Connecting lived experience, community knowledge and evidence.
Research at the centre
We bring together lived experience, research, community knowledge and practice. People with lived experience should be part of decisions that affect them.
What we investigate
Disability inclusion, neurodiversity, cognition, inclusive education, curriculum implementation, accessibility, youth experiences, education systems, community inclusion, policy and lived experience.
Our methods
Interviews, surveys, literature reviews, policy research and community-based research.
Research by country
Research led by Shared Ground Uganda and our Regional Correspondents. Choose a country to explore its research.
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Uganda
East Africa
Regional Correspondent: Agum Manuella Okello Elizabeth
How Uganda's Competence-Based Curriculum is experienced by neurodivergent learners, their families and teachers.
🇺🇬 Uganda · Agum Manuella Okello Elizabeth
The Neurodivergent Perspective on CBC Implementation
August 2026
An exploratory mixed-methods study examining Uganda's Competence-Based Curriculum from the perspectives of neurodivergent learners and their families, alongside teacher preparedness to support neurodivergent learners in mainstream classrooms.
Key findings
9 / 10 surveyed teachers (90%) reported receiving no formal training on supporting neurodivergent learners in mainstream classrooms.
Neurodivergent learners and parents described classrooms, assessments and discipline that do not yet reflect different ways of learning.
The small, non-probability sample means findings are exploratory and not statistically generalisable.
Recommendations
Practical neurodiversity and Universal Design for Learning preparation for teachers.
Sensory-responsive learning environments and flexible assessment.
Supportive approaches to discipline.
Include neurodivergent learners and families in implementation decisions, and run larger future studies.
How New Zealand approaches neurodiversity, where support falls short, and how gender shapes diagnosis.
🇳🇿 Aotearoa New Zealand · Kathlene Sofia
Aotearoa New Zealand Approach to Neurodiversity
2026
An investigation of how Aotearoa New Zealand approaches neurodiversity, its weaknesses, and actions that could support a growing neurodivergent population, drawing on recent studies, editorials and medical journals.
Key findings
An estimated one in five young people (around 320,000) in New Zealand are neurodiverse, with very little information on Pacific neurodiverse experiences.
Psychiatry and senior medical roles face around 20% vacancy rates nationwide, and 23% of public-system psychiatrists intend to resign within about a year.
A 1,042-participant Autism NZ study rated access to diagnosis and support for adults as extremely poor.
Strict immigration health rules create serious barriers for autistic people and families.
Recommendations
Systematic national data collection on neurodiverse conditions, needs and outcomes.
Sustained government funding for neurodiverse communities and the mental health workforce.
Affirming, flexible support in schools and neuroinclusive practices in workplaces.
Gender and Neurodivergence in Aotearoa New Zealand
2026
Explores how gender affects the recognition and diagnosis of autism and ADHD in New Zealand, and why girls and women are often left out of the narrative.
Key findings
Girls are more likely to go undiagnosed or be diagnosed later, often because they mask their traits.
Diagnostic criteria for autism and ADHD were largely developed from male presentations.
A 2020 Lancet Psychiatry study found autistic women are diagnosed on average seven years later than autistic men.
Central health databases do not break down all neurodevelopmental conditions by gender.
Recommendations
Collect national data on neurodivergence broken down by gender.
Recognise female and inattentive presentations in assessment and in classrooms.
Diagnosis patterns, gender disparities and the social factors shaping who is recognised as neurodivergent in Cameroon.
🇨🇲 Cameroon · Faith Miyanui
Gender and Neurodivergence in Cameroon
2026
Examines which gender is more likely to be diagnosed early, the gender distribution of diagnosed neurodivergent people in Cameroon, and the social and systemic factors behind these patterns.
Key findings
A hospital-based study in Douala found 76% of children diagnosed with autism were male and 24% female.
These figures likely reflect diagnosed rather than true prevalence.
Masking, male-centred diagnostic models and misdiagnosis delay recognition of girls.
Cultural expectations, limited diagnostic resources and stigma add further barriers.
Recommendations
Improve public awareness of neurodivergence.
Expand diagnostic services and specialist support.
Adopt gender-sensitive approaches to neurodevelopmental assessment.
Who is diagnosed, who is overlooked, and how disability and neurodivergence are represented in Dominican education.
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic · Georgina
Gender and Neurodivergence in the Dominican Republic
2026
Looks beyond diagnosis numbers to ask who is being diagnosed, who may be overlooked, and how Dominican schools and society represent neurodivergent people.
Key findings
Boys make up the majority of diagnosed autism and ADHD cases, but this reflects diagnosed populations, not the true distribution.
The Fundación Dominicana de Autismo reports most children are identified after age six.
The country has no single national database of neurodivergent people.
MINERD's 2024 inclusive education ordinance and a 2025 autism protocol mark real policy progress.
Recommendations
Make neurodivergent girls and women visible in curricula and materials.
Represent disabled and neurodivergent people as full members of society, not only as people needing assistance.
Ensure underrepresented groups are recognised, supported and represented accurately, not only diagnosed more often.
An exploratory mixed-methods study examining Uganda's Competence-Based Curriculum from the perspectives of neurodivergent learners and their families, alongside teacher preparedness to support neurodivergent learners in mainstream classrooms.
9 / 10 surveyed teachers (90%) reported receiving no formal training on supporting neurodivergent learners in mainstream classrooms.
Developed in connection with the 2nd International Conference on Curriculum Development (ICCD), held on 20–21 August 2026, and prepared for consideration by the NCDC Journal of Curriculum Development, Evaluation, and Education (JCDEE).
