This research is grounded in the neurodiversity paradigm, the social and human rights models of disability, and critical disability studies. It challenges deficit-based views of autism and other neurodivergences, positioning neurological variation as a valuable and natural part of human diversity. Drawing on these frameworks, the study explores how neurodivergent-led, strengths-based, and play-oriented programs can transform traditional intervention models by centring lived experience and identity rather than correction or compliance.
The theoretical framing also incorporates participatory and reflexive methodologies informed by qualitative inquiry. Through reflexive thematic analysis, the research examines how neurodivergent children and adult facilitators conceptualise belonging, agency, and cultural safety within a cooperative gaming context. This framework emphasises co-construction of knowledge, valuing the expertise that emerges from lived experience, and resists hierarchical researcher–participant relationships.
By aligning with these theoretical perspectives, the research advances a transformative model of inclusion that reframes social capacity building as a collaborative, identity-affirming process. It demonstrates how practice can evolve when programs are designed with and by neurodivergent people, embedding the principles of authenticity, equity, and empowerment into both research and education.
This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of neurodivergent children and adult facilitators participating in a cooperative video game–based social capacity program. Participants were recruited from an existing cohort of children aged 8–15 and neurodivergent adult facilitators. Consent was obtained from caregivers, and assent was sought from children to ensure ethical participation. Semi-structured group interviews were conducted bi-weekly during and after regular program sessions, allowing participants to reflect on their experiences in familiar, comfortable settings.
Child interviews were facilitated by neurodivergent researchers who had established trusted relationships with participants but were not involved in program delivery, reducing bias while maintaining sensitivity to communication preferences. Group sizes ranged from four to six participants for children and four to five for facilitators. Interviews were intentionally unstructured in duration to accommodate participants’ needs and preferred modes of engagement.
All interviews were transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Coding was first conducted independently by two researchers, then reviewed and refined collaboratively to ensure fidelity and consistency with participant intent. Themes were developed through iterative analysis that prioritised lived experience, exploring how neurodivergent values, identities, and interactions shaped participation. This process generated three key themes, providing deep insights into the values and practices underpinning neurodiversity-affirming programs.
The study’s results revealed three interconnected themes that illuminate how neurodiversity-affirming practice is conceptualised and experienced within a cooperative video game–based social program. The first theme, *Lived experiences shaping values*, showed that neurodivergent facilitators’ past experiences of exclusion informed their desire to create inclusive and affirming environments, with many describing their work as personally restorative. The second theme, *Conceptualising and enacting neurodiversity-affirming practice*, highlighted how proactive accommodations, reduced masking demands, and authentic communication created spaces where neurodiversity was normalised rather than managed. The third theme, *Priorities of neurodivergent children and facilitators*, emphasised that both groups valued joy, self-expression, and meaningful connection above compliance or performance of normative social behaviours.
The findings demonstrate that when programs are led and designed by neurodivergent people, they foster cultural safety, belonging, and agency. The results challenge conventional intervention paradigms by reframing success as thriving authentically rather than conforming to neurotypical expectations. This research offers a model for how co-designed, identity-affirming practices can be embedded into educational and therapeutic contexts, transforming social learning into an experience of empowerment and community rather than correction.
This study offers significant educational and scientific value by advancing empirical understanding of neurodiversity-affirming practice through a lived-experience research model. It provides a rare analysis of how inclusive design principles manifest in real-world learning environments where neurodivergent facilitators and children collaborate through play. The findings expand the evidence base for culturally safe, identity-affirming pedagogy, demonstrating how belonging and self-expression can coexist with skill development.
For conference audiences, this work bridges education, technology, and inclusion research, offering an evidence-based framework for reimagining how cooperative digital environments can foster equity and authentic engagement. It contributes a rigorous model for co-designed, strengths-based interventions that can inform teaching, program design, and professional learning globally.
Barnett, L. A. (1990). Developmental benefits of play for children. Journal of Leisure Research, 22(2), 138-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.1990.11969821
Bradley, L., Shaw, R., Baron-Cohen, S., & Cassidy, S. (2021). Autistic Adults’ Experiences of Camouflaging and Its Perceived Impact on Mental Health. Autism in Adulthood, 3(4), 320-329. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0071
Braun, V., Clarke, V., Hayfield, N., Davey, L., & Jenkinson, E. (2023). Doing reflexive thematic analysis. In Supporting research in counselling and psychotherapy: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research (pp. 19-38). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Botha, M., Chapman, R., Giwa Onaiwu, M., Kapp, S. K., Stannard Ashley, A., & Walker, N. (2024). The neurodiversity concept was developed collectively: An overdue correction on the origins of neurodiversity theory. Autism, 28(6), 1591-1594.
