Hanna Kovshoff
Biographic Data
| ID | 256954 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hanna Kovshoff |
| GIVEN NAMES | Hanna |
| FAMILY NAME | Kovshoff |
| SIGNATURE | KOVSHOFF H |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Southampton |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6041-0376 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 13 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 26 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Using body mapping within a participatory methodology to enable autistic girls to share their experiences of education: Considerations for social justice, embodied awareness, and knowledge production
Body mapping is an arts-based method designed to foreground how people feel rather than what they think. Body mapping can support the surfacing of often unheard or otherwise inaccessible or suppressed experiences because meaning making is non-spoken as well as spoken. For marginalised groups, where power imbalances between the researchers and the researched may be considerable, body mapping is argued to be one way in which participants can contri…
“How do you know you’re safe at school? When I’m not there”. Perspectives of autistic young people and school staff from one secondary school about attendance struggles and who is accountable for chan…
School non-attendance became an international phenomenon post-pandemic with many schools, regardless of intake or location, experiencing increases in pupils struggling to attend. However, pre-pandemic data highlight that non-attendance of autistic students was already a significant issue and increased post-pandemic. Indeed, autistic students continue to be overrepresented in non-attendance figures and research is needed to understand more about t…
‘They'll Know Loads More About Me’. Facilitating Self‐Expression Through Digital Storytelling to Support Educational Transitions
The views of children with special educational needs and disabilities are frequently left out of educational decision‐making processes. In recent years, researchers have sought to employ creative methods to facilitate children's voices in areas of importance. One such area is transitions between educational settings, a significant time that has the potential for positive outcomes. One creative method of exploring children's views of transitions i…
Non-Binary People’s Sexuality, Sexual Health, and Relationship Satisfaction: A Review of 12 Years of Quantitative Research (2012–2024)
Non-binary is a term used by individuals to describe their gender identity, which is better conceptualized outside the man–woman binary. In recent years, research interest in the sexuality of gender minority individuals has grown, as shown by the increasing number of publications on this topic. Accordingly, a comprehensive systematic review which synthesizes the range of sex-related variables captured in research studies with non-binary people is…
‘When We Were Doing That [Coding Club] . . . I Just Couldn’t Wait for Friday’: Creating Space for Agency and Fun Within School-Based Research and Design
Despite increasing adoption of neurodiversity-informed approaches, the views and capabilities of autistic children and young people are often downplayed in both educational research and practice. Consequently, this study focused on the experiences of autistic and other neurodivergent young people engaging in collaborative research and design within the context of a weekly coding club. Within the coding club, students contributed to the co-design …
Sex Beyond the Binary: An Exploratory Analysis of Non-Binary Sexuality and Partnerships
Non-binary identities are often overlooked in quantitative sex research. This explorative study focused on the sexuality and partnerships of non-binary people. The analysis addressed three primary topics: the characteristics of non-binary people's sexual experiences, demographic factors linked to sexual well-being and relationship satisfaction, and differences between non-binary and binary trans/cisgender individuals. Eight hundred and twenty-two…
I Am' Digital Stories as a Praxeological Methodology for Supporting the Voices and Transitions of Autistic Children
I am' Digital Stories are short, 3-5 minute videos that are co-constructed with autistic children and families to provide a more holistic, strengths-based representation of them in support of transitions within or between schools. These Stories provide counter-narratives to the often deficit-focused accounts that accompany children through their school life and are intended to help to introduce who the child really is beyond paper-based descripti…
Voices Through Art: Co-Creating the School Daze Comic for and with Autistic Young People to Support Educational Transitions
Educational transitions between schools can be very challenging for autistic children and young people. Research tends to focus on the views of families and teachers which means that children's voices are often marginalised despite them having valuable knowledge that could improve transition practices and experiences. 'Voices through Art' was an innovative project involving researchers, educators, a graphic artist, and neurodivergent lived experi…
Developing the emotion regulation skills of autistic pupils in educational settings: A systematic literature review
