PROJECT: ADHD Women: Resisting a Neuronormative World
The postdoctoral project ‘ADHD Women: Resisting a Neuronormative World‘ (2020-2025) is funded by The Leverhulme Trust with a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (Social Sciences, University of Roehampton). The PI is Dr Dyi D. Huijg (sole researcher).
There are three objectives: problematise the anti-ADHD inequalities and injustices that ADHD women experience in society; think through ways that ADHD women resist this unjust neuronormative world; and imagine a world without anti-ADHD neuronormativity, inequalities and injustices.
(Find an initial definition of ‘neuronormativity’ and ‘neurodiversity’ here.)
These objectives are intersectional. By this I mean that these are explored by not only looking at anti-ADHD inequalities and injustice, but also at the role of other inequalities and injustices (e.g. racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, classism) in these experiences, perspectives and resistances.
As an intersectional and critical project, it is informed by two very large areas of research that are not often overlapping: first, intersectionality studies, feminist, critical race, trans feminist, sexuality, class and other social inequality studies; second, critical and social models of disability, neurodiversity studies and critical autism studies, and some sections of mad studies. Note that ADHD and ADHDers’ experiences and perspectives are ignored in (almost) all these areas; in other words, intersectional and critical ADHD studies are almost non-existent.
The project, thus, is innovative for at least two reasons. First, it moves away from deficiency and denialist approaches to ADHD; instead, it develops an intersectional and critical perspective on ADHD. Second, it centres ADHD women’s experiences and perspectives: not only are the participants ADHD women, but also the researcher is an ADHD woman.
The project consists of three types of research: an analysis of literature on and knowledge produced about ADHD and ADHD women; theory development; and the analysis of empirical fieldwork (or ‘data collection in the field’) grounded in ADHD women’s experiences and perspectives.
Fieldwork
Fieldwork consists of four phases and takes place with ADHD women in the United Kingdom. Phases 1 and 2 have now been closed. In 2024 Phases 3 and 4 take place. Phase 3 of data collection consists of a survey with a number of optional open questions (online till 9 August 2024). Phase 4 consists of one (single) semi-structured conversation over Zoom. Participating in Phase 3 does not require participation in Phase 4. Find more information here.
Detailed information about the ADHD Women’s project, who can participate, and how to participate, can be found on the following pages:
Critical and Intersectional ADHD Thought knowledge production
Part of the ADHD Women project is supporting critical and intersectional ADHD knowledge production. There are currently two mini-projects under way:
- Special section ‘Feminist Perspectives on Neurodiversity and Neuronormativity‘, to be published in Disability Studies Quarterly (under review) – sole organiser
- Special issue ‘Critical and Intersectional ADHD Thought: ADHDers Think Back‘, to be published in the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies (abstracts accepted) – organised with Dr Eric Olund
Click here to find more information about the (sub-)project ‘Co-constructing ADHD Pedagogy’.
For professional queries and invites (e.g. for panels, guest lectures, interviews) regarding this or other research projects, please fill in the form on the Contact page.
Funding: This research project is funded by the Leverhulme Trust through a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship.
Ethics: This project has been reviewed and approved under the procedures of the University of Roehampton’s Research Integrity and Ethics Committee (nr. SSC 21/ 042).
OUTCOME TO DATE
Academic publications
Huijg, D.D. (2020). “Neuronormativity in theorising agency: An argument for a critical neurodiversity approach.” In: Hanna Bertilsdotter-Rosqvist, Nick Chown & Anna Stenning (Eds), Neurodiversity studies: A new critical paradigm (pp.213-217): Routledge. [Invited book chapter] [Open access version]
Academic presentations & blog posts
Huijg, D.D. (2021, 09/07). “ADHD whiteness: An exploration of the (absent) role of race in ADHD research,” flipped webinar Intersectional Approaches to Disability and Race, organised by the Intersectional Neurodiversity and Disability Reading Groups. [Blog post]
Huijg, D.D. (2021, 29/01). “‘Tools, Tips and Tricks’: An Analysis of Gendered Neuronormativity in Self-Help Literature About and For ADHD Women,” webinar Feminist Perspectives on Neurodiversity and Neuronormativity, organised by the Intersectional Neurodiversity Reading Group and Feminist Studies Association. [Presentation]
Public engagement (non-academic writings & talks)
Fireside Chat: “Navigating Neuronormative Academia with ADHD” (3 Mar 2022)
Podcast interview: The Reset Show, People’s Lab (30 Jun 2021)
Panelist webinar: “Neurodivergence in Learning, Teaching, and Assessment,” part of the Modern Languages ED&I Inclusive Classrooms Conversations series, King’s College London (16 June 2021)
Panelist webinar: “Neurodiversity and Higher Education,” organised by the Neurodiversity Network, University of Glasgow (15 Mar 2021)
Publicity
Showcase work: “Unique research into ADHD women wins prestigious Leverhulme award,” University of Roehampton News (9 Nov 2020)
Showcase work: “ADHD women: resisting a neuronormative world,” Leverhulme Trust website (14 Sep 2020)