sensory issues are so important..

To participate, please answer the question in the attached Word document (I also added its pdf) and email it to toolup@ndsa.uk. NDSA will anonymise it (remove any contact details) and pass it onto me. It is anonymous, it does not ask any information that can identify you.

Thank you so much for participating
 

Attachments

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I'd strongly suggest you rewrite your thesis more tightly. Neurodiversity is an "other" domain, for anyone who's not neurotypical, and has many cohorts within it, based on different diagnoses. To focus on the autistic, as you say, means at least three sub-groups, people who are truly autistic, people who have low-functioning Asperger's Syndrome, and those who have high-functioning Asperger's Syndrome. Some serious mistakes were made during the DSM-5 reclassification.
But what about ADHD/ADD, Ehlers-Danfoss, Tourettes, Dyspraxia/Dyslexia/Dyscalculia?
The recent collapse of Simon Baron-Cohen's work demonstrates the disillusion the UK ND community has with academia. That's because he wants to use eugenics on us. It's just part of a wider pattern typified by Temple Gradin. It took fifty years to think about asking us, and it stopped immediately. Did you ask us if we want inclusivity, when we almost all carry PTSD from how the NT world treats us? Why should we have to mask our existence? What do you know about us? Very little of tested truth.
 
I think your research maybe trying to come from a positive place, however, if you want to create an urban space that benefits neurodiverse people (and there are a lot of different types) you will need to consider things that effect them and that Varies from person to person not all autistic people will have the same issues. Speaking for myself I don’t do well in places which are loud, too bright or have a lot of people in them. There is too much sensory input for me to take in and sort through for me to be comfortable. But urban spaces are generally loud/ bright or eye catching and have lots of people. I am unsure there would be any urban area where I feel comfortable without my noise cancelling headphones, glasses and just generally spending the least amount of time there possible.
 
Rahere said:
I'd strongly suggest you rewrite your thesis more tightly. Neurodiversity is an "other" domain, for anyone who's not neurotypical, and has many cohorts within it, based on different diagnoses. To focus on the autistic, as you say, means at least three sub-groups, people who are truly autistic, people who have low-functioning Asperger's Syndrome, and those who have high-functioning Asperger's Syndrome. Some serious mistakes were made during the DSM-5 reclassification.
But what about ADHD/ADD, Ehlers-Danfoss, Tourettes, Dyspraxia/Dyslexia/Dyscalculia?
The recent collapse of Simon Baron-Cohen's work demonstrates the disillusion the UK ND community has with academia. That's because he wants to use eugenics on us. It's just part of a wider pattern typified by Temple Gradin. It took fifty years to think about asking us, and it stopped immediately. Did you ask us if we want inclusivity, when we almost all carry PTSD from how the NT world treats us? Why should we have to mask our existence? What do you know about us? Very little of tested truth.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your feedback. I updated the post. I'd love to hear what you think.
 
Autiteach said:
I think your research maybe trying to come from a positive place, however, if you want to create an urban space that benefits neurodiverse people (and there are a lot of different types) you will need to consider things that effect them and that Varies from person to person not all autistic people will have the same issues. Speaking for myself I don’t do well in places which are loud, too bright or have a lot of people in them. There is too much sensory input for me to take in and sort through for me to be comfortable. But urban spaces are generally loud/ bright or eye catching and have lots of people. I am unsure there would be any urban area where I feel comfortable without my noise cancelling headphones, glasses and just generally spending the least amount of time there possible.
Click to expand...
My post has been updated. Thanks for your feedback. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
 
amirreza_mdn said:
My post has been updated. Thanks for your feedback. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Click to expand...
Autiteach reflects the "in society, but not part of society" facet. Leave us alone, let us be. If it gets too much, there's nowhere for me to shelter. I can scream for help, nobody comes.
Where does this come from? You call it meltdown, but it's more than a simple word like that. Two subclasses are obvious, PTSD in fugue form, and Pavlov's Transmarginal Inhibition. That's when it becomes more than we can process. There may be other reasons too, psychosis doesn't mean they're not out to get you. Ads are particularly bad at assuming neurotypicality, and the more they target me, the less understood I feel - AI is a terrible thing for us. We don't need help from systems predicated on supporting donkeys.