Moderating the intensity and expression of our emotions is necessary for successful engagement in learning. This systematic review explored, “what are schools doing to support autistic children and young people to develop their emotion regulation skills?” Critical analyses considered the inclusiveness of interventions and whether/how autistic pupils were asked about their participation. PsycINFO, Web of Science (Core Collection) and ERIC were sea…
Using ‘I am’ Digital Stories to facilitate autistic young people to have a voice in their transition to adulthood
The voices of autistic young people are frequently excluded from transition planning and decision‐making, especially when they have more complex needs and may not use speech to communicate. The aim of this research, based at a residential special school in England, was to extend and evaluate the use of the ‘I am’ Digital Stories methodology. ‘I am’ Digital Stories are short (c.3–5 min) videos that use a strengths‐based framework to support the sh…
Neurodevelopmental problems in adulthood following severe early deprivation: A qualitative analysis of clinical needs and service user experiences
Severe, prolonged early deprivation is associated with later neurodevelopmental difficulties. Despite elevated levels of contact with service providers, these problems often persist into adult life and are associated with impairment in adulthood (e.g., unemployment, higher rates of depression and anxiety symptoms and poorer subjective wellbeing). Here, we aimed to explore the ongoing service needs and experiences of adoptees and their parents fro…
Social relationships in adults who were adopted following institutional deprivation
Research examining the effects of severe, prolonged early deprivation has shown elevated rates of neurodevelopmental symptoms, which frequently persist into adulthood and are associated with functional and social relationship difficulties, as well as elevated rates of mental health problems. The behavioural manifestations of these symptoms closely resemble those of ADHD and also ASD. Here, we used qualitative methods to explore and characterise t…
I am Lil: Enabling Autistic Voices in Transitions from School to Adult Life through the Co-Creation of a Digital Story
Autistic children's voices are frequently overlooked, underestimated, and undermined in research and practice such that children are denied agency and their rights as capable knowers. Our digital storytelling work aims to challenge this status quo by co-creating 'I am' Digital Stories with and for autistic children and their families. 'I am' Digital Stories are short videos (c.3-5 minutes) that provide a strengths-based representation of a child …
Knowledgeable but not specialist: Virtual School Heads’ experiences of supporting autistic children in care
Autistic children comprise a large group of young people who are looked-after by their local authority and for whom educational outcomes are amongst the poorest of all children in care. Virtual School Heads (VSHs) in England have a statutory responsibility to improve the educational outcomes of children in care following the implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014. However, very little is known about the experiences of VSHs in suppor…
‘Our Stories…’: Co-Constructing Digital Storytelling Methodologies for Supporting the Transitions of Autistic Children - Study Protocol
The voices of autistic children and their families are routinely underestimated and overlooked in research and practice. Research is challenged methodologically in accessing the views of autistic people who, by definition, are characterised by social and communication difficulties. Consequently, many voices remain unheard and experiences undocumented. This has important implications for the validity of research that is interested in improving the…
They are always in the top of our mind’: Designated Teachers' views on supporting care experienced children in England
Care experienced children are at substantial risk for poor educational outcomes, so it is vital to understand where the challenges and opportunities may lie in providing improved support for them. Designated Teachers have statutory responsibilities within maintained schools in England to promote the educational achievement of care experienced children, but very little research has examined their views and experiences. Following purposive sampling…
When people adopted from severely depriving institutions become parents: The experiences of young adult mothers from the ERA study and their adoptive parents
It has been reported that adult adoptees with histories of maltreatment face particular challenges when they become parents. Here we explore this issue using a qualitative analysis of the views of 14 adoptee mothers, who suffered severe institutional deprivation in the Romanian orphanages of the late 1980s before being adopted into the UK, and their adoptive parents. Following a thematic analysis, we report several perceived benefits of becoming …
Using a collaborative working group model to develop an ADHD resource for school staff
Inclusive education for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) presents challenges for school staff and professional development is lacking. Training is not always available when needed, strategies suggested by external experts can be impractical and staff lack autonomy in choosing the best way of being resourced. Additionally, the experience and knowledge of the range of school staff is not utilised. A collaborative workin…
