‘I became very aware of how misunderstood autistic people still are, especially in education, healthcare and workplaces’.

Lisa O’Neill is researching neuroaffirmative approaches in education for autistic students as part of her master’s degree at University College Dublin’s School of Medicine.

Alongside her research, O’Neill is the founder and CEO behind ‘NeuroConnect’, an autistic-led platform designed to translate research and lived experience into practical training, guidance and AI-supported tools. The tool is designed for a variety of groups, including educators, employers, families and autistic people.

O’Neill herself is autistic, having been diagnosed in her mid-forties. She says this new understanding set off a spark in her.

“Suddenly, so many experiences from my life started to make sense, but at the same time I became very aware of how misunderstood autistic people still are, especially in education, healthcare and workplaces.”

What inspired you to become a researcher? Do you have any specific memories that set off a spark?

One specific memory that stayed with me was realising how often autistic people are talked about in research and training but not genuinely included in shaping it. It made me want to contribute to research that centres lived experience and creates practical change, not just theory.

That experience inspired both my MSc research and my work developing NeuroConnect, an AI enabled, autistic-led platform focused on more neuroaffirmative support for educators, employers, families and autistic people themselves.

Can you tell us about the research you’re currently working on?

I’m currently completing an MSc research project focused on collaborative partnerships around autistic students in mainstream lower-secondary education. My research looks at how schools, families and autistic people can work together more effectively to create more supportive and neuroaffirmative educational experiences.

The project grew from my lived experience (as a late-diagnosed autistic adult and parent of an autistic child), and from seeing how often misunderstandings happen between systems, professionals, families and autistic people.

Over time, the research has evolved from simply looking at ‘support’ into exploring shared understanding, communication and relationship-building.

Drawing on my lived experience and understanding of autism, I worked closely with my child’s school during a very difficult transition, to help them better understand his needs and communication style. Over time, they began taking on board my advice and guidance, and the situation gradually improved. Today my son is attending school every day, which has had a huge impact on me personally and really shaped the direction of my research.

I’m working with supervisors across medicine and psychology, which has been really valuable because the project is very interdisciplinary.

Alongside my MSc, I’m also developing NeuroConnect, an autistic-led platform that translates a lot of these ideas into practical training and AI-supported guidance for educators, employers, families and autistic people. For me, the research and the platform are very connected because they are both focused on creating practical, real-world change.

In your opinion, why is your research important?

I think this research is important because many autistic people, particularly children and young people, are still trying to fit into systems that were never designed with autistic experiences in mind. Too often, support focuses on changing the autistic person rather than improving understanding, communication and the environments around them.

My research focuses on collaboration and shared understanding because I believe better outcomes happen when autistic people, families, educators and professionals genuinely work together and value each other’s perspectives. Small changes in understanding and communication can make a huge difference to a person’s education, wellbeing, confidence and future opportunities.

I also think it is important that autistic voices are included meaningfully in research and practice. Lived experience should not be an afterthought. It should help shape the systems and supports being created.

What commercial applications do you foresee for your research?

I see strong potential for my research to be translated into practical tools and training that improve real-world support for autistic people across education, healthcare and workplaces. Alongside my research, I am developing the NeuroConnect platform with the aim of turning research and lived experience into accessible training, guidance and AI-supported support tools.

The long-term goal is to develop evidence-informed resources that help educators, employers and professionals better understand and support autistic people in everyday settings. This could include neuroaffirmative training programmes, digital support platforms, collaborative planning tools, and AI-assisted guidance systems informed by lived experience and research evidence.

What is most important to me is that any commercial application remains grounded in ethics, accessibility and autistic perspectives, so that it creates meaningful and practical change rather than simply raising awareness.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a researcher in your field?

One of the biggest challenges is trying to bridge the gap between lived experience and traditional systems. In autism research, autistic voices have historically been underrepresented so there can still be a disconnect between what research focuses on and what autistic people actually need in everyday life.

Another challenge is that education, healthcare and workplace systems are often under significant pressure, so even when people want to do better, they may lack the time, training or resources to fully support neuroaffirmative approaches. Part of my research involves exploring how to create approaches that are both meaningful and realistic within real-world settings.

As someone coming into research through lived experience as well as academia, I also think there can sometimes be challenges in balancing personal insight with traditional academic expectations. At the same time, I see that as one of the strengths I bring to my work because it keeps the research grounded in real experiences and practical impact.

Are there any common misconceptions about this area of research? How would you address them?

Yes, I think one common misconception is that autism research is only about deficits, behaviours or finding ways to ‘fix’ autistic people. Increasingly, many researchers and autistic advocates are challenging that approach and focusing instead on shared understanding, communication and relational factors such as collaboration and emotional safety between autistic people and their wider support systems.

Another misconception is that supporting autistic people requires huge or unrealistic changes. In reality, small adjustments in communication, predictability, flexibility and understanding can often make a very significant difference.

I also think there can be a misunderstanding that lived experience and academic research are somehow separate. For me, lived experience strengthens research because it helps ensure the questions being asked are relevant to real life and the outcomes are meaningful for the people the research is intended to support.

What are some of the areas of research you’d like to see tackled in the years ahead?

I would really like to see more research that is genuinely co-produced with autistic people and grounded in lived experience from the beginning, rather than autistic people only being consulted at the end of a project.

I’d also like to see greater focus on relational and systemic approaches, particularly around communication, shared understanding and collaboration between autistic people, families, educators, clinicians and employers. I think there is still a lot we do not fully understand about how environments and relationships shape outcomes for autistic people.

Another area I think is incredibly important is the ethical use of AI and technology to improve accessibility, education, mental health support and everyday communication for neurodivergent people. There is huge potential there if it is developed in a neuroaffirmative and human-centred way.

Finally, I would love to see more strengths-based research that looks at autistic wellbeing, belonging, identity and long-term quality of life, rather than focusing only on difficulties or deficits.

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