Sebastian C. K. Shaw

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• BM BS, MSc, PhD, DRCOG, PGCert, SFHEA, FAcadMEd
• Assistant Professor in Medical Education (Research Methods) at Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Objectives: Autistic people experience poor physical and mental health along with reduced life expectancy compared with non-autistic people. Our aim was to identify self-reported barriers to primary care access by autistic adults compared with non-autistic adults and to link these barriers to self-reported adverse health consequences. Design: Fol...

Autistic people experience significant health disparities and reduced life expectancy. Barriers to accessing healthcare are associated with adverse health outcomes. Autism training and healthcare professionals' knowledge about autism is variable, and heterogeneity among autistic people leads to additional educational and clinical complexities. Auti...

Background:Increasing recognition of autism is reflected in the growing awareness of autistic health care providers. Regulatory bodies including the UK General Medical Council and the UK Medical Schools Council have published guidance fostering inclusion. Whilst many autistic doctors and students are thriving, many may not disclose their diagnosis...

Introduction Medicine may select for autistic characteristics. As awareness and diagnosis of autism are growing, more medical students and doctors may be discovering they are autistic. No studies have explored the experiences of autistic doctors. This study aimed to fill that gap. Methods This is a cross-sectional study. A participatory approach w...

Autistic people experience more co-occurring health conditions and, on average, die younger than non-autistic people. Despite growing awareness of health inequities, autistic people still report barriers to accessing healthcare. We aimed to explore the experiences of autistic people accessing healthcare, shining a light on the complex interplay of...

Autistic people experience barriers to accessing healthcare. Autistic clinical professionals may be able to help improve this situation. Previous research, however, has shown that Autistic clinical professionals experience numerous challenges in the workplace. If there is a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on the person’s ability to do...

In this “When I say…” article, the authors argue for a philosophical transformation in how medical education values different ways of thinking and learning: the neurodiversity paradigm.

Background: Diagnosis of autism falls under the remit of psychiatry. Recognition that psychiatrists could be autistic is recent. Psychiatrists are the second largest specialty group in Autistic Doctors International, a peer support group for autistic doctors. Aims: To explore the experiences of autistic psychiatrists in relation to recognising th...

Social work has a vital role to play in supporting Autistic people of all ages. Whether in facilitating access to other services, such as housing, enhancing quality of life, or in a safeguarding capacity, social workers have a legal and moral responsibility to ensure their practice ensures full, equitable involvement of Autistic people. Regrettably...

An increasing number of studies are investigating the links between autism and borderline personality disorder. Studies report overlapping differences and the challenges in differentiating between these two diagnostic labels. In practice, there are many people, especially autistic women, who feel that they were misdiagnosed with borderline personal...

Aims This study aims to explore the experiences of autistic adults who were previously diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Methods This interpretive phenomenological study aims to explore the experiences of autistic adults who were previously diagnosed with BPD. Data were collected using sixty-minute, one-to-one, virtual, semi-st...

Background Autistic people are more likely to experience stigma, communication barriers and anxiety during healthcare. Autism Health Passports (AHPs) are a communication tool that aim to provide information about healthcare needs in a standardised way. They are recommended in research and policy to improve healthcare quality. Aim To explore views...

Introduction The number of women training in surgical specialties has sharply increased over the last 30 years. As a consequence, these female surgical trainees are having children during their training programmes presenting numerous challenges for both the training programme directors and the trainees themselves. When faced with a prolonged break...

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity ‘Disorder’ (ADHD) is a form of neurodivergence, characterised by lifelong differences in attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. University students with ADHD underachieve academically and tend to have lower levels of self-esteem. Medical schools have an obligation to minimise barriers for students with ADHD. Unde...

Recent statistics found the prevalence of dyslexia in UK medical schools to be 7%, sitting below the national prevalence of 10%. The factors contributing to this discrepancy are currently unknown, but may result from an interplay of individual and systemic barriers to entering medicine. This collaborative, analytic autoethnography aimed to use the...

Qualitiative phase of Barriers to Healthcare project. Quant paper available at https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/12/2/e056904.full.pdf

The experiences of autistic psychiatrists

The experiences of autistic medical students

Autism is a national priority, highlighted in the NHS Long Term Plan, the Right to Be Heard report, National Autism Strategy (2021-2026) and most recently in the 2022 Health and Care Act. One significant area of concern is the striking health inequities and reduced life expectancy experienced by autistic people. Communication difficulties between a...

Various physical conditions appear with greater frequency in autistic individuals in comparison to non-autistic people and can lead to higher morbidity, lower quality of life, and lower life expectancy. A voluntary primary care annual health check (AHC) scheme is in place in the UK for patients with intellectual disabilities (ID), some of whom will...

Prescribing medicines is the most common patient-level intervention made by doctors in the United Kingdom. However, this is associated with a potential for harm. Whilst dyslexia can bring many strengths, it also impacts reading and writing abilities and therefore has the potential to contribute to errors in the prescribing process if dyslexic docto...