Co-creation of Research and Design During a Coding Club With Autistic Students Using Multimodal Participatory Methods and Analysis
Participatory design aims to work with those who are often excluded from design processes so that their interests are better represented in design solutions. Autistic children are often marginalised and excluded from design processes due to concerns about how their social and communication differences may act as barriers to participation, leading to calls for design processes to be more inclusive and examined more closely to understand the value …
Digital stories for transition: Co-constructing an evidence base in the early years with autistic children, families and practitioners
Concerns have been raised about the quality of practice-focused research in education generally and in early years education specifically. Chris Pascal and Tony Bertram argue that a shift in worldview is needed to improve the robustness and overall quality of participatory research in the early years and proposed a “praxeological framework” for research comprising praxis, power, values, and methodology. This paper provides an example of how this …
Research Review: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of sex/gender differences in social interaction and communication in autistic and nonautistic children and adolescents
Seeing is believing’: Exploring the perspectives of young autistic children through Digital Stories
Young autistic children are amongst the most scrutinised and assessed in their everyday lives, often leading to characterisations and descriptions that focus on their difficulties and challenges rather than on their abilities, strengths and positive experiences. Consequently, much discussion about autistic children tends to forget that they are children first. While research has considered the transitions of autistic children from primary to seco…
Exploring Parenting Narratives in Asylum Seeking Populations in Sweden: Examining the Effect of Post-Migration Stress on Families through Grounded Theory
Empirical evidence shows that asylum seekers experience a range of stressors in a post-migration context that can contribute to poor mental health. Few studies have considered how post-migration stressors affect the family unit, specifically with a focus on parenting and child outcomes. In 2018 and 2019, interviews were conducted with asylum seeking parents (27 families) in a small community in Sweden. A grounded theory research design approach f…
Keys to engagement: A case study exploring the participation of autistic pupils in educational decision‐making at school
BACKGROUND: The UNCRC (1989) established the importance of listening to children's views globally. In England, seeking the views of pupils with special educational needs and disability about their education, and involving them in decision-making, has been mandatory since 2015. Autistic children's views and experiences are particularly underrepresented in this context. AIMS: To provide a detailed exploratory analysis of practices that enable autis…
Awareness within local authorities in England of autism spectrum diagnoses of looked‐after children
Educational outcomes for looked‐after children on the autism spectrum are significantly poorer than for autistic children not being looked‐after by their local authority (those ‘in care’), and poorer than for most other groups of children with special educational needs who are looked‐after in England. Such poor outcomes have led to calls for specific attention to be paid to the needs of autistic looked‐after children within the care of local auth…
Seeing is believing’: Exploring the perspectives of young autistic children through Digital Stories
Young autistic children are amongst the most scrutinised and assessed in their everyday lives, often leading to characterisations and descriptions that focus on their difficulties and challenges rather than on their abilities, strengths and positive experiences. Consequently, much discussion about autistic children tends to forget that they are children first. While research has considered the transitions of autistic children from primary to seco…
Exploring Parenting Narratives in Asylum Seeking Populations in Sweden: Examining the Effect of Post-Migration Stress on Families through Grounded Theory
Empirical evidence shows that asylum seekers experience a range of stressors in a post-migration context that can contribute to poor mental health. Few studies have considered how post-migration stressors affect the family unit, specifically with a focus on parenting and child outcomes. In 2018 and 2019, interviews were conducted with asylum seeking parents (27 families) in a small community in Sweden. A grounded theory research design approach f…
Neurodevelopmental problems in adulthood following severe early deprivation: A qualitative analysis of clinical needs and service user experiences
Severe, prolonged early deprivation is associated with later neurodevelopmental difficulties. Despite elevated levels of contact with service providers, these problems often persist into adult life and are associated with impairment in adulthood (e.g., unemployment, higher rates of depression and anxiety symptoms and poorer subjective wellbeing). Here, we aimed to explore the ongoing service needs and experiences of adoptees and their parents fro…
Social relationships in adults who were adopted following institutional deprivation
