Amanda Hind PhD, Psychology

PhD student

Project title: The experiences of Black and Black mixed-heritage women and girls who are late diagnosed as autistic

Amanda’s passion is autism education. She has a unique perspective of autism as she is autistic (diagnosed as an adult), her children (young adults) are autistic, she has specialised in teaching autistic children, and she is an autism researcher.

She is a highly experienced teacher; and has taught in mainstream primary and secondary schools, special schools, and alternative provisions. She is also a qualified SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) and was a SENCo in a mainstream secondary school. Although no longer school-based, Amanda still enjoys working with children and young people and specialises in SEN tutoring for autistic children of all ages, and mentoring for neurodivergent adults, young adults, and teenagers. She is also a study skills tutor for autistic / ND university students receiving DSA.

Amanda is an experienced autism speaker, trainer and consultant, having travelled across the country to deliver talks and training sessions on a wide variety of topics to a range of attendees, including parents and professionals from education, health and the care sector.

Importantly, Amanda enjoys carrying out autism research. For her MSc in Psychology, she conducted a research project on autism in Black and Black mixed-heritage late-diagnosed autistic women, including Amanda herself. She first presented her findings at an international autism conference in Poland in autumn 2022, and subsequently at other events in England. Her previous postgraduate research looked at the effective transition from primary school to secondary school for autistic children.

Amanda is particularly interested in the experiences of autistic women and girls, especially those who received a late diagnosis. She is also keen to explore the impact of intersectionality on marginalised groups. She will be taking this interest further in her PhD studies, with her proposed research exploring the impact of a later diagnosis of autism in Black and Black mixed heritage girls, so that more can be done to support them in school.

She is thrilled to have won a prestigious Black Futures scholarship for her PhD at the University of Southampton. She is very excited to also be a member of the Autism Community Research Network @ Southampton (ACoRNS).

In addition, Amanda was a Finalist in the Best Special Needs Tutor Category of the National Tutoring Awards 2023. She recently (October 2023) received the Diversity Award in the University of East London 2023 Alumni Achievement Awards.