Staff profile

I am currently a Leverhulme Research Fellow finishing a Research Fellowship at Durham University on a project entitled "Fragile Knowledge: Dehumanisation and Interpretation Bias in Autism Research". This three year project has been funded by the Leverhulme trust, and aims to address the dehumanising and objectifying rhetoric researchers use in discussing autistic people using a mix of experimental and computational methods.I am a Community Psychologist who specialises in social and developmental psychology with a focus on neurodivergence, equality, and mental health. I am passionate about producing research that can help neurodivergent people of all ages to live equitably in communities with dignity, respect, and care. My approach to research, training and service design is "Nothing About Us Without Us". Everything should be done from a participatory, or group led approach, where the expertise of the community is appreciated and embraced. Research and services should aim to be inter-disciplinary, rigorous, and accessible, and I prioritize work which can have clear social and cultural impact.

Career history: Previously, I held this fellowship at University of Stirling, where I was also a Postdoctoral Research prior, having secured a one-year long fellowship from the Economic and Social Research Council. Before this, I completed my PhD in Psychology from the University of Surrey (2016-2020). My PhD thesis investigated the role of autistic community connectedness in buffering against the effects of minority stress (such as stigma and discrimination) on mental health in the autistic community. Similarly, I completed my MSc in Psychology at the University of Surrey too (2015-2016).Prior to entering Psychology, I studied for a BA in Social Care Practice at Athlone Institute of Technology (2011-2015). During this time, I worked as a Social Care Practitioner within a care-providing service, where I worked with autistic children and their families for four years. My background in Social Care Practice has allowed for an interdisciplinary psychology with a focus on impact and application.

Current partnership and supervisor interests: I am particularly keen to work with community partners in the North East of England, to build up connections at intersections of other communities, and to supervise students with an interest in equalities-based action research. 

• Neurodivergence, mental health, quality of life, dehumanization, masking, burnout, the double empathy problem, LGBTQ health, wellbeing, and relationships, participatory research, action research.

Chapter in book

• Community psychology as reparations for violence in the construction of autism knowledge
  Botha, M. (2022). Community psychology as reparations for violence in the construction of autism knowledge. In D. Milton, & S. Ryan (Eds.), The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Autism Studies. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003056577-8

