The research behind INSIGHT
INSIGHT Neurodivergent Minds is not built on opinion, trend, or generic “neurodiversity awareness”. It is grounded in ongoing academic research into the experiences of late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD adults in higher education, led by founder and PhD researcher Michelle Kenny.
What the research looks at:
The research behind INSIGHT explores how late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD adults experience higher education – not in theory, but in the day-to-day reality of study, work, and life.
- Late diagnosis and identity: how receiving a diagnosis in adulthood reshapes people’s sense of self, history, and future.
- Navigating higher education as a neurodivergent adult: what it is like to move through lectures, deadlines, meetings, and research environments that were not designed with them in mind.
- What actually helps vs. what is assumed to help: where institutional support genuinely makes a difference and where it adds work, increases stress, or misses the point.
- The gap between existing support models and real needs: how current systems (disability services, reasonable adjustments, wellbeing support, line management) align with or clash against the realities of adult neurodivergent life.
By centring these themes, the research surfaces patterns that are often invisible in standard policy or training and provides a clearer map of where meaningful change is possible.
Current research
INSIGHT Neurodivergent Minds was founded by Michelle Kenny, a PhD candidate at Lancaster University. Her doctoral research focuses on the experiences of late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults in higher education; including students, researchers, and staff.
The project looks closely at what works, what does not, and what needs to change in order for autistic and ADHD adults to thrive without burning out or disappearing from view. It pays particular attention to:
- How policies, processes, and unwritten expectations shape everyday experience.
- Where support helps people feel understood, safe, and able to do their best work.
- Where support unintentionally adds extra admin, pressure, or emotional labour.
- How universities and related organisations can redesign systems so that neurodivergent adults are not an afterthought.
Because this research is ongoing, INSIGHT’s approach is continually being refined in response to new insights and emerging patterns.
Ready to find out more?
No pressure and or judgement, just a straightforward conversation about where you are and how we might help.
INSIGHT Neurodivergent Minds 