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Annual Review
I’m not sure how it’s happened, but my Annual Review (AR) is coming up this week. The year has simultaneously sped past and dragged. On the one hand, I feel like I have been researching for years, with the first tranche of online courses a distant memory. On the other, I feel like a newbie,…
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What is the use of a book without pictures or conversation?
This quote from the opening pages of Alice in Wonderland is one that always makes me smile. Of course, a book without either of these qualities is ‘of use’, but there is something undeniably charming and tangible about a picturebook. The illustrations often tell a story of their own, or at the very least, enhance…
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Annual Review and Beyond
Firstly, happy new year dear reader. I was only just coming to terms with the fact that it was no longer 2021 so the fact that it’s now 2023 is a bit of a surprise. This month marks the first year of my life as a PhD student. It’s been busy, with lots of online…
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Are you listening? Are you watching closely?
Last week I began to review the video footage from my pilot study. To recap, I shared Isabelle Marinov’s ‘Leo and the Octopus’ with four children who attend a local primary school. Two are autistic and two are neurotypical. Once the book was shared, I asked a series of questions related to the book and…
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Rabbit Holes
Hello dear reader. It seems that a monthly post is the norm for me. Between everything else, the blog keeps on sliding down the ’to do’ list. The past few weeks have been challenging, but also rewarding. As I have mentioned previously, ARU students are expected to re-submit their PhD proposals, along with a Gantt…
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Hindsight
The past few weeks have been busy with PhD work, work-work, home life, injections in my neck (fun times) and everything in-between. I’m not complaining though. Being still isn’t really for me. However, I have realised that I do need to plan in moments of calm amongst the (organised) chaos. I’ll see how that pans…
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Pilot Study
Today was Pilot Study day. Even though I have planned meticulously for months, the nerves were present this morning. What if I forget to ask all of the questions? What if the children don’t engage? What if the iPad spontaneously combusts? Just standard self doubt goading me through broken sleep. None of those things happened.…
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Who’sVoice?
It’s been a while – again! Where does the time go? As half term has just arrived, I ‘ve grabbed a few moments to fill you in on what I’ve been up to. The ethics proposal has been wrangled, much like herding cats. It is submitted and now it’s the waiting game. I have been…
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First Day
Yesterday was my first official day as a PhD student. I won’t lie, the imposter syndrome went into overdrive before my supervision meeting. But the meeting was so positive and reassuring, that I’m feeling okay now. Long may it last! If my enthusiasm matches my productivity, I’ll be just fine. Better than fine in fact.…
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Recommended Reading
My course doesn’t begin until the end of January, however, I have already started to collate a pile of books to read between now and then. There’s a mix of picture books for analysis, academic papers and books about neurodiversity. A friend and author, Dr Vanessa Harbour recommended ‘but you don’t look autistic at all’…
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The bookseller's journey to a PhD 