Dyslexia is a Specific Learning Difficulty that impacts on reading and writing abilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical schools have been forced to undertake distance learning and assessment. The wider literature suggested that e-learning might pose additional challenges for dyslexic students. Here we explore their overall experiences of le...

There have been widespread expressions of dissatisfaction among autistic people and communities regarding the recommendations of the Lancet Commission on the future of care and clinical research in autism.1 The authors of this article discussed the Commission’s report and some wider issues related to autism research in general as a committee of aut...

Autistic psychiatrists bring strengths and values to the workforce and ask to be acknowledged and supported as part of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ CIRCLE values and Equality Action Plan. Courage and collaboration are required to jointly learn and innovate, promoting well-being, resilience and excellence for autistic doctors.

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the widespread adoption of remote consultations in general practice in the UK; using telephones, video, or e-consults accompanied by a reduction in routine face-to-face consultations. These approaches allow for continued healthcare provision while reducing the risk of transmission of communicable i...

Introduction Feelings of discomfort and incompetency can influence prescribing efficacy.1 Prescribing errors can create devastating consequences2; therefore, it is vital that foundation doctors feel prepared for prescribing when they begin practicing. Previous reports have highlighted how final year medical students and foundation doctors feel thei...

Introduction Dyslexia and dyspraxia are categorised as specific learning difficulties (SpLDs). Dyslexia impacts upon reading and writing. Dyspraxia is concerned more with hand-eye coordination. However, each of these conditions carries a variety of strengths and weaknesses. Universities and employers in the United Kingdom are required by law to mak...

Dyspraxia, otherwise known as Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), is a specific learning difficulty (SpLD). Its main difficulties manifest as problems with motor coordination, organisation, academic and social difficulties. There are now more students arriving at university with SpLDs, and, therefore, a similar rise may be expected within me...

Background: Near-peer teaching (NPT) has a longstanding history within medical education. While it is becoming increasingly recognized within medical curricula, its beginnings can be traced back to informal teaching among medical students. Informal NPT such as this is still commonplace. However, it is often overlooked within the literature and has...

Anecdotal evidence suggested that hopelessness and helplessness (HH) were often reported by undergraduate medical students. It is known that medical students are more susceptible to high levels of stress and depression than other student groups. There is currently concern about suicide rates in students and high drop-out rates in junior doctors. Bu...

Aims We aim to raise awareness of the existence and value of autistic doctors in psychiatry and to also signpost psychiatrists who are or suspect they might be autistic towards peer support. Method Autism refers to a lifelong difference in how people communicate and interact with the world. These differences lead to strengths and challenges with i...

Dyslexia impacts upon reading and writing, but not upon intelligence. Little research has explored dyslexia in medicine. An online questionnaire was emailed to all medical students within a single medical school, inviting them to participate. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics. Statistical significance was calculated for any differe...

In this paper we adopt an autoethnographic approach to explore the lived experiences of a UK medical student with dyspraxia within the current culture of UK medical education. An initial review of the literature revealed that there is now growing evidence regarding the difficulties experienced by, and support needed for medical students and doctors...

Highlights: • The COVID-19 pandemic may put the mental wellbeing of trainees at risk. • Hopelessness, helplessness and burnout are important to be aware of. • We need to foster an open culture of trust and support. • We need to promote resilience in colleagues/trainees where possible. Key words: Hopelessness; Helplessness; Burnout; Resilience;...

Little research exists concerning dyslexia in medical education. A qualitative study highlighted issues such as bullying and a lack of support. This project aimed to quantify those findings. An online survey was sent to junior doctors in parts of the United Kingdom. Seventy-five participated. Most (53%) were diagnosed with dyslexia at university /...

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a common sports injury. Symptomatic knee instability after this injury is usually treated operatively through ACL reconstruction. The surgery involves a tendon graft being fixed in bony tunnels drilled through femur and tibia. The fixation of the graft is of critical importance to achieving goo...

Background: The term ‘dyslexia’ refers to a condition that impacts upon reading and writing abilities whilst not altering intelligence. Individuals with dyslexia may have difficulties with the speed and accuracy and their reading and writing, amongst other issues. Dyslexia is not automatically considered a disability but is a protected character...

This article explores the experiences of U.K. medical students with dyslexia, using an interpretive phenomenological approach. This project began with a review of the literature, highlighting a void of qualitative research. We then conducted a collaborative autoethnography. This paper forms the next stage in this series of research. We aimed to eli...

Within this research methods case study, we discuss the case of an interpretive phenomenological study. We outline the methodology, the research process, and the challenges encountered. The project on which this is based explored the experiences of eight U.K. junior doctors with dyslexia. We use this real-life example of interpretive phenomenology...

Within this Research Methods Case Study, we discuss the case of a collaborative autoethnography. We highlight the design process, the methods used, and the challenges encountered. The case takes the example of “Seb”—a UK medical student with dyslexia. We use his story as a real example of autoethnography, to humanize it as a research process. We al...

Background: The stereotype of the student with dyspraxia as ‘clumsy and disorganised’ may cause clinical teachers to be concerned about the student’s performance in a clinical environment; however, if it is understood that dyspraxic students possess many strengths, as well as weaknesses, it may be that some stereotypical myths will be dispelled an...

