Luke McFarline
- Email: edlpm@leeds.ac.uk
- Thesis title: Young people's perspectives on the pejorative use of the term "autistic" in social media & other social contexts
- Supervisors: Prof. Michalis Kontopodis (CPsychol), Dr Judith Hebron
Profile
Having graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a BA in Modern History in 2009, I worked in the education sector as an English language teacher for five years in New Zealand, Prague and South Korea. I returned to Queen’s University getting an MSc in Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2017. For the following three years I worked in the charity sector running a youth group which supported young people with learning disabilities in Fermanagh. In October 2020 I began my Ph.D in the School of Education in Leeds, focusing on research looking into the bullying of children with ASD and the use of pejorative language. My interests include podcasting and running a YouTube channel. I am an autistic adult.
Research interests
My main research interests are in the fields of young people with ASD, bullying with a focus on pejorative language and how it can reinforce stereotypes, how online culture effects the perception of ASD and how autism is viewed by neurotypical young people. It will do this through observation of two social media platforms, surveys to people both with and without autism and through focus groups. My work will be conducted through English language speakers.
Qualifications
- MSc in Autism Spectrum Disorder from Queen's University Belfast
- BA in Modern History from Queen's University Belfast