After studying for an undergraduate degree in psychology and working for a year, Connor graduated from the MSc Applied Clinical Psychology at Bath in 2024. We spoke to him about how his own experiences of autism and acceptance have impacted his academic career and determination to make a difference.

A stony path towards higher education

School for me wasn't the best time. That was in part because I'm autistic and was abused. I simply did not have the resources and support in place for me to achieve academic success; instead, it was just about surviving.

I left school with no qualifications. When I eventually went to college, I enrolled on an additional needs course, which was actually the same course that I ended up working on eight years later as a learning support assistant before starting the master’s, so it was a full-circle moment.

I did that for a year; it was such a confidence boost, both academically and socially. The staff there were amazing. Coming from this previously abusive environment, college was truly transformative. It was the first time someone outside of friends or family said to me, ‘You can do something with your life.’

After that course, I ended up doing GCSEs for the first time at 18 while also completing some sport qualifications (i.e., BTEC Sport Level 1 and BTEC Sport Level 2). After this, at the age of 19, I completed a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport and Exercise Sciences. It was then that I really enjoyed the sport psychology module, and I was starting to understand and accept being autistic.

I’d felt like an ugly duckling for so long, but now I was starting to read up about psychology at home, learning more about autism and focusing on also seeing strengths (e.g., the ability to focus on my interests for a long period of time), which again increased my enthusiasm for a career in psychology. During my time at college, I was blessed to learn from many amazing teachers. One of them was my English teacher, who was the first person who said to me, ‘You know, Connor, you could go to university and get a first-class degree.’ At the time, I was like, ‘What's a first-class degree?’

As much as I had thought about going into sports for people with disabilities, I decided to fully pivot into psychology so that maybe I could have a wider reach of helping people. I was doing great academically, but I also started putting too much pressure on myself. Going through that patch of bad mental health, and ultimately therapy got me even more interested in pursuing psychology. Therapy really was another transformative experience that helped me get on track for what I wanted to do with my life.

Gaining work experience and embarking on an academic career

After my undergraduate degree in psychology, I worked for a year as a learning support assistant within an additional needs department at a college. I got to support autistic individuals and people with disabilities such as Fragile X syndrome and global developmental delay. This role allowed me to help students socially and academically. It was a great experience! I took that year out because I wanted some hands-on experience after my undergraduate degree, which had been quite coursework and exam-heavy – which was great, but I wanted to apply what I’d learned!

I knew I was good academically, but I wanted to see if I could do well in a challenging and new environment. I loved it, and it was also an opportunity for me to apply for scholarships to support me during my master’s. I was indeed lucky enough to secure two scholarships. The prestigious Snowdon Trust Master’s Scholarship and the Global Leaders Scholarship, which helped to fund living costs and tuition fees.

I started to appreciate and get into research more so that rather than just being a clinical psychologist, I knew I wanted to balance it with a lot of research as well and apply those skills.

Coming to Bath

I was okay with not having a placement on my master’s as I liked learning more about research methods and statistics techniques and had gained some practical experience before starting. Bath also has its own Centre for Applied Autism Research and some great academics working in the field whose research I had come across during my studies.

Of course, Bath is just a beautiful place as well. You've got to be happy where you live and study and work. I also saw it as the next step that I wanted to push myself at a world-leading university; I wanted to improve, and Bath offered that.

I also liked that my master’s was all coursework-based, and as someone who wants to do a PhD, these kinds of assignments prepared me for that better than doing a bunch of exams. I also wanted to learn more about clinical psychology – about formulation, assessment, and policymaking. In addition, Bath has a great mix of people who cover different areas of clinical psychology, such as those that specialise in chronic fatigue syndrome or anxiety. To learn from such academics, who are at the forefront of clinical practice and academic research, was something I did not want to miss.

I ended up not applying for any other courses besides Bath, and I think it goes without saying that I made the right decision. I was very happy to get in, and that personal fascination with psychology turned into the realisation that I could actually make a difference and help people. I've got first-hand knowledge of autism; my sister is autistic as well, and it's my favourite research interest. Where school was exhausting, I am now pretty good academically, and it's something that I naturally enjoy. I've never woken up being tired of having to go to lectures or seminars!

Getting deeper into autism research

The MSc Applied Clinical Psychology was intellectually stimulating; there are so many questions out there that haven't been explored yet, and I want to contribute to the literature.

I was also able to use my own experience of autism and being bullied and abused. I could relate to other people going through similar experiences; knowing the importance of what that can involve and how to support it can be transformative for one person.

I thought to myself that I would love to be on the other end of it, to help someone else achieve their potential. There are so many people out there who could be a great physicist or chemist, for example, but they just weren’t given the opportunities. I believe psychology, as a subject and a profession, can allow people to reach their potential and accept themselves, which in today’s society can be hard for many teenagers and young adults.

And to add to the topicality of it, in terms of autism research itself, there are now more autistic people themselves getting involved with participatory research. This really helps with research design such as interview schedules for qualitative studies or questionnaires for quantitative studies.

At the same time, there are also more autistic researchers, like me, which can make a big difference. For my master's dissertation, for example, I looked at the financial experiences of unemployed autistic people in the UK, and some of the participants said it was very helpful to be interviewed by an autistic person who they felt could relate to them a little bit more than perhaps a non-autistic person and let them open up more about their genuine experiences. This type of feedback reinforced my ambition that one day, I can conduct studies with a wider reach and impact.

Support outside the classroom

Besides autism research, Bath itself is a great university for autistic people – both students and members of staff. In my personal experience, our Director of Studies was also outstanding and took my needs into account when it came to extensions. The academics don’t just research autism but work with autistic people; some have over ten years of experience working with the NHS and bring that understanding and empathy into their teaching and student support.

When I was with academics at Bath, I felt like I didn’t need to mask as much, for example, with things like eye contact, which I sometimes struggle with. I felt like I could be myself without any judgement or people thinking, ‘Why is Connor doing this?’

It really felt like an equal playing field, not just from individual advisors but from the Department of Psychology and the University as a whole. Disability support services and my external autism mentor were always there, and even the accommodation team went out of their way to try and get me a quieter room on the top floor without me even asking.

Making a real difference for the future

Now that I’ve finished my dissertation, I'm still working part-time as a Research Assistant for Bath’s Department of Psychology. I really recommend checking out ‘Autism in court: Measuring special measures’ for more information. Dr Katie Maras and Dr Ralph Bagnall are doing really important research, and it is a pleasure to contribute to this! One thing we’re looking at is autistic witnesses giving evidence in mock court settings and analysing data, such as how mock jurors perceive them.

I have also just submitted my PhD application to stay at Bath. There are some great colleagues already working in related fields, both in sociology and psychology, that are on board to supervise my project of looking at autistic victim-survivors of sexual abuse and their experience within the criminal justice system.

Looking at this through quantitative and qualitative lenses and conducting studies would be a very meaningful project for me. As an aspiring academic, I’m hoping I can make a real difference for autistic people, especially with an issue like this. My findings could have a really big impact on policy and help police officers or forensic medical examiners better understand the experience of autistic individuals who are victim-survivors of sexual abuse, and how they can better accommodate their sensory and emotional needs.

If I can make an incredibly difficult process just a little bit easier and a little bit more friendly for an autistic person when they go through the criminal justice system, that could make a real change. Bath has great people and resources in place to also help me look after my own well-being while doing emotionally challenging research like this, which will help me as a person both academically and outside the PhD. This support will also allow me to one day pass on that experience to others in a similar position to what I am in now.