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Introduction

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

This course is designed to improve the knowledge and understanding for anyone working with neurodivergent athletes in sport and exercise settings or with an interest in coaching neurodiverse athletes. Within the sport and exercise sector this may include those in coaching roles, as well as fitness instructors, personal trainers and wider exercise professionals. Throughout this course when referring to neurodivergent athletes this will include athletes who may not be aware of a condition.

The course is divided into 4 weeks with approximately 2 hours of study allocated to each week. How and when you complete the content is entirely up to you. The first week provides a general introduction to neurodiversity with the three remaining weeks exploring neurodiversity from different perspectives within sport and exercise settings, and bringing this all together in the final week. The weeks are:

What is neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity in sport and exercise: an athlete’s voice
Neurodiversity in sport and exercise: the family’s voice
Supporting athletes in practice: creating a safe environment

Throughout the 4 weeks you will gain a unique insight into the lives of athletes, coaches and families to understand what it means to be neurodivergent and how this can influence participation and athletic development. You will apply theory to practice in a range of sport and exercise settings to begin to consider how you can shape your own coaching practice to support athletes with a neurodiverse condition. Although the audience is specifically those working or intending to work with neurodivergent athletes the course may also have some interest for others working with neurodiversity in different settings.

The content of the course is not designed to elicit difficult emotions in any way, but we recognise that sometimes covering emotive topics like this means some learners may be reminded of challenging past personal experiences, or experiences of those close to them. Identifying sources of support and self-care can be really useful for your wellbeing whether you are a coach, athlete or student, so you might want to do this at regular points during the course. If at any time you feel uncomfortable during the course try taking some time away, invest time in some self-care strategies, and return to the course when you feel comfortable

You may wish to download the OU Wellbeing App (on Android or Apple) which contains a range of information, tools, resources and interactive support all about developing and monitoring good habits to maintain your wellbeing. The app will help you learn new techniques and methods to monitor your wellbeing progress over time.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

define neurodiversity and explain why it is significant in a sporting context
describe different neurodiverse conditions and their potential impact on athletes
consider how coaching practices can be tailored to meet the specific needs of neurodiverse athletes.

Moving around the course

In the ‘Summary’ at the end of each week, you will find a link to the next week. If at any time you want to return to the start of the course, click on ‘Full course description’. From here you can navigate to any part of the course.

It’s also good practice, if you access a link from within a course page, to open it in a new window or tab. That way you can easily return to where you’ve come from without having to use the back button on your browser.

You can now go to Week 1.

Introduction

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

In this first week of the course, you will familiarise yourself with the key terminology and how this will be used throughout the course. Following this the concept of neurodiversity is explored including the potential strengths and challenges that may arise when working with neurodiverse athletes in a sport and exercise setting. You will be introduced to a range of neurodiverse conditions and the different models of neurodiversity and start to consider the importance of understanding how neurodiversity is viewed within society and the implications this may have on neurodiverse individuals. The power of the communication between a coach and neurodivergent athlete is examined, alongside the research linking neurodiversity and mental health.

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A graphic containing a number of heads in profile, showing their ‘brains’ which are all in different patterns and colours.

By the end of this week, you should be able to:

explain the concept of neurodiversity and define a range of neurodiverse conditions
understand what influences communication between individuals with different neurotypes
describe the links between neurodiversity, mental health and wellbeing.

1 Defining key terms

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

Before you explore this topic in more detail, a quick note about terminology throughout this course. Firstly, the term ‘athlete’ is used in a broad way to describe any participant of any age and ability engaging in a range of sport and exercise activities. Secondly, the term coaching is used to refer to any scenario where an individual is working with a participant in a sport and exercise setting. Thirdly, you will see the use of ‘condition first’ rather than ‘person first’ descriptions of neurodivergence. This includes phrasing such as an ‘autistic person’ as opposed to a ‘person with autism’. There are different ideas on which approach is most useful, with varied approaches being adopted in different countries.

As this course is written in the UK, by UK-based authors, the condition first approach is adopted throughout. This reflects the lived experience of neurodivergent people in the UK, and how they feel their condition is an important part of them and their identity – hence ‘autistic person’. However, it also important to note that some people do prefer person first phrasing. As many elements of this course will highlight, this reflects the need for person-centred approaches and can often mean asking individuals how they prefer to be addressed.

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The word ‘definition’ in a dictionary.

Neurodiversity is by its very definition diverse in nature, covering a range of brain functioning. Neurodivergent conditions include ADHD, autism, dyspraxia and dyslexia among others, and the term ‘neurotypical’ is often used to describe what the majority of a population may experience. The first activity introduces you to these terms and explores them further.

Activity _unit2.2.1 Activity 1 Matching exercise on key terms

Timing: Allow 20 minutes

1. Below are six terms frequently used within the topic of neurodiversity. Are you already aware of any of these terms? If so, note down their meaning for any that you are able. If not, do not worry and move on to question 2.

ADHD

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Autism

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Dyslexia

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Neurodiversity

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Neurodivergent

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Neurotypical

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2. Now visit the Neurodiverse Sport website and use their Glossary page to check your understanding by completing the drag and drop activity below, matching key terms to their definitions.

Two lists follow, match one item from the first with one item from the second. Each item can only be matched once. There are 6 items in each list.

ADHD
Autism
Dyslexia
Neurodiversity
Neurodivergent
Neurotypical

Match each of the previous list items with an item from the following list:

a.Sometimes known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, this is a condition which displays different patterns in communication, behaviour and other social interactions.
b.This is a difference in learning which impacts how someone reads, writes and/or spells.
c.This term describes an individual whose neurodevelopment is considered typical and within an accepted range.
d.ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by differences in attention and regulation of impulses which can impact on daily tasks.
e.This term describes differences in neurological development which we see across a whole population of people, often viewed as natural variation.
f.This term describes an individual whose neurodevelopment is not considered typical. This is often accompanied by a diagnosed condition.

The correct answers are:

1 = d,
2 = a,
3 = b,
4 = e,
5 = f,
6 = c

Discussion

Some of these terms may be new to you, and some may be terms you have heard of or are quite used to. This activity only touches on some of the language used to describe neurodiverse experiences in wider society as well as sport and you may have noticed that a key thread running between them is how individualised these terms can be. How one athlete experiences, manages or communicates about a neurodivergent condition can be very different to another athlete. This means as a coach you cannot for example assume how one person experiences their autism is the same as the next person, so it is important to be open to individualised experiences of this and therefore adjust any coaching approaches accordingly.

The definitions included on the Neurodiverse Sport website also include strengths, which will be explored throughout this course. You may wish to make a note of this webpage as it will be useful to return to if you need to reinforce your understanding of these key terms.

This course will help you consider the importance of acknowledging how neurodiversity impacts athletes in coaching environments and explore how coaches can make their practice and environments supportive of neurodivergence. You will now look in more detail at different models of diversity and how this impacts the ways neurodiversity is viewed and talked about in wider society.

2 Models of neurodiversity

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

As Activity 1 explained, the term neurodiversity is at its core a description of differences in how all our brains work and function. It could be suggested that as individuals, all our brains work in slightly different ways anyway due to genetics, health, and social factors which influence our development. In a more day-to-day sense, the term neurodivergence is commonly used to describe individuals who have developed one or more of the six conditions you have just learned about.

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The outline of a brain inside a head.

The variety of conditions described by neurodivergence has often meant viewing neurodiverse experiences through a medical lens, focusing on those diagnoses and a ‘deficit’ model and creating stigma around it (Hoare et al., 2023). This means viewing any form of neurodivergence as something different from what society describes as normal experiences (neurotypical), therefore that individual is ‘missing’ something in how their brain works or processes information. Consequently, these experiences are compared with what might be termed normal experiences which results in not only highlighting and maintaining difference, but importantly suggesting these differences are a sign of something being wrong with an individual. This keeps the medical condition at the centre of any discussion, viewing it as something which needs to be cured or treated, often preventing an individual from accessing everyday experiences.

More recently, social models of neurodiversity (and other disabilities) have emerged which position neurodiverse experiences within social interactions and influenced by the world around us. This has helped shift thinking from a deficit model to a strength-based one and has been reflected in informal approaches by coaches in sport (Hoare et al., 2023; Kimber et al., 2023). As a result, elements of neurodiversity which in the past were viewed as negative and not ‘normal’, can now be viewed as something to be championed and utilised. For example, an autistic person who may have taken a lot of time to write a report at school may have been highlighted as requiring additional support to meet deadlines, rather than viewing their thoroughness as a positive. For example, in a study by Kimber et al. (2023) exploring coaches’ experience of working with neurodivergent athletes, one participant captures how this applies within a sporting context:

I think some of their focus and determination is rooted in the(ir) autism … their determination and single-mindedness with the task at hand, that can be quite helpful.

Through a strengths-based approach like this, an athlete’s neurodivergence can be viewed as a trait which means they are very thorough and likely to stay focused on the task at hand.

With these key definitions and models in mind, the next section looks at how neurodivergence influences communication with others.

3 The power of communication

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

In line with looking at neurodiversity through a deficit model, it is often assumed that autistic people in particular experience difficulties in communicating effectively. Recent research has suggested that difficulties may not arise from something ‘wrong’ with a neurodivergent individual, rather this comes from a mismatch in the neurotype of who they are communicating with (Crompton et al., 2020). Crompton et al.’s study found that communication of information between two autistic individuals can often be very successful, and it is when two individuals of very different neurotypes are communicating where difficulties may occur. This suggests that any miscommunication is a result of differences between both autistic and non-autistic individuals. Due to the prevailing deficit models around neurodiversity, this often means the ‘fault’ in any communication breakdown is directed at the neurodivergent individual rather than the neurotypical one. This is something which can be challenged in coaching practice, and you will learn more about this throughout the course. The next activity will help you explore how neurodivergent individuals experience everyday challenges and start to consider how this applies to your coaching.