Journal Article

• “It's a long process, and it's a long journey”: Autistic adult’s experiences of support and recovery after experiencing intimate violence and abuse
  Pearson, A., Botha, M., Rose, K., Mitchell, A., Joseph, W., Douglas, S., & Sedgewick, F. (online). “It's a long process, and it's a long journey”: Autistic adult’s experiences of support and recovery after experiencing intimate violence and abuse. Autism in Adulthood, https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2024.0146
• Using Q Methodology, a group of Neurodivergent Neurodiversity Scholars ask, What is the Neurodiversity Movement, and What Should It Do?
  Stenner, P., Pearson, A., Kapp, S., Watson, C., Pressler, R., Williams, G., Bertilsdotter-Rosqvist, H., Hultman, L., Semmens-Wheeler, R., & Botha, M. (in press). Using Q Methodology, a group of Neurodivergent Neurodiversity Scholars ask, What is the Neurodiversity Movement, and What Should It Do?. Neurodiversity,
• Language Matters in British Newspapers: A Participatory Analysis of the Autism UK Press Corpus
  Karaminis, T., Botha, M., Longley, S., Waldock, K. E., Storey, S., Strachan, K., Ransom, N., & Pellicano, E. (online). Language Matters in British Newspapers: A Participatory Analysis of the Autism UK Press Corpus. Autism in Adulthood, https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2023.0105
• An Experience Sensitive Approach to Care With and for Autistic Children and Young People in Clinical Services
  McGreevy, E., Quinn, A., Law, R., Botha, M., Evans, M., Rose, K., Moyse, R., Boyens, T., Matejko, M., & Pavlopoulou, G. (online). An Experience Sensitive Approach to Care With and for Autistic Children and Young People in Clinical Services. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1177/00221678241232442
• Autism and Thriving: A Critical Review of the Academic Literature
  Dantas, S., Jasper, C., Botha, M., Strachan, K., & Grainger, C. (online). Autism and Thriving: A Critical Review of the Academic Literature. Autism in Adulthood, https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2024.0228
• “It's not a physical prison but you can't get out”. How autistic adults make sense of the experience of intimate violence and abuse
  Pearson, A., Rose, K., Mitchell, A., Joseph, W., Douglas, S., Sedgewick, F., & Botha, M. (online). “It's not a physical prison but you can't get out”. How autistic adults make sense of the experience of intimate violence and abuse. Autism in Adulthood, https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2024.0145
• Diagnosis as a new beginning not an end: A participatory photovoice study on navigating an autism diagnosis in adulthood
  Cage, E., Botha, M., McDevitt, L., King, K. N., Biscoe, L., Tucker, K., & Pearson, A. (online). Diagnosis as a new beginning not an end: A participatory photovoice study on navigating an autism diagnosis in adulthood. Autism, 28(8), https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231220418
• ‘A certain magic’ – autistic adults’ experiences of interacting with other autistic people and its relation to Quality of Life: A systematic review and thematic meta-synthesis
  Watts, G., Crompton, C., Grainger, C., Long, J., Botha, M., Somerville, M., & Cage, E. (online). ‘A certain magic’ – autistic adults’ experiences of interacting with other autistic people and its relation to Quality of Life: A systematic review and thematic meta-synthesis. Autism, https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241255811
• Using Q Methodology, a Group of Neurodivergent Neurodiversity Researchers Ask: What is the Neurodiversity Movement and what should it do?
  Stenner, P., Pearson, A., Kapp, S., Watson, C., Pressler, R., Williams, G., Bertilsdotter-Rosqvist, H., Hultman, L., Semmens-Wheeler, R., & Botha, M. (2025). Using Q Methodology, a Group of Neurodivergent Neurodiversity Researchers Ask: What is the Neurodiversity Movement and what should it do?. Neurodiversity, 3, https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330251329625
• Critical realism, community psychology, and the curious case of autism: A philosophy and practice of science with social justice in mind
  Botha, M. (2025). Critical realism, community psychology, and the curious case of autism: A philosophy and practice of science with social justice in mind. Journal of Community Psychology, 53(1), Article e22764. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22764
• What are the autism research priorities of autistic adults in Scotland?
  Cage, E., Crompton, C. J., Dantas, S., Strachan, K., Birch, R., Robinson, M., Morgan-Appel, S., MacKenzie-Nash, C., Gallagher, A., & Botha, M. (2024). What are the autism research priorities of autistic adults in Scotland?. Autism, 28(9), 2179 – 2190. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231222656
• Non-autistic observers both detect and demonstrate the double empathy problem when evaluating interactions between autistic and non-autistic adults
  Jones, D. R., Botha, M., Ackerman, R. A., King, K., & Sasson, N. J. (2024). Non-autistic observers both detect and demonstrate the double empathy problem when evaluating interactions between autistic and non-autistic adults. Autism, 28(8), 2053-2065. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231219743
• The neurodiversity concept was developed collectively: An overdue correction on the origins of neurodiversity theory.
  Botha, M., Chapman, R., Giwa Onaiwu, M., Kapp, S. K., Stannard Ashley, A., & Walker, N. (2024). The neurodiversity concept was developed collectively: An overdue correction on the origins of neurodiversity theory. Autism, 28(6), 1591-1594. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241237871
• Letter to the Editor: A possible threat to data integrity for online qualitative autism research