If you dig through here, you'll find many comments on things people find stressful. One of my favourite hates is Ikea's liking for portals which are at an angle. I find I want to go through it perpendicularly. That's a case of a "fun" feature causing an ND overreaction. We don't cope well with the aberrant - which is strange, given Wim van Eekelen hired me to cope with crises! But that was before the shrinks messed with my stability.

What helps us is grounding techniques. The immediate action therapy is lavender oil. At a further distance is latex - back in the 70s, that created an entire subgroup of the fetish community, but it's far more common to use a latex wristband or the like, now children form a major group of the healer's clientele. Another similar variant on the wider style is the use of weighted blankets, as a simulacrum of TraumaGeek's therapies working with the neurodiverse - her use of shibari was pivotal in breaking my reluctance to associate all forms of access to the subconscious. These are therapies a pharmacist might offer, as they're a community paramedical facility.

One trait you'll discover is common to most is masking technique. I was fortunate, having been schooled in secondary in the birthplace of the National Youth Theatre, in direct heritage from Shakespeare's impresario. He provides a pointer, in the Seven Ages of Man, that we in any case change to suit our social roles. It's just that NDs rarely open up. We learn early on that just being us is a total no-hoper - so before you can go to acceptance, you need the shrinks to stop talking at us and start listening to us, so they stop talking a load of claptrap and can teach the rest of the world that Rainman only described one individual, that they depend on us for innovation, and that we've been badly hurt as a result. And that's not going to happen, too many professionals are only in it for the money.
 
amirreza_mdn said:
My post has been updated. Thanks for your feedback. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
Click to expand...
Hi Amirreza

Well done for sharing your dissertation proposal with the NDSA community. I am a mature organisational psychology undergraduate student and thoroughly enjoy being a research assistant at my university, too.

Your dissertation proposal sounds excellent; there is a lot of scope for future research to consider exploring.

Can I confirm if you are a level 5 undergraduate, or are you in your final year?

What is your research question, or are your research questions?

I have a research proposal currently under review (separate from a dissertation project) with three research questions that expand upon the research title.

If you break your proposed research title down with succinct research questions for an undergraduate level 6 dissertation project, that would enable your novel research idea to develop with a specific foundational study. If journal publication is what you are aiming for, then by looking at a specific environmental setting for your dissertation project, you could then suggest future research following on from your data analysis in your dissertation report and then continue as an academic researcher if that is what you are aiming for. If not, bringing the proposal's scope into a realistic dissertation study could inform future research endeavours across various subject disciplines.

Do you have a professor assigned to you to oversee your dissertation at your university who is also neurodivergent? Such a professor or lecturer would be able to guide you towards taking your brilliant research idea into a level 6 dissertation rather than a PhD level thesis.

You have a big-picture idea there, and I think it just needs condensing so that it can potentially inform future research regarding neurodiverse inclusive environments.

I would be happy to participate in your study, so please follow me and let me know when you require participants and informed consent/ethics procedures are available to sign.

I hope this feedback helps. I understand what you are striving for, and I think it is a worthy research topic. It needs ameliorating for a dissertation-level project from my research assistant and undergraduate researcher's perspective.
 
I have just had a look at your research questions. I take it that you are focusing on a qualitative approach with Thematic analysis followed by Content Analysis.

The demographic questions in Question 1 may result in no responses and are potentially overwhelming to answer for neurodivergent participants.