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A coach with a group of athletes.

Activity _unit2.4.1 Activity 2 Communication and coaching environments

Timing: Allow 20 minutes

Click on the link below to view an interactive resource produced for the Inside Our Autistic Minds television programme produced by the BBC and The Open University.

Open in a new tab or window so you can easily return to the course.

Explore Inside Our Autistic Minds

Once you have accessed the resource, click on the blue arrows in turn within each of the five themes: anxiety; communication and language; routine and predictability; sensory issues; social comprehension and interactions. Depending on your device, you may need to scroll down the interactive to see all of them.

When you click on each theme consider the following questions:

How might some of the lived experiences being described be experienced by an athlete in a sport and exercise setting?
How might some of the experiences described influence athletes before they arrive at a coaching session?
If an athlete has similar experiences to some of those described, how might this influence how they communicate with their coach?

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Discussion

When working through each theme, you may have more detailed thoughts on some more than others – don’t worry if this was the case, it would not be surprising! However, you may have thought about how an unexpected change in routine during a coaching session may be difficult to manage for some athletes. You may also have thought about how encountering new people in a session might influence how an athlete may communicate with their coach, or even their teammates.
Prior to turning up to a coaching session, an athlete may have had an overwhelming experience at school or work which would impact how they engage with the session. They may have had a change in routine when travelling to the session or been delayed on their way.
These experiences could mean an athlete may find it hard to communicate with their coach and their peers. Reflecting the individualised nature of neurodivergence, this could mean they appear withdrawn, display emotions more readily, or generally present with behaviours you are not used to.

Activity 2 touched on how a range of issues inside and outside of a coaching environment may impact neurodivergent athletes and how effective communication could be impacted. To help you understand the wider impacts of this, the next section looks at the relationship between neurodiversity, wellbeing and mental health in more detail.

4 Neurodiversity, wellbeing and mental health

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

There are well-reported links between neurodiversity and mental health (Graf-Kurtulus and Gelo, 2025), with this often being a response to issues around fitting in with a neurotypical world rather than direct psychological links. The emotional and sometimes physical energy required can lead to poorer mental health outcomes, alongside clinical diagnoses of depression and anxiety (Graf-Kurtulus and Gelo, 2025). Sport and exercise psychologist and former athlete Kristin McGinty-Minister describes her personal experiences of neurodivergence in sport as follows:

I believed that my sensory challenges, masking, and confusion about social expectations were universal experiences that I was a failure for not being able to cope with. I began to see my autistic traits as flaws and fortified my own masks, eventually leading to a shutdown diagnosed as depression and anxiety at the time. Despite engaging in therapy, I still felt something was ‘off’, prompting a deeper search for answers.

(McGinty-Minister, 2024, p. 25)

Figure _unit2.5.1 Figure 1 Kristin McGinty-Minister

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A photograph of Kristin McGinty-Minister.

Figure 1 Kristin McGinty-Minister

Kristin’s experiences demonstrate how ‘intersectionality’ can influence an individual’s mental health. This is a key concept which describes how multiple parts of someone’s identity overlap, or intersect, to amplify their experiences of inequality and the subsequent impact this may have on their wellbeing. Other intersecting parts of an identity can include things like gender (Collins, 2024), ethnicity (Green, 2020) or sexuality (Beato et al., 2024), among others. Therefore, athletes who have multiple intersecting parts of their identity can be more adversely impacted than others. For example, a neurodivergent Black, female, bisexual athlete would be more likely to experience poor mental health than a neurotypical white, male, heterosexual athlete.

Neurodivergence can be more common in sporting contexts than wider populations, with suggestions being that traits associated with neurodivergent conditions can be beneficial in these environments (McMurtry et al., 2025). It is important to recognise that many athletes exhibiting neurodivergent traits, with associated needs, will not have a formal diagnosis. This could be the case with adults in particular. Some of the negative views attached to neurodivergent individuals rooted in those deficit approaches may even mean athletes actively avoid being labelled as such. This reinforces the need for individualised coaching approaches to supporting the wellbeing of athletes.

5 Summary of Week 1

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

This week has introduced the concepts of neurodiversity, neurodivergence and defined a range of conditions associated with this. It has discussed the different models of neurodiversity and the importance of adopting strengths-based approaches, alongside how concepts like intersectionality can impact athletes you may be coaching now or in the future.

In the next week of study, you will look at these experiences from the athlete’s perspective and start to consider how you can apply this learning to your own coaching practice.

You can now go to Week 2.

Introduction

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

This week applies your learning from Week 1 to consider neurodiversity from an athlete’s perspective. You will explore the real-life experiences of neurodiverse athletes from grassroots to elite level, through viewing a range of quotes, case studies and videos. Some of the research within this area that is beginning to inform practice is also considered.

The sensory issues that may be experienced by neurodivergent athletes in a range of sport and exercise settings are also discussed as well as a consideration of how coaching practices can be altered to meet an athlete’s needs.

One athlete who has been vocal about her neurodivergence is England footballer Lucy Bronze. At the time of writing the course, Lucy plays for Chelsea Women in the Women’s Super League and represents the England women’s football team. You will watch further clips later in the course to hear more about Lucy’s experiences, but for now watch the clip below and consider how some of the information in Week 1 is reflected in Lucy’s story.

Lucy Bronze opens up about autism & ADHD diagnosis. Watch from 0:37 to 1:40.

By the end of this week, you should be able to:

consider how athletes with sensory issues may experience different sporting physical spaces
describe the term ‘masking’ and its relevance to neurodivergent athletes and their mental health and wellbeing
recognise how the structure of the coaching environment may impact a neurodivergent athlete.

1 The sports environment

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

The mental health of athletes has become an increasingly prominent topic in recent years, both in elite sport performance environments as well as grassroots and recreational participation. However, the role of neurodivergence is largely absent in this discourse, from the perspectives of both the athlete and the coach. One factor that can impact an athlete’s mental health is the environment in which sport is conducted. In particular, for neurodiverse athletes the physical sporting environment can sometimes offer more protective factors, or conversely individuals can be exposed to factors that require increased effort and stress to maintain performance and participation. The next activity considers the physical environments in which sport and exercise takes place and the impact that may have on a neurodivergent athlete.

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A coach high-fiving an athlete.

Activity _unit3.2.1 Activity 1 Experiences of autism

Timing: Allow 20 minutes

Watch the clip below of Chris Packham, a television presenter and naturalist in the UK, describing his experiences of autism. You will watch the clip in two halves, with a different question to reflect on for each.

Demystifying autism and overstimulation

Watch the clip from the start and pause at 2 minutes 46 seconds. While watching, consider how the experiences described by Chris and Dr Luke Bearden arise from a deficit perspective and how this may result in the negative impacts being described. Can you think of any examples where this experience of autism may be seen in a coaching environment? This could be the facility, the changing rooms, or even the temperature of the environment.

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Now watch the clip from 2:46 to the end. While watching this section, think about how Chris’s experiences may demonstrate looking at his autism from a strengths-based perspective, giving him a greater sense of ‘joy’ from his sensory experiences. Can you think of any examples where this element of autism may be encouraged in a coaching environment?

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Discussion

For these questions you may have thought about some experiences from your own participation in sport, your own coaching experiences, or maybe just thinking about an athlete you are familiar with. Thinking about these experiences from an autistic perspective can help us consider how neurotypical athletes may be able to ‘filter’ out sensory cues in a coaching environment. However, an autistic athlete may experience this same environment as overwhelming and harder to manage, for example due to different teams being coached on the same rugby pitch, or a small indoor facility with lots of lights, echoes and changes in sounds.
The second clip may have made you think about Lucy Bronze’s story in this week’s introduction, where she refers to ‘hyperfocus’ and this being a positive component of her autism. You may also have thought about things like an athlete finding joy in playing outside, in the order of patterns of play in a team sport, or even in a similar way to Chris just enjoying running in nature.

The next section will help you explore in more detail how athletes can experience the same sporting environments very differently, reinforcing the importance of individuality in coaching practice.

2 Experiencing diverse sporting spaces

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

Athletes taking part in sport and exercise experience a range of environments as part of their preparation, training and competitions. This shift between different environments, or ‘spaces’, can therefore be experienced differently from athlete to athlete. With an individualised approach to neurodiversity in mind, we can explore how one athlete could experience these changes, in contrast to what a neurotypical teammate or training partner may experience as normal or easy to navigate. The following activity will help you do this by focusing on potential issues posed by different sporting spaces.

Activity _unit3.3.1 Activity 2

Timing: Allow 30 minutes

Part 1

Watch the clip below of Sam Holness, talking about his experiences training and competing in Ironman and triathlon events (the interviewer, Nick Ransom is also neurodivergent). While watching, make two lists, one of the positive things Sam says he gets from being a triathlete, and one of the negative things. You may want to watch the clip twice to help you.

Neurodiversity in Sport. Watch from 2:03 to 2:59.

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Discussion

You may have picked up on how Sam describes the positives of competing and how this helps him feel better about himself and improves his feelings of anxiety. This demonstrates the links previously discussed between neurodiversity and wellbeing. You may also have noted how Sam describes feeling overwhelmed when there are too many other athletes around him, as well as worries about not only being autistic, but also how he is often the only Black athlete. This links strongly with the concept of intersectionality introduced in Week 1.

Part 2

The table below lists a range of potential challenges faced by neurodivergent athletes. For each one, complete the right-hand column with issues that you think an athlete like Sam may experience as part of their training and competition routine. These issues could be sensory, or to do with communicating and interacting with others. Try to hold in mind an individualised approach as you work through each challenge. When you have completed the table, you can compare your answers with those in the Discussion.