Research examining the effects of severe, prolonged early deprivation has shown elevated rates of neurodevelopmental symptoms, which frequently persist into adulthood and are associated with functional and social relationship difficulties, as well as elevated rates of mental health problems. The behavioural manifestations of these symptoms closely resemble those of ADHD and also ASD. Here, we used qualitative methods to explore and characterise t…
I am Lil: Enabling Autistic Voices in Transitions from School to Adult Life through the Co-Creation of a Digital Story
Autistic children's voices are frequently overlooked, underestimated, and undermined in research and practice such that children are denied agency and their rights as capable knowers. Our digital storytelling work aims to challenge this status quo by co-creating 'I am' Digital Stories with and for autistic children and their families. 'I am' Digital Stories are short videos (c.3-5 minutes) that provide a strengths-based representation of a child …
When people adopted from severely depriving institutions become parents: The experiences of young adult mothers from the ERA study and their adoptive parents
It has been reported that adult adoptees with histories of maltreatment face particular challenges when they become parents. Here we explore this issue using a qualitative analysis of the views of 14 adoptee mothers, who suffered severe institutional deprivation in the Romanian orphanages of the late 1980s before being adopted into the UK, and their adoptive parents. Following a thematic analysis, we report several perceived benefits of becoming …
Developmental trajectories of form perception: A story of attention
The developmental trajectories of selective and divided attention were examined in relation to the processing of hierarchically integrated stimuli. The participants included children in 4 age groups (6, 8, 10, and 12 years) and a group of young adults (24 years) who completed 2 computer-based attention tasks. In the selective attention task, the participants were instructed to attend to only 1 level of analysis and ignore the other. In the divide…
Developmental trajectories of form perception: A story of attention
The developmental trajectories of selective and divided attention were examined in relation to the processing of hierarchically integrated stimuli. The participants included children in 4 age groups (6, 8, 10, and 12 years) and a group of young adults (24 years) who completed 2 computer-based attention tasks. In the selective attention task, the participants were instructed to attend to only 1 level of analysis and ignore the other. In the divide…
Awareness within local authorities in England of autism spectrum diagnoses of looked‐after children
Educational outcomes for looked‐after children on the autism spectrum are significantly poorer than for autistic children not being looked‐after by their local authority (those ‘in care’), and poorer than for most other groups of children with special educational needs who are looked‐after in England. Such poor outcomes have led to calls for specific attention to be paid to the needs of autistic looked‐after children within the care of local auth…
Seeing is believing’: Exploring the perspectives of young autistic children through Digital Stories
Young autistic children are amongst the most scrutinised and assessed in their everyday lives, often leading to characterisations and descriptions that focus on their difficulties and challenges rather than on their abilities, strengths and positive experiences. Consequently, much discussion about autistic children tends to forget that they are children first. While research has considered the transitions of autistic children from primary to seco…
Exploring Parenting Narratives in Asylum Seeking Populations in Sweden: Examining the Effect of Post-Migration Stress on Families through Grounded Theory
Empirical evidence shows that asylum seekers experience a range of stressors in a post-migration context that can contribute to poor mental health. Few studies have considered how post-migration stressors affect the family unit, specifically with a focus on parenting and child outcomes. In 2018 and 2019, interviews were conducted with asylum seeking parents (27 families) in a small community in Sweden. A grounded theory research design approach f…
Keys to engagement: A case study exploring the participation of autistic pupils in educational decision‐making at school
BACKGROUND: The UNCRC (1989) established the importance of listening to children's views globally. In England, seeking the views of pupils with special educational needs and disability about their education, and involving them in decision-making, has been mandatory since 2015. Autistic children's views and experiences are particularly underrepresented in this context. AIMS: To provide a detailed exploratory analysis of practices that enable autis…
Research Review: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of sex/gender differences in social interaction and communication in autistic and nonautistic children and adolescents
Co-creation of Research and Design During a Coding Club With Autistic Students Using Multimodal Participatory Methods and Analysis
Participatory design aims to work with those who are often excluded from design processes so that their interests are better represented in design solutions. Autistic children are often marginalised and excluded from design processes due to concerns about how their social and communication differences may act as barriers to participation, leading to calls for design processes to be more inclusive and examined more closely to understand the value …
