Date: 16/12/2025
Series 2 Episode 5 – Nikki Smith on Inclusion, Participation, and the Voices of Autistic Young People
In this inspiring episode of Speaking of Research, we hear from Nikki Smith, a doctoral researcher at the University of Brighton, whose PhD explores the experiences of autistic young people of all genders in mainstream secondary schools in England.
Drawing on her fifteen years of teaching experience and her own perspective as an autistic person, Nikki is committed to doing research not just about autistic pupils, but with them. Through participatory methods and collaborative workshops, she has worked directly with a group of autistic young people to shape her research questions and develop creative data collection tools that reflect their preferences and insights.
In the episode, Nikki discusses the power of inclusive research, the challenges of mainstream education, and how co-designed tools like star profiles emerged from her early consultations. She also reflects on her hope that this work will lead to more informed school and government policy, greater understanding of the diversity of autistic experience, and an increased sense of confidence and belonging for autistic students.
This is a deeply thoughtful and empowering episode that speaks to educators, researchers, and anyone interested in inclusive practice and educational change.
🎧 Nikki’s story is a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when we listen closely and work alongside those whose voices are too often left out. Tune in to hear how her research is creating space for those voices to be heard.
Nikki Smith is a full time SCDTP funded doctoral researcher at the University of Brighton and is part of the 2024–2025 cohort. She is supervised by Professor Michael Jopling and Dr Seb Shaw. Nikki’s PhD project is titled “Understanding the experiences of young people of all genders in mainstream schools.”
You can listen on your favourite platform:
- Spotify: Listen here
- Apple Podcasts: Listen here
- Amazon Music: Listen here
- Acast: Listen here
Start listening today and join us in celebrating the voices shaping tomorrow’s research.
🎧 Season 2 launches November 2025
New episodes of Speaking of Research Series 2 will be released on Tuesdays between 18 November 2025 to 10 February 2026.
Tune in weekly to hear directly from researchers across our partner institutions as they share their work, insights, and the impact they hope to make.
Curious about how it all began?
Series One of Speaking of Research was recorded at our annual conference at Cumberland Lodge in April 2025. In each episode, Catherine McDonald from Research Podcasts speaks with doctoral researchers about their projects, who might benefit from their work, and the impact they hope to make.
Visit our Series 1 podcast archive to listen to the full first series and discover the stories that launched the conversation.
💬 We’d love to hear from you. If you have comments, reflections, or feedback, feel free to get in touch with us at scdtp@soton.ac.uk.