Table _unit3.3.1
Challenge	Potential sensory or communication issues
Changing room area	1, Your response 1
Surrounding area (transport links, car park)	2, Your response 2
People	3, Your response 3
Indoor facility	4, Your response 4
Outdoor facility	5, Your response 5
Equipment	6, Your response 6
Coach	7, Your response 7

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Discussion

Table _unit3.3.2
Challenge	Suggested sensory or communication issues
Changing room area	smells noise lots of people moving in and out
Surrounding area (transport links, car park)	Unpredictability of: journey weather lighting
People	new athletes change in coaches social interactions with other athletes
Indoor facility	noise levels echo temperature artificial lighting
Outdoor facility	other athletes members of public weather
Equipment	‘feel’ of grips, for example in tennis or hockey footwear kit – type of material, what has been washed with?
Coach	clarity of communication tone and volume of voice demonstrations

This activity will have prompted you to think about how different sporting spaces can be experienced by neurodivergent athletes. You may have come up with similar issues to the ones suggested in the final column, or you may have thought of some different ones too. As a coach, planning for these issues is what McMurtry et al. (2025) describe as part of the process of implementing ‘reasonable adjustments’ to support athletes, remembering that no two athletes will experience these spaces in the same way. This reinforces the importance to really focus on the practice of talking to athletes and asking them what they may need to make these experiences less difficult or overwhelming. By doing this, coaches can make sporting spaces more accessible, supportive, and ultimately promote positive wellbeing in those they are coaching.

The individualised experiences of neurodivergent people can mean things which are a protective factor for some, can cause difficulties for others. For example, one athlete may find the structured way that athletes and coaches interact with each other as something which helps them. Conversely, an athlete in the same session may find those structured interactions too rigid and overwhelming. This should not mean that both athletes are unable to take part in the same session. Instead the coach can explore what those individual needs are and what reasonable adjustments they can make to their coaching practice to ensure that both needs are being met. The next section helps you explore a key factor which makes this approach difficult – when athletes often ‘mask’ their neurodivergent experiences.

3 Masking

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

A key phenomenon to consider in coaching environments is one of ‘masking’. Masking is a term used to describe how someone tries to adopt more neurotypical traits to cope with different challenges thrown up by a social situation they may find themselves in (Quigley and Gallagher, 2025). This process takes a lot of effort and energy from that individual (Billington, 2023) and impacts not only how they will engage and behave within a coaching session, but also how they feel once they leave. The next activity introduces you to an example of masking and encourages you to consider the implications of this.

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A swimmer in the pool.

Activity _unit3.4.1 Activity 3 Experiences of masking

Timing: Allow 10 minutes

This podcast episode is of two young people, Ginny and Andrew, discussing lived experiences of autism. Listen to the clip, where Andrew describes his experience of masking. While listening, consider the three questions that follow.

Download this audio clip.Audio player: Being autistic and living a good life

Audio _unit3.4.1 Being autistic and living a good life

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Transcript: Being autistic and living a good life

GINNY

You mentioned masking, which is something I’ve heard a lot about, but I don't feel like I understand well.

ANDREW

Yeah. So I think masking is basically covering up your autism. And I think it’s interesting, because for me, because I got diagnosed at 19, I didn’t realise how much of my life I spent masking. And because as I was being raised, those mannerisms that were masking were also as defined by my parents being polite, it’s very hard for me to unpick them too.

So right now, in this conversation, for example, I’m masking. And I think masking is something that you do to cover up your autism. Most of the time, it’s done to your advantage. I want to talk in a masked way to you. Because otherwise, I wouldn’t be looking at you. I am accentuating my voice a little bit. I’m quite monotone, and I’d just be talking non-stop sort of thing. I’d rather mask in this situation because it feels nicer to have a conversation that’s a bit more reciprocal, for example.

A lot of the time that I employ it in my day-to-day life, it’s good for me. However, though I do think there’s a flip side to masking, where it is, for lack of a better word, quite traumatic because, especially for younger people, especially for people with more support needs, where they may be forced into therapeutic settings, there can be a lot of forced masking there. It’s really important to be aware that with masking, there can be a lot of trauma associated with it, even though a lot of the masking that I did growing up and that I’ve learned is quite useful for me now.

I mean, I’ve gotten into med school. I’ve got myself a first-class degree in medical sciences. It does come with a lot of trauma. And it’s what I was saying before, with social interaction being a lot of effort.

It’s not just the fact that you need to work harder to do the social interaction. It’s also wrapped up in a whole load of past instances in that person’s life, where they’ve misread the situation. They thought they were doing the right thing, and it’s really backfired in their face. And they don’t know what’s going on. And they’ve had to really deal with the social consequences of that. And that can be really, really hard.

End transcript: Being autistic and living a good life

Download

Audio _unit3.4.1 Being autistic and living a good life

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Why might an athlete feel the need to mask their neurodivergence?
As a coach why is it important not to encourage neurodiverse individuals to adopt neurotypical behaviours?
Why is it important to understand what has been happening in an individual’s day prior to coming to their sport or exercise sessions?

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Discussion

In line with Andrew’s description, an athlete may feel the need to mask their neurodivergence if their experiences, behaviours and needs are not accepted or understood by those around them resulting in poor mental health outcomes (Cassidy et al., 2020). This means that neurodivergence in sporting contexts can often go unnoticed or not be recognised or acknowledged (Hoare et al., 2023). These are behaviours adopted early in childhood through school environments, with these experiences being characterised as bullying by both peers and staff (Billington, 2023).
Often, this is further characterised by teachers encouraging individuals to adopt neurotypical or ‘normal’ behaviours with the result of individuals being ‘othered’, made to feel different, and marginalised (Billington, 2023). Experiences of stigma like this can exacerbate feelings of anxiety, stress and exhaustion which is associated with poor mental health.
Athletes may turn up to a coaching session already in a heightened state of anxiety or stress depending on how their day has gone up to that point. Neurotypical athletes may have similar experiences before any given session, but as a sport setting may be built around neurotypical needs, they are likely to be impacted very differently.

The content of Week 3 will help you explore strategies on how this can be managed for a neurodivergent athlete, but at this stage you might want to reflect on whether you have experience of an athlete attending a coaching session in this way, and how this may have manifested itself.

4 Summary of Week 2

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

This week has focused on the athlete’s perspective and what it means to be neurodiverse in a sport and exercise setting. You have explored the role of the environment and how this can elicit different sensory experiences for a neurodivergent athlete and why this is important to consider when working with athletes. You have also gained an understanding of key issues like masking, and how this can lead to an athlete attending a coaching session in a heightened state of stress or anxiety.

In the next week of study, you will hear the voices of family members and their own experiences of supporting a neurodiverse athlete. You will consider these experiences from the perspective of an athlete’s family, and the unique insights to be gained from improved communication with parents and carers.

You can now go to Week 3.

Introduction

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

This week’s content focuses on the experiences of the families and carers of neurodivergent athletes and so holds particular relevance to those working with children and young adults. However, even into adulthood relationships between the coach and athlete’s family can still be equally important. You will hear parents talk about experiences outside of sport, which highlight wider difficulties experienced by individuals in day-to-day life, which as previously discussed can influence how athletes may present at coaching sessions. It is important for all coaches within youth sport to maintain good communication with parents and carers and you will explore why communication with families of neurodivergent athletes holds great importance within coaching practice. Furthermore, within adult sport coaches often maintain good communication with the spouse, partner, or even friend of a neurodiverse athlete. Allyship can be extremely valuable within the neurodiverse community.

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A group of people in athletic clothing.

By the end of this week, you should be able to:

consider the experiences of neurodiverse athletes and their families
reflect on how the views and experiences of family members may be missed in sport
appreciate the valuable information families may hold about an athlete, and how this can positively influence your coaching practice.

1 Living with neurodivergent athletes: family insights of young athletes

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

The role of family members in supporting successful athletes is well documented (Pinchbeck, 2021). However, families often feel undervalued and underappreciated in the social and educational experiences of a neurodivergent athlete, despite the important role they can play (Kimber et al., 2023). This means that when coaching or working with neurodiverse athletes there are important opportunities to open dialogue with families to help understand the needs of individual athletes. These opportunities are important to explore whether we are talking to parents and carers, wider family members, spouses, close friends, or even their own children. This week’s first activity will help you reflect on how these opportunities may be handled by a club or organisation you are familiar with.

Activity _unit4.2.1 Activity 1 Starting the conversation: engaging with family members

Timing: Allow 10 minutes

Take some time to consider how an organisation you are familiar with engages with parents and carers of young athletes. Or if you are a parent or carer with a child who attends a sports club and has contact with coaches, think about how that club engages with you. Use the following questions as a guide:

Are parents and carers given the opportunity to share if their child is neurodivergent? If yes, is this done in a public way or in a personalised and supportive way?
How do coaches know if parents or carers feel comfortable to approach them to discuss specific needs of their child?

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Discussion

It is likely your experiences in this area will be different to another coach or parent studying this course, to varying degrees. This is because there is still low awareness of neurodiversity in the sport and fitness sector, in particular at grassroots levels, with a lack of coach education cited as a key factor in this (Townsend et al., 2022). Opportunities for families to share information about a neurodivergent athlete could be developed in formal ways through registration processes, or informally at coaching sessions or competitive events.
Often, the only way a coach knows a family is comfortable to discuss specific needs of their child, is if and when they actually do this. Whether a family may share this information is influenced by a combination of factors, including the policies and culture of a club or organisation, to the interactions with other parents and carers on the sidelines, or the attitude and behaviours of coaches. Indeed, research has shown that in addition to athletes experiencing stigma, caregivers can endure similar experiences in being socially isolated by parents of neurotypical teammates (McMahon et al., 2020).

