The Autism Community Research Network @ Southampton (ACoRNS)
What is ACoRNS?
The Autism Community Research Network @ Southampton (ACoRNS) is a research-practice partnership that aims to improve the lives of autistic children and young people within education through addressing the marginalisation and underrepresentation of their views and experiences.
Working together with special and mainstream educational settings from early years through to Higher Education we:
- focus on the transitions and trajectories of autistic children and young people
- decide what questions can be addressed by research and that matter to practitioners and the autism community
- put children’s voices and experiences at the centre of our work through using collaborative, creative and participatory methods
- make a difference to practice
Of course, we would not be able to do this work without our generous funders: University of Southampton (Impact Acceleration Fund), Froebel Trust, UKRI (ESRC), and the ESRC Festival of Social Science.
We know that the language and terminology we use matters and say more about that here.
We really welcome your interest and ideas so please contact us using the form at the bottom of the page.
Have a look at some of our projects
‘I Am’ Digital Stories
is an inclusive, strengths-based method for enabling the voices of children and young people, especially those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), to be shared within their transitions. This method uses digital filmmaking processes to create a short (3-5 minute) video with the child or young person so that they can contribute their perspectives to transition planning.
This approach uses a strengths-based framework to guide children, and those who support them, through the process of creating their own story, and helping them to present their ‘best self’ to other people so that they have autonomy over what information is shared. You can learn about the ‘I Am’ Digital Stories project by clicking on the link below.
FIZZAC
is a research group made up of six autistic girls and one researcher/ex-teacher. While the primary to secondary transition for autistic children has been the focus of research, much of this focuses on the views of teachers and parents. Opportunities for autistic young people to share their stories in a meaningful way are rare. Even more rare are the voices of autistic girls who are less likely than boys to have been identified as autistic by the time they transition to secondary school. You can explore their stories by clicking on the FIZZAC link below.
The School Daze Comic
is a new comic co-produced with autistic students from New Forest School to support transitions to secondary school. The comic tells the story of Lee Mouse, who is getting ready for his first day at secondary school. The storyline reflects the voices and experiences of autistic students, as well as some of the strategies that they identified that support their well-being at school. These include having positive and understanding relationships with staff members, a safe space to go to decompress, and an opportunity to talk through worries and fears. You can download the comic by clicking on the School Daze Comic link below.