If you would prefer to message me, I would be happy to give you some constructive feedback if you feel that it would benefit your investigation's data collection approach. ☺️
 
Athena88 said:
Hi Amirreza

Well done for sharing your dissertation proposal with the NDSA community. I am a mature organisational psychology undergraduate student and thoroughly enjoy being a research assistant at my university, too.

Your dissertation proposal sounds excellent; there is a lot of scope for future research to consider exploring.

Can I confirm if you are a level 5 undergraduate, or are you in your final year?

What is your research question, or are your research questions?

I have a research proposal currently under review (separate from a dissertation project) with three research questions that expand upon the research title.

If you break your proposed research title down with succinct research questions for an undergraduate level 6 dissertation project, that would enable your novel research idea to develop with a specific foundational study. If journal publication is what you are aiming for, then by looking at a specific environmental setting for your dissertation project, you could then suggest future research following on from your data analysis in your dissertation report and then continue as an academic researcher if that is what you are aiming for. If not, bringing the proposal's scope into a realistic dissertation study could inform future research endeavours across various subject disciplines.

Do you have a professor assigned to you to oversee your dissertation at your university who is also neurodivergent? Such a professor or lecturer would be able to guide you towards taking your brilliant research idea into a level 6 dissertation rather than a PhD level thesis.

You have a big-picture idea there, and I think it just needs condensing so that it can potentially inform future research regarding neurodiverse inclusive environments.

I would be happy to participate in your study, so please follow me and let me know when you require participants and informed consent/ethics procedures are available to sign.

I hope this feedback helps. I understand what you are striving for, and I think it is a worthy research topic. It needs ameliorating for a dissertation-level project from my research assistant and undergraduate researcher's perspective.
Click to expand...
Hi. Thank you for your note. To participate, please fill out the paper and send it to the address mentioned in the text. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please refer them to this forum.
 
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Rahere said:
I'd strongly suggest you rewrite your thesis more tightly. Neurodiversity is an "other" domain, for anyone who's not neurotypical, and has many cohorts within it, based on different diagnoses. To focus on the autistic, as you say, means at least three sub-groups, people who are truly autistic, people who have low-functioning Asperger's Syndrome, and those who have high-functioning Asperger's Syndrome. Some serious mistakes were made during the DSM-5 reclassification.
But what about ADHD/ADD, Ehlers-Danfoss, Tourettes, Dyspraxia/Dyslexia/Dyscalculia?
The recent collapse of Simon Baron-Cohen's work demonstrates the disillusion the UK ND community has with academia. That's because he wants to use eugenics on us. It's just part of a wider pattern typified by Temple Gradin. It took fifty years to think about asking us, and it stopped immediately. Did you ask us if we want inclusivity, when we almost all carry PTSD from how the NT world treats us? Why should we have to mask our existence? What do you know about us? Very little of tested truth.
Click to expand...
It's slightly odd to rail against eugenics on the one hand and try to reinstate "high-functioning" and "low functioning" Asperger's diagnoses on the other (as against 'truly' autistic, by which I guess you mean what could be called "Kanner's"). I feel like you've got some very well-justified grievances and I don't want to have an unproductive argument with you, but at the same time I think you're drawing lines in some arbitrary places that someone with very similar grievances might object to.

For my part, I don't think any edition of the DSM unproblematically models neurodiversity. I agree with your suggestion that the thesis the OP is working on would benefit from a re-evaluation of its focus. If it's just about the needs of autistic people then that narrow focus is valuable, but needs to be explicitly stated. If it's about neurodivergent folks in general then that admirable breadth also needs to be acknowledged and its limitations addressed.
 
If those are your morals, I'm not going to reply. Eugenics breach our human rights in very fundamental ways, treating us as subhumans.
 
I don't see how what I wrote could be read as advocating or defending eugenics. My point was that there's a tension between your condemnation of eugenics and your tacit argument for the legitimacy of diagnostic categories that have a historical association with eugenics (Aspergers) and lend themselves to eugenic thinking (High functioning/low functioning). I thought that was pretty clear.