  Pellicano, E., Adams, D., Crane, L., Hollingue, C., Allen, C., Almendinger, K., Botha, M., Haar, T., Kapp, S. K., & Wheeley, E. (2024). Letter to the Editor: A possible threat to data integrity for online qualitative autism research. Autism, 28, 786 – 792. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231174543
• Cutting our own keys: New possibilities of neurodivergent storying in research
  Bertilsdotter Rosqvist, H., Botha, M., Hens, K., O’Donoghue, S., Pearson, A., & Stenning, A. (2023). Cutting our own keys: New possibilities of neurodivergent storying in research. Autism, 27(5), 1235-1244. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221132107
• Being, Knowing, and Doing: Importing Theoretical Toolboxes for Autism Studies
  Rosqvist, H. B., Botha, M., Hens, K., O'Donoghue, S., Pearson, A., & Stenning, A. (2023). Being, Knowing, and Doing: Importing Theoretical Toolboxes for Autism Studies. Autism in Adulthood, 5(1), 15-23. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0021
• Neurodivergence-informed therapy
  Chapman, R., & Botha, M. (2023). Neurodivergence-informed therapy. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 65(3), 310-317. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15384
• Does Language Matter? Identity-First Versus Person-First Language Use in Autism Research: A Response to Vivanti
  Botha, M., Hanlon, J., & Williams, G. L. (2023). Does Language Matter? Identity-First Versus Person-First Language Use in Autism Research: A Response to Vivanti. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53, 870-878. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04858-w
• Anti-ableism and scientific accuracy in autism research: a false dichotomy
  Bottema-Beutel, K., Kapp, S. K., Sasson, N., Gernsbacher, M. A., Natri, H., & Botha, M. (2023). Anti-ableism and scientific accuracy in autism research: a false dichotomy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1244451
• Anti-ableist language is fully compatible with high-quality autism research: Response to Singer et al. (2023)
  Natri, H. M., Abubakare, O., Asasumasu, K., Basargekar, A., Beaud, F., Botha, M., Bottema-Beutel, K., Brea, M. R., Brown, L. X. Z., Burr, D. A., Cobbaert, L., Dabbs, C., Denome, D., Rosa, S. D. R., Doherty, M., Edwards, B., Edwards, C., Liszk, S. E., Elise, F., Fletcher-Watson, S., …Zisk, A. H. (2023). Anti-ableist language is fully compatible with high-quality autism research: Response to Singer et al. (2023). Autism Research, 16(4), 673-676. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2928
• Brief Report: Does Autistic Community Connectedness Moderate the Relationship Between Masking and Wellbeing?
  Cage, E., Cranney, R., & Botha, M. (2022). Brief Report: Does Autistic Community Connectedness Moderate the Relationship Between Masking and Wellbeing?. Autism in Adulthood, 4(3), 247-253. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.0096
• ‘It’s being a part of a grand tradition, a grand counter-culture which involves communities’: A qualitative investigation of autistic community connectedness
  Botha, M., Dibb, B., & Frost, D. M. (2022). ‘It’s being a part of a grand tradition, a grand counter-culture which involves communities’: A qualitative investigation of autistic community connectedness. Autism, 26(8), 2151–2164. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221080248
• Come as You Are: Examining Autistic Identity Development and the Neurodiversity Movement through an Intersectional Lens
  Botha, M., & Gillespie-Lynch, K. (2022). Come as You Are: Examining Autistic Identity Development and the Neurodiversity Movement through an Intersectional Lens. Human Development, 66, 93 – 112. https://doi.org/10.1159/000524123
• “Autism research is in crisis”: A mixed method study of researcher’s constructions of autistic people and autism research
  Botha, M., & Cage, E. (2022). “Autism research is in crisis”: A mixed method study of researcher’s constructions of autistic people and autism research. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 1050897. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1050897
• "Autism is me": an investigation of how autistic individuals make sense of autism and stigma
  Botha, M., Dibb, B., & Frost, D. M. (2022). "Autism is me": an investigation of how autistic individuals make sense of autism and stigma. Disability and Society, 37(3), 427 – 453. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2020.1822782
• Shifting stigma about autistic young people
  den Houting, J., Botha, M., Cage, E., Jones, D. R., & Kim, S. Y. (2021). Shifting stigma about autistic young people. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 5(12), 839-841. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642%2821%2900309-6
• Creating truly radical change in autism research: A response to Frith and Mottron
  Pearson, A., Woods, R., Morgan, H., & Botha, M. (2021). Creating truly radical change in autism research: A response to Frith and Mottron. Autism Research, 14(10), 2243-2244. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2605
• Academic, Activist, or Advocate? Angry, Entangled, and Emerging: A Critical Reflection on Autism Knowledge Production
  Botha, M. (2021). Academic, Activist, or Advocate? Angry, Entangled, and Emerging: A Critical Reflection on Autism Knowledge Production. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 727542. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.727542
• Extending the Minority Stress Model to Understand Mental Health Problems Experienced by the Autistic Population
  Botha, M., & Frost, D. M. (2020). Extending the Minority Stress Model to Understand Mental Health Problems Experienced by the Autistic Population. Society and Mental Health, 10(1), 20-34. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869318804297