While this activity focused on the example of a young athlete, it is important to acknowledge how these principles also apply with adult athletes. Athlete-centred and strengths-based practice remains key, remembering to be led by their needs and wants. In these situations, wider family members may offer important insight about routines or how an athlete talks about their experiences in training or competition settings. It may be an athlete finds it hard to communicate this to their coach, so creating an opportunity for others to share information can be insightful and helpful.

The next activity helps you to understand the unique challenges an autistic adult athlete can encounter in their sporting career, the perspectives of their family, and how some of these challenges can be overcome.

Activity _unit4.2.2 Activity 2 A family’s story: Super Sam

Timing: Allow 30 minutes

Watch the clip below to hear Tony Holness talk about his experiences as a parent of a successful triathlete, his son Sam, and answer the following questions. This is a longer clip than you are used to in this course, so feel free to take a break during it if this helps you.

Download this video clip.Video player: Overcoming adversity with sport

Video _unit4.2.1 Overcoming adversity with sport

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Transcript: Overcoming adversity with sport

[MUSIC PLAYING]

TONY HOLNESS

I feel like I’m one of the most blessed and proud people in the world. I’ve been given a gift of my son. Two years ago, I gave up my career in IT and banking to become a triathlon coach. And I’m proud because my son, Sam, became the first openly autistic triathlete to participate in the 70.3 world championships in Utah, St. George, last year.

[APPLAUSE]

Now, let’s understand this. I don’t know how many of you know about autism, but the first thing I say is there are people in this room who either are on the spectrum, have family members on the spectrum, or are neurodiverse, i.e., dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, and so on. So autism is actually an intellectual disability.

But I try not to call it a disability. I call it-- and I call people who have autism people of determination. Because if somebody who has autism can complete a triathlon, god, they have to be better than me and more determined than me. So autism is a neurological disability. I’ll use the term ‘disability’ because it’s a lot easier.

It affects the way you deal with social interactions. It has to do with your language. It has to do with meeting new people and dealing with new situations. It also has physical and potentially, for some people, mental implications as well. When we learned that Sam had autism, so my wife and myself, we were scared.

We didn’t know what it was. We didn’t know how to deal with it. And then we met the experts. And there’s probably some ed psychologists in here. Yeah? We met teachers and educationalists, and we had a discussion with them about Sam.

And because Sam wasn’t speaking at the time of the diagnosis, they said to us, set low expectations for Sam. Do not expect him to do well academically. Do not expect him to do well in his day-to-day life. Set low expectations.

And we said, no, we’re not going to do that. And we weren’t going to do it for lots of reasons. Sam is the grandson of first-generation Windrush folk that came here, who were highly entrepreneurial and risk takers. And we decided we’re not going to take that.

We’re going to try. We’re going to change the rules. We’re going to change the way that autism is perceived. And that’s when he was four years old.

But one of the strangest things is that, although he couldn’t talk at 3, he was swimming. Really strange that he could swim, but he wasn’t talking. But he loved the water. He was a water baby. He just absolutely loved water. And he still loves it today.

So we were scared. We were worried. And we did all the things-- speech language therapists, ed psychologists. We did everything-- local authority, school placings, and so on. And we had lots of challenges, lots and lots of challenges.

However, the results are quite phenomenal. Sam did his level 3 BTEC in IT, got a place at university, and did a sports science degree where he got a 2:1. Yeah? Got an award for his work and his achievements. His autism is quite fascinating about the way it works.

So I remember a story of one day I’m at home, and Sam phones me and says, Dad, I’m on my way to university. And the trains are delayed. There are no trains. I’m going to miss my lecture.

This guy is never late for a lecture, ever. Never been late. And it’s the first time I learned about how he problem-solves. So I said to him, you could get an Uber. Nah. It took three buses, which would have taken over an hour to get there, and he’d be late.

He had his rucksack on his back, with his laptop and his books. He ran 3 miles to get to his lecture. And that’s indicative of Sam’s personality. He’s never late. He wants to win.

He doesn’t like not finishing. One of his favourite movies is Run Fatboy Run. I think he was talking about me. But that’s an aside. Now, why sport?

Sam started doing judo, trampolining, swimming. We just tried him at everything, just so he could get life experiences and learn things. And when he was doing judo, we learnt that he liked the rigour of judo. A yellow belt. All the way through, you got belts the better you got.

He’s now a brown belt in judo. But when he started, he had to deal with some of the most unbelievable issues-- physical contact. And you ask yourself a question, why would parents of an autistic child that hates physical contact send him to judo? But we did, and it was amazing.

His sensei called him Super Sam. And he called him Super Sam because he wasn’t afraid, even as a brown belt, to fight a second or third dan black belt. Recently, we had an article written about Sam. And I was just playing around with a journalist, and we came up that Sam is the Ronaldo of triathlon.

No, he’s not good at football. He’s not really good at team sports, which is another thing about people who are on the spectrum. Not all of them are good at team sports. But the reason we use that phrase is because Sam is the first one at training and the last one off. He’s dedicated and committed.

So we learned from sports about Sam, the way he thinks, the way he problem-solves. It was really very, very important. And we learnt that we had to exist in his world. We had to learn how he was thinking for us to get him to maximise on his life opportunities.

Some of the questions we get is, why are we doing this? Why would you take an autistic adult, who’s now 29, and put him into triathlons? And I’l tell you a bit about a triathlon soon. But why would we do this?

And then as we researched, the answer became obvious. And I don’t know how many of you know this. The life expectancy for an adult with autism in the UK is 54 years. And the reason for that is because their health-related issues, which is why they pass on. Yeah? Diets, diabetes, heart attacks, and so on.

So we thought, if we get him healthy, he’ll live a longer and more fulfilling life. That was the first thing. Second, recent statistics. Graduates from university with autism have the lowest employment rate. Only 7% of graduates with autism get jobs, full-time jobs.

It’s unbelievable. It’s the lowest for anyone with a disability. And we thought, yeah, we’ll send him to university, challenge everything. We went. He should go. That’s how we actually thought.

And then, as I told you before, he got his 2:1. And that was a big eye opener for him. Because he’d go to university, and the first year he was spending it observing. Year two, he discovered the bop. Yeah? He discovered the disco on Friday nights.

With the loud noises and the crowds. Everything that was supposed to be so sensory for him. He shouldn’t be able to do it, but he did it.

And we learned that if he wanted to do something bad enough, and he wanted it and needed it, he could adapt to it. So our challenge became fairly simple. Sam has some innate skills.

He likes doing repetitive tasks. He likes mastery. And we thought, how can we take those innate skills and convert them into an area where he could have a long and successful and happy life? And that’s what we’ve done with triathlons.

So if there are athletes in the crowd, you know some of the things that athletes have to do is that they have to be committed. They need to be resilient. They need to be hardworking. And those are all the traits that Sam has.

So that’s why we do this. We wanted to have a long life. I think every parent of a child wants to actually have your child actually do that. That’s why we do what we actually do.

But I’m not going to tell you it’s been easy. It’s been challenging. You may have seen me running around some of these big malls or supermarkets, running after a child and throwing him over my shoulder while he was having a tantrum.

And we still have our little fights every now and again and can’t help it, because I wind him up. Yeah? You can’t coach him and be a dad and not get into that situation. I want him to be the best he actually can.

So here we are as parents. Autistic child, all sensory issues. We’re down in Portugal, in Cascais. If you’ve been to Cascais, absolutely beautiful. Wonderful place. About 20 kilometres outside of Lisbon.

And he’s doing his first half Ironman race. Now, half Ironman is swimming 1.9 kilometres, cycling 90 kilometres, and running a half marathon back-to-back. OK? And he’s swimming in the sea.

So we’re really the sort of parents that say, put on a wetsuit, Sam, and off you go. Yeah? And he finished that race. Now, one of the other things associated with autism is GI issues. Sam has IBS.

But with a lot of runners as well out there, when you do distance running, you get gut issues. It’s a quite normal thing. But he had it, plus. So we see him. He comes out of the water. He looks fine.

He comes back from the cycle, and his gut’s bloated, like that. He starts running, and he’s bent over like that, double. And Mum says to me, stop this now. And I went, nah. Let’s see how good he is and what he can actually achieve.

And he kept going. Now, he went to the portacabin about six times. Yeah? But he finished. Then we sat down as a family, and we thought, OK, we know the job prospects aren’t good for people who are on the spectrum with a degree. We know this makes you healthier, we think, except for the gut issues.

And we sat down at a restaurant. He was having his deep-fried calamari with chips, which he loves. Yeah? And I was having fruits de mer. And it was absolutely beautiful overlooking the sea in Cascais.

We had a discussion, and we said, Sam, do you want to keep doing triathlons, or would you prefer to get another job? And his answer was, definitely triathlons, Dad.

And then we made another decision. Is this a bucket list, or can he become a professional? Can he become an elite triathlete? And then I looked at the traits of leading athletes and Sam’s traits. It’s quite fascinating. Determined, relentless, committed, high pain threshold.

I could go through a whole list of them. And I went tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. He’s got all of these things. And all we have to do is challenge that energy and knowledge in the right direction. So I gave up my job. I gave up my career and became a coach.

I trained. Never been a coach in my life. But what I can tell you, it’s the most rewarding thing I have ever done, and I will never go back to the corporate world. Yeah? I’ve been a banker. I’ve been there. I’m not going to do that ever again.

Because this is our lives now. But I’m not only just a coach, I’m a taxi driver. I’m the bike mechanic. I book travel. I manage his nutrition.

He just gets up every morning, gets on his bike, goes for a run, goes to the pool and swim. I wish I had parents like me, right?

[LAUGHTER]

So I’m going to finish with, what next? Because ‘what next’ is important. So at the end of this month, Sam will do his first full Ironman race in Frankfurt, in the European championships. OK? Again, he will be the first openly autistic triathlete to race there.

In October this year, we’re going to Hawaii. We’re going to Kona. We’re going to participate in the world triathlon championships. Again, to be the first. So adversity, glass ceilings, all sorts of things here.