Digital stories for transition: Co-constructing an evidence base in the early years with autistic children, families and practitioners
Concerns have been raised about the quality of practice-focused research in education generally and in early years education specifically. Chris Pascal and Tony Bertram argue that a shift in worldview is needed to improve the robustness and overall quality of participatory research in the early years and proposed a “praxeological framework” for research comprising praxis, power, values, and methodology. This paper provides an example of how this …
Knowledgeable but not specialist: Virtual School Heads’ experiences of supporting autistic children in care
Autistic children comprise a large group of young people who are looked-after by their local authority and for whom educational outcomes are amongst the poorest of all children in care. Virtual School Heads (VSHs) in England have a statutory responsibility to improve the educational outcomes of children in care following the implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014. However, very little is known about the experiences of VSHs in suppor…
‘Our Stories…’: Co-Constructing Digital Storytelling Methodologies for Supporting the Transitions of Autistic Children - Study Protocol
The voices of autistic children and their families are routinely underestimated and overlooked in research and practice. Research is challenged methodologically in accessing the views of autistic people who, by definition, are characterised by social and communication difficulties. Consequently, many voices remain unheard and experiences undocumented. This has important implications for the validity of research that is interested in improving the…
They are always in the top of our mind’: Designated Teachers' views on supporting care experienced children in England
Care experienced children are at substantial risk for poor educational outcomes, so it is vital to understand where the challenges and opportunities may lie in providing improved support for them. Designated Teachers have statutory responsibilities within maintained schools in England to promote the educational achievement of care experienced children, but very little research has examined their views and experiences. Following purposive sampling…
When people adopted from severely depriving institutions become parents: The experiences of young adult mothers from the ERA study and their adoptive parents
It has been reported that adult adoptees with histories of maltreatment face particular challenges when they become parents. Here we explore this issue using a qualitative analysis of the views of 14 adoptee mothers, who suffered severe institutional deprivation in the Romanian orphanages of the late 1980s before being adopted into the UK, and their adoptive parents. Following a thematic analysis, we report several perceived benefits of becoming …
Using a collaborative working group model to develop an ADHD resource for school staff
Inclusive education for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) presents challenges for school staff and professional development is lacking. Training is not always available when needed, strategies suggested by external experts can be impractical and staff lack autonomy in choosing the best way of being resourced. Additionally, the experience and knowledge of the range of school staff is not utilised. A collaborative workin…
Developing the emotion regulation skills of autistic pupils in educational settings: A systematic literature review
Moderating the intensity and expression of our emotions is necessary for successful engagement in learning. This systematic review explored, “what are schools doing to support autistic children and young people to develop their emotion regulation skills?” Critical analyses considered the inclusiveness of interventions and whether/how autistic pupils were asked about their participation. PsycINFO, Web of Science (Core Collection) and ERIC were sea…
Using ‘I am’ Digital Stories to facilitate autistic young people to have a voice in their transition to adulthood
The voices of autistic young people are frequently excluded from transition planning and decision‐making, especially when they have more complex needs and may not use speech to communicate. The aim of this research, based at a residential special school in England, was to extend and evaluate the use of the ‘I am’ Digital Stories methodology. ‘I am’ Digital Stories are short (c.3–5 min) videos that use a strengths‐based framework to support the sh…
Neurodevelopmental problems in adulthood following severe early deprivation: A qualitative analysis of clinical needs and service user experiences
Severe, prolonged early deprivation is associated with later neurodevelopmental difficulties. Despite elevated levels of contact with service providers, these problems often persist into adult life and are associated with impairment in adulthood (e.g., unemployment, higher rates of depression and anxiety symptoms and poorer subjective wellbeing). Here, we aimed to explore the ongoing service needs and experiences of adoptees and their parents fro…
Social relationships in adults who were adopted following institutional deprivation