Bottema-Beutel, K., Park, H., & Kim, S. Y. (2018). Commentary on Social Skills Training Curricula for Individuals with ASD: Social Interaction, Authenticity, and Stigma. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 953-964. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3400-1
Bottema-Beutel, K. (2017). Glimpses into the blind spot: Social interaction and autism. Journal of Communication Disorders, 68, 24-34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2017.06.008
Chapman, L., Rose, K., Hull, L., & Mandy, W. (2022). “I want to fit in… but I don’t want to change myself fundamentally”: A qualitative exploration of the relationship between masking and mental health for autistic teenagers. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 99, 102069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2022.102069
Cherewick, M., & Matergia, M. (2023). Neurodiversity in practice: A conceptual model of autistic strengths and potential mechanisms of change to support positive mental health and wellbeing in autistic children and adolescents. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 8(3), 408-422. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-023-00348-z
Dmyterko, J. (2025). Neurodiversity: Affirming practice through the lens of lived autistic experience [Thesis]. https://open.library.ubc.ca/soa/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0448594
Den Houting, J. (2019). Neurodiversity: An insider's perspective. Autism, 23(2), 271-273. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361318820762
Grant, R. J. (2023). Play interventions for neurodivergent children and adolescents: Promoting growth, empowerment, and affirming practices. Routledge.
Harrison, M., Rowlings, J., White, E., Vallence, M., Potemkin, N., & Woolnough, R. (2024). Neurodiversity and digital inclusion: creating the conditions for inclusive education through universal design for learning. KCWorks. https://doi.org/10.17613/sj8sk-vts95
Harrison, M. (2019). Supporting social skills development through a targeted intervention using cooperative videogames in a Special Development School [Doctoral thesis].
Harrison, M. (2022). Using video games to level up collaboration for students: A fun, practical way to support social-emotional skills development. Routledge.
Harvery, M., Froude, E. H., Foley, K., Trollor, J. N., & Arnold, S. R. C. (2021). Employment profiles of autistic adults in Australia. Autism Research, 14(10), 2061-2077. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2588
Hayward, S. M., & Flower, R. L. (2023). A systematic review to move Australian disability employment forward for autistic people. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 12(1), 151-162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-023-00388-0
Hull, L., Levy, L., Lai, M.-C., Petrides, K. V., Baron-Cohen, S., Allison, C., Smith, P., & Mandy, W. (2021). Is social camouflaging associated with anxiety and depression in autistic adults? Molecular Autism, 12(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-021-00421-1
Jarrold, C., Boucher, J., & Smith, P. (1993). Symbolic play in autism: A review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 23(2), 281–307. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01046221
Jones, M., Milbourn, B., Falkmer, M., Vinci, B., Tan, T., Bölte, S., & Girdler, S. (2023). A Practical Framework for Delivering Strength-Based Technology Clubs for Autistic Adolescents. Autism in Adulthood, 5(4), 356-365. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0038
Krause, J. K., Traini, D. J., Mickey, B. H., Dukes, D. L., Ackley, C., Antoni, J., & Randolph, L. L. (2021). Equality versus equity. In Ethical leadership and decision making in education (pp. 147-174). Routledge.
Lawson, A., & Beckett, A. E. (2020). The social and human rights models of disability: towards a complementarity thesis. The International Journal of Human Rights, 25(2), 348-379. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2020.1783533
Lerner, M. D., Gurba, A., & Gassner, D. L. (2023). A framework for neurodiversity-affirming interventions for autistic individuals. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 91(9), 503–504. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000839
McLaren, K. (2014). Interrogating Normal: Autism Social Skills Training at the Margins of a Social Fiction [Masters thesis, Sonoma State University]. ScholarWorks. http://hdl.handle.net/10211.3/138418
Naylor, C. (2023). “Much better set up to do my best work”: What does “neurodiversity-affirming practice” mean to the autistic community? [Doctoral thesis, the University of Nottingham]. Nottingham eTheses. https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/76179/
O’Keeffe, C., & McNally, S. (2025). “Like it’s making my heart run”: A strengths-based understanding of the play of autistic children. Autism, 29(6), 1469-1482. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251315985
Our Values (n.d.). Next Level Collaboration. Retrieved August 10, 2025 from https://nextlevelcollaboration.com/our-values
Pellicano, E., & den Houting, J. (2021). Annual Research Review: Shifting from “normal science” to neurodiversity in autism science. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 63(4), 381–396. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13534
Richman, K. A. (2015). Autism, the Social Thinking Curriculum, and moral courage. Power and Education, 7(3), 355-360.
Riordan, J., Timperley, S., O’Brien, C., Edwards, C., Murrihy, C., Harrison, M., McKay-Brown, L., & Mendus, A. (2024). Creating the conditions for inclusion: Investigating optimal physical spaces for supporting neurodivergent staff and postgraduate students. Neurodiversity, 2. https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330241285353.
Sedgewick, F., Hull, L., & Ellis, H. (2021). Autism and Masking: How and Why People Do it, and the Impact It Can Have. Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Spiel, K., & Gerling, K. (2021). The purpose of play: How HCI games research fails neurodivergent populations. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), 28(2), 1-40. https://doi.org/10.1145/3432245
Therapist Neurodiversity Collective. (2020). Why we don’t use Social Thinking® (or any commercial social skills programs). https://therapistndc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Why-We-Dont-Use-Social-Thinking®-or-any-commercial-Social-Skills-programs.pdf
Wagland, Z., Sterman, J., Scott-Cole, L., Spassiani, N., & Njelesani, J. (2025). Promoting Neurodiversity-Affirming Care for Autistic Children: A Scoping Review. Neurodiversity, 3. https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330251357479
Yuan, C., Wang, L., Huo, Z., & Min, Q. (2024). Teaching cooperation to children with autism during play. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 36(5), 865-884.
Back
Trips and Tours