The best bit about what we’re doing is how it motivates people, how it inspires others. I wake up every morning, and I look at my DM messages. And I have a parent in South Africa or Canada or the US or Jamaica saying to me, you have inspired me. You’ve given me hope for my child who’s autistic, that they can achieve something in life, that if you try and you work hard enough, good things can happen. Dreams can come true.

The last thing I want to talk about is talent spotting. It doesn’t matter if you’re in sport or in industry. If we didn’t do what we did as parents, Sam’s skills and ability would have been missed.

So to all the parents here or children or future parents, invest in your child. And I will tell you something else. It is the most rewarding thing you can ever do, to see your child cross that finishing line.

And it doesn’t matter if it’s sport. Doesn’t matter if it’s Oxford or Cambridge or Spelman or Harvard in the US. There is nothing like that. Thank you.

[APPLAUSE]

End transcript: Overcoming adversity with sport

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Video _unit4.2.1 Overcoming adversity with sport

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The whole clip has been included but for this activity you should watch from 6:58 to the end.

What emotions does Tony describe he and his wife went through when Sam was diagnosed with autism?
The table below includes some of the difficulties Sam’s parents have had to overcome when supporting Sam to access sport (and his university lectures). For each one note the opportunities this provided Sam to demonstrate his unique skills and talents.

Table _unit4.2.1
Potential challenges	How Sam has overcome this
Travel disruption to lectures	8, Your response 1
Not being able to talk in early life	9, Your response 2
Low educational expectations	10, Your response 3
Struggle with team sports	11, Your response 4

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Discussion

Tony highlights a range of emotions felt by Sam’s family including fear, feeling worried, and a lack of understanding over the condition. These feelings can be experienced by parents and carers long after a diagnosis is made so it is important coaches and practitioners are sensitive to this when communicating with an athlete’s family.

Table _unit4.2.2
Potential challenges	How Sam and his family faced this
Travel disruption to lectures	High determination to be on time, so ran
Not being able to talk in early life	Focused on being able to swim very early
Low educational expectations	Completed BTEC and degree
Struggle with team sports	Explore opportunities in individual sports

Tony describes how Sam’s personality traits linked to his autism have helped him to overcome challenges. Examples of this include his desire to not be late enabling him to overcome travel disruption, his determination helping him to navigate difficulties with physical contact, and how despite not being able to talk in early life his ability to swim at a very young age. All these examples demonstrate how neurodivergent athletes can use their strengths to achieve in sporting environments if they are given the support and opportunity to do so. This is an important and valuable tool within coaching practice.

The next section will help you explore ideas on how to support positive family experiences within practice, and also how to use these stories to stay athlete led and strengths focused.

2 It’s good to talk: improving communication with family members

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

In the video clip for Activity 2, Tony refers to a range of professionals including teachers, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists among others. He talks of the challenges of being told to have low expectations and feeling the need to push back against this. These experiences are common among families of neurodivergent children (Billington, 2023), making it a key consideration when working with neurodiverse athletes.

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Two adults and two children in an outdoor setting.

Talking to family members like Tony about their experiences can reveal important information about the strengths their child can bring to sport and exercise, rather than just talking to the athlete. Research also suggests that parents and carers express a strong desire for children to find a degree of challenge in their lives, as well as discovering things they can excel at and master (Streatch et al., 2023). As Tony says in the clip, ‘we had to exist in his [Sam’s] world and learn how he was thinking to maximise on his life opportunities’. This reinforces the practice of treating each athlete as an individual and the importance of communication with parents and carers as part of this.

The next activity explores parental experiences even further.

Activity _unit4.3.1 Activity 3 A parent’s experience

Timing: Allow 30 minutes

Listen to a section of the podcast episode below created by students of Tettenhall Wood School in England, which is a school for autistic young people and adults.

This episode is presented by a staff member and student who interview the former professional footballer, administrator and author Pat Nevin about his experiences of parenting an autistic child.

Download this audio clip.Audio player: Pat Nevin: Football and autism

Audio _unit4.3.1 Pat Nevin: Football and autism

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Transcript: Pat Nevin: Football and autism

INTERVIEWER 1

Moving on now to-- if we can talk a little bit about autism, if that’s OK?

PAT NEVIN

Uh-huh.

INTERVIEWER 1

So you mentioned that your son is autistic, and our school is a school for autistic children. So it’d be interesting to chat to you as a parent, and get your thoughts and opinion. So regarding your son, when did you realise he may be autistic, or when did you first think about it? And I imagine in the 90s, autism wasn’t as well known as it is now.

PAT NEVIN

It was almost unknown. And certainly, getting a diagnosis, we’d start to notice that Simon was a wee bit different from the other kids in the school, when he was-- or in his nursery, when he was about two-- two-and-a-half. And it was probably around about two-and-a-half, certainly long before his third birthday that we realised that he would get a diagnosis of autism, which we didn’t understand.

And it was up to me and Annabelle, my wife, to learn more, to try and understand it. We didn’t have a lot of help. There certainly weren’t any schools. And it was-- I have to say, it was difficult for us. Because all we wanted to do was the best for Simon, and give him the best help. And give him-- and try and understand what would help him in every way.

Because autism is so interesting. There is a different way of looking at the world. It’s not the wrong way or a right way. There’s just a different way that people with autism often look at the world. And some of us who are not autistic-- although, I think we’re all a little bit autistic, and I certainly think I’m a little bit autistic. And we have to try and understand the way people with autism think. And if we understand the way people with autism think, I think it makes it easier for us all. And I’ve learned. And I wanted to try and teach Simon so many things. I have to tell you, I think he’s taught me more than I’ve taught him.

Because I’ve learned that there are other ways of looking at life. There are other ways to get great happiness out of life. There are difficult things that you have to find a way around. Like many autistic young men and women have meltdowns and difficult times when things are difficult.

We’ve taken many years to understand why, the reasons it happens, and what makes it easier afterwards, what helps us all. Then try to talk to each other, and find a way to tell each other why we’re upset and why that happened. So that’s just one little situation.

But we’ve tried to listen as much to Simon, and it’s hard with some people who have autism, who don’t have all the words all the time, and not be able to explain what they feel. So that makes it challenging for everyone, and particularly the person who’s autistic. Just always remember, it’s just different. It’s not better. It’s not worse. It’s just different.

INTERVIEWER 2

How did having the autistic child impact as you a family?

INTERVIEWER 1

Well done. So how did having an autistic child impact the family?

PAT NEVIN

Simon was our first son. And we just had one other child, Lucy. And maybe there were certain things that we thought we would have done. I think we live in a different place than we would have. Because we are like a little rural community, which I think helped Simon.

I certainly think in the early days, holidays were curtailed. We didn’t have the same holidays because it was hard for Simon to travel. And he’s learned how to travel now. And the good news is, I can tell you, Simon recently went on his own to Berlin, which is fabulous.

INTERVIEWER 1

Excellent.

PAT NEVIN

And we’re very proud of Simon. Simon gets buses and trains. And he drives now. And he’s been driving for quite a few years. In fact, Simon has a job. He drives children with special educational needs to school and back. So--

INTERVIEWER 1

Amazing.

PAT NEVIN

Simon has done incredibly well. And everybody-- well, people forget about autism and families who are dealing with-- the questions that come up is-- they are often and they are usually, everybody improves, everybody learns. Whether you’re autistic or not, we all learn. And we all get better at things. We all understand things a wee bit better.

And maybe for us-- we maybe we had a wee plan for our lives, and maybe that plan became a different plan. But hey, so what? [LAUGHS] That’s another plan to enjoy. And as I’m talking to you just now, we’re going to go on holiday quite soon to Kefalonia.

And we go there every year because Simon loves going to the same places, which is fortunate for me because I love going to that place, too. [LAUGHS] So Simon is now getting much better at going to new places. So travelling is a thing that Simon loves to do.

So maybe some of the things that we’d like to have done 15 years before, we were delayed a bit, and we couldn’t do them. But it’s amazing how Simon’s caught up with us. Because now, Simon will go to more concerts than me. Absolutely. He loves going to concerts.

And Simon has these special superpowers that I talked to you about, which is his phenomenal memory, and stuff like that. So it changed our lives. And let’s be honest, it’s hard for everyone sometimes. Let’s not pretend it’s not. It’s hard, isn’t it?

And your mum, or your dad, or your siblings, they find it difficult sometimes. Everyone does. But you learn. And as long as you’re willing to learn and as long as you really love each other, you can get through it, usually. You can get through most things. But there are difficult times.

And when-- Simon had a difficult time in a train recently. Can I tell you this little story? Simon had-- for a good reason, our flight was cancelled. So we had to go from London. So we had to rush to get the train. So we got on the train. And Simon’s not mad keen on changing his routine, but he was coping with it OK. And we got on the train. And then the train had to stop because-- wait for this-- a boat had ran into the bridge in front of us.

[LAUGHS]

INTERVIEWER 1

Oh, my God.

PAT NEVIN

A very unusual thing. But we were stuck again. And Simon did get very upset in a very packed train. And it was hard for everyone. And of course, some people look and do understand why you’re having a meltdown.

Simon as he is now was able to-- when things calmed down, without us saying anything, he walked down the train and said to everyone, I’m sorry. I just got a bit upset there. And he talked to just everyone. He walked down, and had a chat with people.

Do you know, everyone was absolutely fabulous. They were lovely. They were understanding. Because people-- most people have a better understanding of autism and various other neurodiversities now. And so that was a hard day, but it was also a happy day.

INTERVIEWER 1

Yeah. And that’s fine. From doing this podcast as well we’ve-- when we set the podcast up, we wanted to obviously teach our students key skills. But also, make the public more aware of autism. And some of the feedback that we’ve got from our listeners is brilliant.