Research examining the effects of severe, prolonged early deprivation has shown elevated rates of neurodevelopmental symptoms, which frequently persist into adulthood and are associated with functional and social relationship difficulties, as well as elevated rates of mental health problems. The behavioural manifestations of these symptoms closely resemble those of ADHD and also ASD. Here, we used qualitative methods to explore and characterise t…
I am Lil: Enabling Autistic Voices in Transitions from School to Adult Life through the Co-Creation of a Digital Story
Autistic children's voices are frequently overlooked, underestimated, and undermined in research and practice such that children are denied agency and their rights as capable knowers. Our digital storytelling work aims to challenge this status quo by co-creating 'I am' Digital Stories with and for autistic children and their families. 'I am' Digital Stories are short videos (c.3-5 minutes) that provide a strengths-based representation of a child …
‘They'll Know Loads More About Me’. Facilitating Self‐Expression Through Digital Storytelling to Support Educational Transitions
The views of children with special educational needs and disabilities are frequently left out of educational decision‐making processes. In recent years, researchers have sought to employ creative methods to facilitate children's voices in areas of importance. One such area is transitions between educational settings, a significant time that has the potential for positive outcomes. One creative method of exploring children's views of transitions i…
Non-Binary People’s Sexuality, Sexual Health, and Relationship Satisfaction: A Review of 12 Years of Quantitative Research (2012–2024)
Non-binary is a term used by individuals to describe their gender identity, which is better conceptualized outside the man–woman binary. In recent years, research interest in the sexuality of gender minority individuals has grown, as shown by the increasing number of publications on this topic. Accordingly, a comprehensive systematic review which synthesizes the range of sex-related variables captured in research studies with non-binary people is…
‘When We Were Doing That [Coding Club] . . . I Just Couldn’t Wait for Friday’: Creating Space for Agency and Fun Within School-Based Research and Design
Despite increasing adoption of neurodiversity-informed approaches, the views and capabilities of autistic children and young people are often downplayed in both educational research and practice. Consequently, this study focused on the experiences of autistic and other neurodivergent young people engaging in collaborative research and design within the context of a weekly coding club. Within the coding club, students contributed to the co-design …
Sex Beyond the Binary: An Exploratory Analysis of Non-Binary Sexuality and Partnerships
Non-binary identities are often overlooked in quantitative sex research. This explorative study focused on the sexuality and partnerships of non-binary people. The analysis addressed three primary topics: the characteristics of non-binary people's sexual experiences, demographic factors linked to sexual well-being and relationship satisfaction, and differences between non-binary and binary trans/cisgender individuals. Eight hundred and twenty-two…
I Am' Digital Stories as a Praxeological Methodology for Supporting the Voices and Transitions of Autistic Children
I am' Digital Stories are short, 3-5 minute videos that are co-constructed with autistic children and families to provide a more holistic, strengths-based representation of them in support of transitions within or between schools. These Stories provide counter-narratives to the often deficit-focused accounts that accompany children through their school life and are intended to help to introduce who the child really is beyond paper-based descripti…
Voices Through Art: Co-Creating the School Daze Comic for and with Autistic Young People to Support Educational Transitions
Educational transitions between schools can be very challenging for autistic children and young people. Research tends to focus on the views of families and teachers which means that children's voices are often marginalised despite them having valuable knowledge that could improve transition practices and experiences. 'Voices through Art' was an innovative project involving researchers, educators, a graphic artist, and neurodivergent lived experi…
Using body mapping within a participatory methodology to enable autistic girls to share their experiences of education: Considerations for social justice, embodied awareness, and knowledge production
Body mapping is an arts-based method designed to foreground how people feel rather than what they think. Body mapping can support the surfacing of often unheard or otherwise inaccessible or suppressed experiences because meaning making is non-spoken as well as spoken. For marginalised groups, where power imbalances between the researchers and the researched may be considerable, body mapping is argued to be one way in which participants can contri…
Psychology (20 works) · Sociology (18 works) · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research (13 works) · Developmental psychology (11 works) · Pedagogy (11 works) · Political science (10 works) · Qualitative research (10 works) · Children's Rights and Participation (7 works) · Child Development and Digital Technology (6 works) · Child Welfare and Adoption (6 works)