Seeing the progression of the students who’ve done the podcast-- we’ve had about eight or nine have done the podcast. And they’re saying that they’re learning more about autism because they’ve never come across a person who’s autistic or come across a family member who’s autistic.

So yeah, making the public more aware is key. Because at some point in your life, you’re going to come across an autistic person. Whether that’s in the street, or a family member, or a next door neighbour. So yeah, it’s vital.

PAT NEVIN

I hadn’t talked about it until – about a year or two. I hadn’t talked to about-- my wife and I hadn’t talked publicly about Simon’s autism. But it was because we had one way of looking at it as we thought it was Simon’s choice. Because I’m quite-- in the public eye-- and Simon will choose when people want to know.

And before that, what I had done is tried to promote knowledge and understanding of autism, I worked was Scottish Autistic Society and Autism Research Trust. And it’s now called ARC. It’s under a man called Simon Baron-Cohen, who many people will know in the world of autism. And what I tried to do is talk about it a little bit then.

But this recent book that came out just only two or three weeks ago, and I’ve written a bit about it. And I hope that when you write books-- because they’re quite long things sometimes. But I do hope that the most important thing to come out of the book is for people to read how we dealt with the situation and how Simon’s dealt with it, and where he is now, and the difficulties.

I hope this touches a few people. Not just people who have never met anyone or dealt with anyone who’s autistic, but also those who are just finding out that they may have a son, or a daughter, or a sibling, or a nephew, or a niece, or whatever who is autistic. I wanted people to know.

So what you say about given understanding, well, we are doing that now. As a family, it was time for us to do that now. And I suspect-- I’m getting on a wee bit now. But I suspect I’m going to spend a large part of the rest of my life doing exactly what you see.

INTERVIEWER 1

And this question may not be relevant to you. So if it’s not, that’s fine. We’ll move on. But it might be so. As a parent of an autistic child, there’s a lot more involvement from professionals, maybe occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language, specialist school. As a parent, how did you find having the involvement from a lot more professionals in Simon’s life?

PAT NEVIN: Well, it was there. We wanted some-- [LAUGHS] --we didn’t have enough professionals involved. And that was the real difficulty at the start. Because we needed people to explain to us. Then we could maybe take over some of the tutoring, etc.

But I have to say, we went back to Scotland because there was-- Simon was capable of doing mainstream schooling with single help-- with personal help each day to some degree. And there was a special needs unit within the school that Simon was in as well.

That professional help and care was brilliant. It was a lifesaver because it found out Simon, the capabilities. You won’t always agree with everything every specialist say, I’ll be honest with you. But the vast majority of people that are in that profession are doing it for the right reasons, and trying to find the path. Because we’ve all got paths-- find a path.

And Simon found-- he didn’t find a path. He found a road, oddly enough. And the road was through a car. And that’s why he got a job. And that’s what it was-- it’s very fulfilling, not to-- to everyone. Not just to anyone who’s got it, but to anyone-- to have a reason to get up, to be able to do a job, to have a clear direction in your life-- and whatever that is. It doesn’t matter what it is-- if you can find what that is.

And it’s certainly, having those professionals in our life-- gave us little pointers, gave us help. And certainly, that was something that we didn’t have any problem passing over. Saying, Simon, can you do this? But we’ve also got other ideas, how we’ll manage things.

And so there were-- some were better than others. Some were fabulously brilliant. Some were less than good. But I think most people who work in the profession, to take care of anyone who has any differences, I think they’re mostly there for the right reasons.

INTERVIEWER 2

What defines what you give to other parents of autistic children?

PAT NEVIN

Well, as you know, it’s a very wide spectrum, and it’s-- so it’s very hard to give very specific advice. But if somebody would have given me advice, the piece of advice I would love to have been given was when Simon was two-and-a-half or three, and we just found out. If somebody would have said, don’t worry about all the things that might go wrong. Just start learning. Don’t throw away your whole life worrying about the things that might go wrong. And some of them won’t.

INTERVIEWER 1

Yeah.

PAT NEVIN

Try, if possible, to deal with each thing as it comes along. Yes, you need to prep and plan for certain things. I gave away a few years of my life, worrying about things that never happened. Or Simon breezed past them and got-- was able and capable. And yes, it’s human nature to worry. But what I did learn, and the biggest help I ever got was I learned, actually, happiness isn’t what society tells you. Happiness is just happiness.

So whoever you are, wherever you are, there are plenty of people that are multi-millionaires, who have supposedly got everything and aren’t happy. And I know many autistic boys and girls, men and women, who have found a place in their life-- though they might not have a lot of money, but they’ve got a lot of happiness. I’d rather be them. I would rather be that person. And I’m not saying that just for effect. I mean that.

I’d rather be happy. And I would certainly rather my son was that person and that happy. So if there’s any advice it is, try not worry your entire life away. Do the moment. Plan, yeah. But do the moment and love the moment.

INTERVIEWER 1

Brilliant.

End transcript: Pat Nevin: Football and autism

Download

Audio _unit4.3.1 Pat Nevin: Football and autism

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While you listen to the audio, consider the questions below to explore how Pat describes his experiences supporting his son.

What is the impact of changing routines for Simon, and the subsequent implications of this for Pat?
How can the experiences of parents like Pat help inform coaching practice, especially in how an autistic athlete can achieve ‘happiness’?

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Discussion

The role of predictability and routine is key for families, alongside the idea that plans can change and the importance of supporting someone through that. The experiences of Simon demonstrate the importance of this consistency and can help you reflect on how to maintain this within your own practice.
As Pat suggests happiness isn’t what society tells you it is, happiness is just happiness! This relates strongly to Chris Packham’s experiences in Week 2 where he spoke about finding ‘joy’ in his sometimes overwhelming sensory experiences. These comments can prompt coaches to identify where their sessions focus on creating more ‘fun’ drills and activities for athletes to find their own joy. Practical tools like visual timetables can be useful for neurodiverse people to help them prepare for different situations, feel more relaxed, and therefore enjoy their participation more.

The importance of consistent routine, coaching environments and low levels of external distractions are considered important by parents and carers (Streatch et al., 2023). As part of their research on quality of experience for autistic children in sport, Stretch and colleagues (2023) further stress the importance of consulting with caregivers, alongside involving athletes themselves and providing choice within sessions where possible. Two simple examples of this in practice are outlined below.

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3 Summary of Week 3

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

This week has focused on the family’s perspective of neurodiversity in sport coaching. You have heard the voices of caregivers as they describe their role in not only supporting an athlete access coaching sessions and competitions, but also as key sources of information about an athlete’s individual needs, strengths and wishes. The significance of providing resources such as social stories and visual timetables to help athletes and their caregivers to navigate their experiences of coaching and competitions was also highlighted.

In the final week of study, you will explore the coach’s perspective of neurodiversity in sport and exercise, hearing their voices and drawing together key elements from the whole course to reflect on how those working within sport and exercise can improve their practice to better support neurodivergent individuals.

You can now go to Week 4.

Introduction

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

The final week of this course begins by considering the role of the coach when working with neurodiverse athletes. You will consider the role of coach education in equipping coaches with the knowledge and skills to work with neurodivergent athletes and be introduced to the strengths-based approach to coaching. The consideration of how coaching practice can contribute to the barriers experienced by neurodiverse athletes is also discussed, along with how coaches can create safe and inclusive spaces for all athletes to support athletic development.

Throughout this week you will review a range of case studies and research and consider how this relates to your learning from Weeks 2 and 3 to bring together the voices of coach, family and athlete to create a holistic picture of neurodiversity in sport and exercise.

An Instagram post from footballer Safia Middleton-Patel highlights the importance that the coach role can have to an athlete’s sporting experiences and athletic development.

Safia’s Instagram post

Safia says in her post that she almost quit football because of the misunderstanding by her coaches. She was given labels such as ‘the rude one’ by coaches who didn't understand her. She says ‘Coaches can be the most influential and important role model to autistic people’. She also talks about the importance of patience and communication when coaching neurodivergent athletes.

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

consider the experiences of coaches working with neurodiversity and the impact this may have on their coaching practice
describe what is meant by ‘strengths-based coaching’ and how this can be implemented effectively with neurodivergent athletes
recognise the role that coach education can play in assisting coaches to support all athletes.

1 Professional development

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

As you have seen throughout this course, research on coaching neurodiverse athletes has highlighted common themes, many of which are yet to be addressed within models of coach education. These themes include the reliance on deficit rather than strength based models when working with athletes (Hoare et al., 2023), the practice of masking and the increased emotional strain this can place on an athlete (Quigley and Gallagher, 2025), and the importance of listening to experiences of wider family members (Billington, 2023).

Show description|Hide description

A coach making notes.

This means coaches are often learning through experience (Kimber et al., 2023) with trial and error being a common method of discovering ways to support the athletes they are working with (Townsend et al., 2022). This can lead to limitations in the effectiveness of support offered to neurodiverse groups, and decreased confidence among coaches. In the absence of this being covered widely in formal coach education, developing confidence and skills in working with neurodiversity may be more informal in nature. The following activity takes a small case study approach to explore this.

Activity _unit5.2.1 Activity 1 Peer support in coaching

Timing: Allow 20 minutes

Read the case study information below and then answer the two questions which follow. You may want to read the information a second time to help you consider your answers.

Case study _unit5.2.1

Erin is a coach for a local youth roller hockey team who take part in local and national competitions, and knowing you are a fellow coach has come to you for a bit of advice on how to manage a new situation. The team is mixed gender, and is comprised of 15 and 16 year old players. As the head coach for the team, Erin does the majority of planning and delivery of sessions but is supported by an assistant coach on training and match days.

Family members of two different members of the squad have recently approached Erin to share their children have diagnoses of autism, ADHD and dyslexia. Although she has noticed some players react differently to the drills she uses in training, this is the first time Erin has been prompted to consider neurodiversity in her practice. Her formal coach education sessions have never covered this as a topic before, so she is wondering how she should organise training sessions and match preparations in light of this new information. She has reflected on how her coach education experiences have at times focused on coaching needs of ‘the team’ rather than the needs of individuals, so she is feeling a little lost on what to do next.

Training sessions and matches take place in the same large indoor gymnasium. Training sessions with just squad members in attendance mean the environment has a lot of noise and echoes, which makes it hard for Erin to be heard. It is also well ventilated so can be quite cold. On match days there are fewer echoes as the other team and spectators are in attendance, making it feel like a very different environment. More people also mean it can be a hotter environment for matches and competition than for training sessions.

Focus on the following questions to help you.

What issues could arise in training or competition days which might impact neurodiverse squad members?
What could you advise Erin to do in order to feel more prepared to meet the additional needs of these two squad members?

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Discussion

You may have identified a number of potential answers based on your learning from the course so far. Some suggestions are discussed below.

The differences in environment between training and competition could be an issue for all athletes, however this may be heightened for neurodiverse athletes. For example, the presence of echoes during training might make it harder for these players to engage with instructions from Erin. Changes in temperature and the number of people present on match days may also be difficult for these players to manage, potentially leading to them feeling overwhelmed.
Erin could take an athlete-led approach by asking each player and their parents what they find easy or difficult to manage on training and match days. Erin should be open to the fact both players may have very different experiences and explore what individual adjustments to her practice they would each find helpful. For example, if a player finds match days hard because of the increased numbers of people present in the building, one solution may be to see if they can get on the rink early and let the area fill up gradually around them. Erin could also take a strengths based approach by asking players (and their families) what they enjoy and find useful in these situations, before finding ways to bring that into training drills or match preparation. For example, if a player prefers a high level of detail in their lives, Erin could give more detailed explanations to her drills or share information with the player and their family before a session.

With limited access to any formal training on coaching neurodiverse athletes, there is a risk of unhelpful practices being adopted which may unintentionally create barriers for neurodivergent athletes participating in sport and exercise. Research by Kimber et al. (2023) uncovered views of inclusion which demonstrate this. The following quote from a coach in this research is one example (emphasis added):

I’ve got a passion for inclusion, but only when I feel it is the right inclusion.

(Kimber et al., 2023, p. 178)

While comments such as this may be well-intentioned, they can also demonstrate a misunderstanding of developing inclusive practice, as the basis of this approach is being rooted in what the coach needs, as exemplified by this coach suggesting there is a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ type of inclusion. For coaching practice to be truly inclusive, practice needs to be based on the needs of the athlete in front of them, therefore negating any need for the ‘right’ inclusion. Townsend et al. (2022) suggest where a coach may feel under resourced and under trained in these issues, there can be a comfort in seeking out rigid categories for athletes with additional needs. While this should be considered unhelpful and counter to developing inclusive practice, it should also be acknowledged as the reality for many working in sport and exercise settings. If we do not acknowledge this then it becomes more difficult to challenge and develop strength-based practices.

Townsend et al. (2022) go further and place the role of the coach as essential in helping any athlete with disability access sport as a human right, providing a regular point of contact via personalised responses and support. However, the potential for this process is severely hindered by a lack of training opportunities, relying instead on individual coaches' experiences and learning through trial and error.

Activity _unit5.2.2 Activity 2 Athlete’s experiences of supportive coaching

Timing: Allow 15 minutes

Watch the next section of the video below of Lucy Bronze. Here she describes her experiences as an autistic athlete and her relationship with her coaches.

Lucy Bronze opens up about autism and ADHD diagnosis. Watch from 1:16 to the end.

When watching the clip, think about the following questions:

What things has Lucy found hard in her sporting experiences to date, specifically related to her experiences of autism and ADHD?
How does Lucy describe some positives about her neurodivergence?
How do you think coaches could use some of Lucy’s neurodivergence in positive ways?

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Discussion

Lucy’s experiences tell us a lot about how as an autistic athlete she found it hard to communicate with others, often being ‘ten steps ahead’ all the time. Hugging and eye contact were also things she describes as making her feel uncomfortable as well as struggling with sleep. From a neurotypical perspective you may reflect on how these behaviours could be misunderstood. This leads to how Lucy describes her experiences of masking, which you learned about in Week 2, and how she copied her peers to try and fit in.
Lucy refers to how she now feels her neurodivergence is something which helps her. She describes her approach as having ‘hyperfocus’ and views this as a strength in how she approaches her training and performance. She also refers to how her brain processes things ‘super-quick’, meaning she can think through thought processes very quickly.
You may have come up with a number of suggestions on how Lucy’s coaches could use her strengths. An example could be using her ability to process information quickly to help teammates think through how tactical adjustments can play out in a match.

The next section will help you think about how to further develop strengths-based approaches in your coaching.

2 Putting a strengths-based approach into practice

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

Discourse around wider disability sport has been hindered by a lack of reference to neurodiversity, and wider disability sport within coach education frameworks (Townsend et al., 2022). This means coaches across a range of sports may feel underprepared to coach athletes with these additional needs. Again, this is rooted in a deficit model of viewing these athletes, potentially limiting the support being offered by coaches and furthering ableist narratives. While this may at first seem bleak, in the same way as you have explored the importance of strengths-based approaches for neurodivergent individuals, we can apply this to coaching practice.

Townsend et al. (2022) propose a model for furthering coaching practice, with their ‘social-relational model’ containing four components to guide development in this area. Each component is covered in turn below (adapted from Townsend et al., 2022):

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Activity _unit5.3.1 Activity 3 Applying a social-relational model to practice

Timing: Allow 20 minutes

For each component of the social-relational model outlined above, think about how someone like Lucy Bronze could experience them. You can use some of Lucy’s comments in the clip from Section 1 to help you but also think about your wider learning of the course so far and how that could apply to Lucy. Once you have completed the middle column, note down how coaches could turn some of these experiences intro strengths. An example is given in the first row to help you get started

Table _unit5.3.1
Component	Possible experiences for Lucy	Potential strengths for Lucy
Impairment effects	Lucy’s neurodivergence means she is sometimes viewed as a ‘know it all’ by others	Lucy’s neurodivergence means she is always very focused on training drills
Relational practices	12, Your response 1	13, Your response 2
Structural barriers	14, Your response 3	15, Your response 4
Psycho-emotional dimensions	16, Your response 5	17, Your response 6

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Discussion

This activity helped you explore the different ways athletes can present in coaching settings, and how you can turn these into strengths. Some suggestions for the remaining 3 sections of this model are below, but you may have come up with some slightly different ones too.

Table _unit5.3.2
Component	Possible experiences for Lucy	Potential strengths for Lucy
Impairment effects	Lucy’s neurodivergence means she is sometimes viewed as a ‘know it all’ by others	Lucy’s neurodivergence means she is always very focused on training drills
Relational practices	Some coaches may treat everyone the same, meaning elements of communication which she may find hard are misperceived as being difficult or disrespectful	Coaches can utilise the strengths of an athletes neurodivergence by making adjustments to how they communicate with them
Structural barriers	Lucy may have struggled getting to new training facilities or away matches	Coaches could use Lucy’s determination to succeed in a positive way by helping plan transport routes to new venues
Psycho-emotional dimensions	If an athlete like Lucy does not feel supported or being part of a safe space, their wellbeing may be impacted	Coaches can find ways to help an athlete like Lucy feel comfortable in social situations. This could be using headphones to block out external noise, or sitting in the same place for team meetings

Your completed table can be used as part of your session planning process, to keep neurodiverse needs as a key focus in your practice. The coaching environment created is essential for a strengths-based approach to be successful, with a big part of this being informed by how ‘safe’ athletes feel to be themselves and not have to mask their experiences.

The next section explores the concept of safe spaces in more detail.

3 Creating ‘safe spaces’ for neurodivergent athletes: pulling it all together

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

In previous sections of the course, you have heard how ‘safe’ spaces are a crucial part of ensuring that neurodiverse people feel welcome, accepted, and supported. A ‘call to action’ below highlights the role sports organisations have in responding to the needs of those within their communities:

… employers, such as sport governing bodies and sports clubs, have a responsibility to make reasonable adjustments to ensure their employees (e.g. athletes, coaches) have an inclusive and accessible workplace (e.g. designated quiet rooms with dimmable lighting).

(McMurtry et al., 2025, p. 355)

This call carries additional weight as it is developed with neurodivergent athletes so has their experiences at the centre of it. The focus on ‘employees’ in this context should be widened to include volunteer roles of coaches and administrators in grass roots sport, alongside the needs of their athletes. These inclusive spaces are essential in helping athletes feel safe and welcome when they take part in their chosen sport, whether that be a training or performance setting.

Just like other emotions you have heard athletes share so far, feeling safe can of course mean different things to different people. Through creating safer spaces for athletes, we can help develop a supportive environment where athletes feel free from judgement, critical opinions, or micro-aggressions from coaches, fellow athletes or others which is of great importance for those like Lucy Bronze who may already feel marginalised (Mikami et al., 2019). Where coaches can foster these safe spaces, athletes are more likely to ask for help and support when needed. Importantly, you will also be positively impacting your athletes’ wellbeing.

Activity _unit5.4.1 Activity 4 Adjusting your practice

Timing: Allow 25 minutes

Listen to two clips from the podcast below, which discuss the potential adjustments neurodivergent athletes may need to help feel comfortable, supported and accepted. You will hear from former athlete Caragh McMurtry, journalist Nick Ransom, and community-based rugby coach Jacob Kelly.

Across both clips, what practical things are mentioned by Nick, Jacob and Caragh as helpful adjustments for neurodivergent athletes? Select which strategies you hear from the list below by adding a tick or X in the second column. Finally, rank each one you hear about in terms of how easy they could be to implement into your own practice, with 1 being the easiest and 8 being the hardest.

All about neurodiversity in elite athletes

Clip 1: 36:47–40:13

Clip 2: 53:26–1:02:02

Table _unit5.4.1
Adjustment	Present	Explanation	Rank
Sensory adjustments	18, Your response 1	Managing lighting or noise to support athletes. This can include allowing some to wear headphones or even sunglasses	19, Your response 2
Bland food	20, Your response 3	Where food and drink are available for players, bland options can help athletes manage feelings of sensory overwhelm	21, Your response 4
Simple things, more often	22, Your response 5	Making simple and easy to manage adjustments for both coach and athlete are not only easier to implement, but also easier to maintain	23, Your response 6
Fidget devices	24, Your response 7	Sometimes called fidget ‘toys’, these devices can provide a tactile distraction for an athlete to help them manage	25, Your response 8
Systemic changes	26, Your response 9	This refers to policy changes at organisational or club level which help coaches and families provide individualised support for athletes	27, Your response 10
Extra time for drills	28, Your response 11	In particular for ADHD or dyslexic athletes, this reflects the different way they may learn new skills, so a couple of minutes extra for a drill can make a huge difference	29, Your response 12
Work with families	30, Your response 13	Communicating with athletes and their families can mean any adjustments are reflective of each athlete's individualised needs	31, Your response 14
Awareness with neurotypical athletes	32, Your response 15	This can help reduce stigma associated with neurodivergent conditions, and reinforce sporting environments as safe spaces	33, Your response 16

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Discussion

You will hopefully have recognised all of the adjustments from the table described in the podcast clips. What comes through strongly from the experiences described by the interviewees is not only the importance of recognising and supporting neurodivergent athletes, but also those individualised strengths-based approaches you have been learning about throughout the course.

4 Summary of Week 4

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

As part of this final week, you have explored more about how as a coach you can put the principles of supporting neurodivergent athletes into practice, focusing on strengths-based approaches and creating safe spaces. As part of Activity 4, you will have identified some examples you feel most comfortable to introduce to your own practice. You can use this as a guide to help you, and hopefully your colleagues, bring the course content to life and continue to improve the support experienced by the neurodivergent athletes you are working with.

5 Course summary

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

During this course you have had the opportunity to hear about the experiences of a range of neurodivergent athletes, to help you identify the importance of a strengths based and neuro-affirmative approach to coaching – from grassroots to elite levels.

Week 1 of the course has helped you explore different models of neurodiversity and different conditions which some athletes may present with. This also identified some links between neurodiversity and wider wellbeing.

Week 2 focused on gaining an understanding of the barriers faced by neurodivergent athletes and their families when accessing sport and exercise activities, and how coaching environments and practice can contribute to this.

Week 3 highlighted the important and often overlooked experiences of friends and family members of neurodivergent athletes. As part of this week, you will have gained an appreciation of the valuable information these groups can make, and how it can positively influence your coaching practice.

Finally, Week 4 explored how you can put this learning into practice. Using experiences of athletes and coaches, possible adaptations to coaching practices and environments were explored to help you develop those ‘safe spaces’ for athletes of all neurotypes.

After completing the course we hope you are able to take some of your learning into your coaching practice in the near future.

If you would like to explore more courses and information on OpenLearn you can access the Sport and Fitness Hub and more content on neurodiversity.

You might also be interested in the Open University’s course and qualifications in sport and fitness.

References

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

Beato, A., Saramento, M.R. and Correria, M. (2024) ‘Experiencing intimate relationships and sexuality: a qualitative study with autistic adolescents and adults’, Sexuality and Disability, 42(2), pp. 439–57. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11195-024-09838-x (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Collins, K. (2024) ‘Female athletes with ADHD: time to level the playing field’, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 58(13), pp. 695–7. Available at: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/58/13/695 (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Crompton, C.J., Ropar, D., Evans-Williams, C.V.M., Flynn, E.G. and Fletcher-Watson, S. (2020) ‘Autistic peer-to-peer information transfer is highly effective’, Autism, 24(7), pp .1704–1712. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32431157/ (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Graf-Kurtulus, S. and Gelo, O.C.G. (2025) ‘Rethinking psychological interventions in autism: toward a neurodiversity-affirming approach’, Counselling & Psychotherapy Research, 25(1). Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/capr.12874 (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Green, M. (2020) Neurodiversity: What is it and what does it look like across races? Available at: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/mental-health/neurodiversity-what-it-and-what-does-it-look-across-races (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Hoare, E., Reyes, J., Olive, L., Willmott, C., Steer, E., Berk, M. and Hall, K. (2023) ‘Neurodiversity in elite sport: a systematic scoping review’, BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 9(2). Available at: https://bmjopensem.bmj.com/content/9/2/e001575 (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Kimber, A., Burns, J. and Murphy, M. (2023) ‘“It’s all about knowing the young person”: best practice in coaching autistic athletes’, Sports Coaching Review, 12(2), pp. 166–86. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21640629.2021.1944527 (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

McGinty-Minister, K. (2024) ‘Working in sport: through an autistic lens’, The Sport and Exercise Scientist, pp. 24–6.

McMurtry, C. Freeman, C., Perkins, J., Donnelly, G.M. and Moore, I.S. (2025) ‘Developing inclusive policy and guidelines in sport: a call to action for sport governing bodies and individuals to support neurodivergent athletes’, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 59(6), pp. 355–7. Available at: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/59/6/355 (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Billington, J. (2023) The lived experiences of autistic children in mainstream primary schools in England. PhD Thesis. University of Reading.

Cassidy, S.A., Gould, K., Townsend, E., Robertson, A.E. and Rodgers, J. (2020) ‘Is camouflaging autistic traits associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviours? Expanding the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide in an undergraduate student sample’, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50, p. 3638–3648. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-019-04323-3 (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

McMurtry, C., Freeman, C., Perkins, J., Donnelly, G.M. and Moore, I.S. (2025) ‘Developing inclusive policy and guidelines in sport: a call to action for sport governing bodies and individuals to support neurodivergent athletes’, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 59(6), pp. 355–7.

Quigley, E. and Gallagher, T. (2025) ‘Neurodiversity and higher education: double masking by neurodivergent students’, European Journal of Special Needs Education, pp. 1–17. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08856257.2025.2511369 (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Billington, J. (2023) The lived experiences of autistic children in mainstream primary schools in England. PhD Thesis. University of Reading.

McMahon, J., Wiltshire, G., McGannon, K.R. and Rayner, C. (2020) ‘Children with autism in a sport and physical activity context: a collective autoethnography by two parents outlining their experiences, Sport Education and Society, 25(9), pp. 1002–1014. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13573322.2019.1680535 (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Pinchbeck, J. (2021) Adam Peaty: the family behind the athlete. Available at: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/sport-fitness/adam-peaty-the-family-behind-the-athlete (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Streatch, E., Bruno, N. and Latimer-Chung, A.E. (2023) ‘Investigating strategies used to foster quality participation in recreational sport programs for children with autism spectrum disorder and their perceived importance’, Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 40, pp. 86–104. Available at https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.2022-0018

Townsend, R., Huntley, T.D., Cushion, C.J. and Culver, D. (2022) ‘Infusing disability into coach education and development: a critical review and agenda for change’, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 27(3), pp. 247–60. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17408989.2021.1873932 (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Billington, J. (2023) The lived experiences of autistic children in mainstream primary schools in England. PhD Thesis. University of Reading.

Kimber, A., Burns, J. and Murphy, M. (2023) ‘“It’s all about knowing the young person”: best practice in coaching autistic athletes’, Sports Coaching Review, 12(2), p. 166–86. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21640629.2021.1944527 (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

McMurtry, C. Freeman, C., Perkins, J., Donnelly, G.M. and Moore, I.S. (2025) ‘Developing inclusive policy and guidelines in sport: a call to action for sport governing bodies and individuals to support neurodivergent athletes’, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 59(6), p. 355–7. Available at: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/59/6/355 (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Mikami, A.Y., Miller, M. and Lerner, M.D. (2019) ‘Social functioning in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder: transdiagnostic commonalities and differences’, Clinical Psychology Review, 68, pp. 54–70. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30658861/ (Accessed: 5 August 2025).

Acknowledgements

The Open University — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:38:46 GMT

This free course was written by Ian MacDonald and Jessica Pinchbeck.

Except for third party materials and otherwise stated (see terms and conditions), this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence.

The material acknowledged below is Proprietary and used under licence (not subject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this free course:

Introduction

Images

Course image: SolStock/Getty Images

Week 1

Images

Introduction image: Chris Madden/Getty Images

Section 1 image: aga7ta/Shutterstock

Section 2 image: nopparit/Getty Images

Section 3 image: SolStock/Getty Images

Figure 1: courtesy: Kristin McGinty-Minister

Interactives

Section 3 interactive: Autism and technology interactive The Open University in partnership with the BBC https://connect.open.ac.uk/health-wellbeing-and-sports/inside-the-autistic-mind/#interactive

Week 2

Images

Section 1 image: Alex Lanigan/Getty Images

Section 3 image: Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images

Audio/Visual

Section 3 audio: Ginny and Andrew podcast: courtesy Charlie Waller Trust

Week 3

Images

Introduction image: FatCamera/Getty Images

Section 2 image: Lorado/Getty Images

Audio/Visual

Section 1 video: Overcoming Adversity with Sport / Tony Holness / TEDxSwansea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3bED8Zl1vc https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en

Section 2 audio: Tettenhall Wood School Podcast https://www.twssportspodcast.co.uk/pat-nevin-football-and-autism/courtesy: Amethyst Academies Trust https://www.aatrust.co.uk/

Week 4

Images

Section 1 image: By PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/Shutterstock

Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.

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