Introduction: Dyslexia is a common condition. Estimates suggest it effects approximately 10% of the worldwide population, and 1.7% of UK medical students. This review aimed to explore the existing literature concerning the exam performance of medical students with dyslexia. Methods: A Review of Medline, ERIC, PsychInfo, The Cochrane Library, and G...

Background and Relevance Postgraduate masters students are expected to develop a high degree of self-sufficiency in their learning. This includes filtering and assimilating large quantities of information. They need, therefore, to be able to critically appraise research papers (1). The flipped classroom refers to “an approach whereby course materia...

Background: Dyspraxia has a similar prevalence to dyslexia in the UK general population at 6-10% (1). However, although there is now growing evidence regarding the difficulties experienced by and support needed for medical students and doctors with dyslexia (2-4), there has been little research focusing specifically on dyspraxia within medical educ...

Background: Dyspraxia may be defined as “the inability to plan, organise and co-ordinate movement. It results in fine and gross motor problems and/or speech difficulties” and has a similar prevalence to dyslexia in the UK general population, at 6-10% (1). However, although there is now growing evidence regarding the difficulties experienced by and...

Background and Relevance Hopelessness/helplessness (H/H) were first described in the work of Overmier & Seligman in 1967 (1). Theories of depression implicate both hopelessness and helplessness as causative factors (2). The development of H/H may be explained by exploring the ways that individuals attribute causation to events and the world around...

Background: Previously we reported upon a qualitative study of medical students' experiences of dyslexia (SS & JA). There had been no previous study of this. That study generated a host of themes which highlighted problem areas and experiences - along with some surprising strengths in medical students with dyslexia. The authors' concerns were next...

“Hello, my name is Seb. I am a final year medical student, and I have dyslexia.“ The topic of this paper is the experience of the impact of dyslexia on medical studies, explored using a collaborative autoethnographic methodological approach. This study was prompted by an initial and ongoing full search of the literature, which revealed an absenc...

“Who wants to be treated by a clumsy doctor anyway?” Dyspraxia may be defined as “A disorder in which the main feature is a serious impairment in the development of motor coordination…”[1]. This paper presents an autoethnographic approach to tell the story of “Elle” (EW), a UK medical student with dyspraxia. An initial and ongoing review of the...

Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty. As a result of SS’ own experiences as a medical student with dyslexia, we have been researching and teaching on this topic for the past two years. Here, we present twelve tips for teaching medical students with dyslexia. These are gathered from our personal experiences and research, discussions with other e...

In my early years of medical school I always felt that I never learnt how to learn. When studying an MSc in Medical Education, it became apparent to me that this feeling may be commonplace amongst other medical students. Study skills can be defined as " the effective use of appropriate techniques for completing a learning task... " These are of v...

Introduction: Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty, affecting 10% of the UK and worldwide populations. It is also becoming increasingly recognised within medical education. There is little research into the experiences of doctors with dyslexia. This paper forms part five of a programme of research from the authors into the experiences of UK me...

The topic of this article is the experience of the impact of dyslexia on medical studies, explored using a collaborative autoethnographic methodological approach. The study was prompted by an initial and ongoing full search of the literature, which revealed an absence of autoethnographic research into the experiences of medical students with dyslex...

Background Healthcare systems rely on an ongoing culture of learning and improvement in order to remain up-to-date. As such, it is vital to explore different modes of education delivery in this technologically-orientated era that can overcome geographical boundaries, time constraints and cost-limitations, allowing a global community to participate...

Sebastian Shaw, Medical Student, Division of Medical Education, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom. AIMS AND HYPOTHESIS Within this poster we review the literature on the use of Transactional Analysis (TA) in communication skills teaching for medical students. We also briefly explore TA – both what it is, and how it might ap...

Sebastian Shaw, Medical Student, Division of Medical Education, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom. AIMS AND HYPOTHESIS Through understanding hopelessness and helplessness (H/H), educators may be better equipped to understand and support students going through such difficulties. It is therefore our aim to explore the existin...

Sebastian Shaw, Medical Student, Division of Medical Education, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom. AIMS AND HYPOTHESIS Within this paper we aim to explore medical students’ experiences of hopelessness and helplessness (H/H) during their time at medical school. We hope to shed light on their experiences and coping strategies...

AIMS AND HYPOTHESIS The authors’ previous research has highlighted the experiences of an individual medical student living with dyslexia (autoethnography) and the experiences of medical students with dyslexia. It was our aim to give voice to the unspoken experiences of junior doctors with dyslexia. BACKGROUND There is little research into the exper...

Introduction Previous research on medical students with dyslexia has focussed on the adequacy of adjustments in exams. This report is one in a series investigating the lived experiences of medical students and junior doctors with dyslexia – a very under-researched area. Our research question is: “what are the lived experiences of medical students...

Background The Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH)1 has recently created a special interest group for students – sASPiH.2 sASPiH aims to recruit, retain and develop undergraduate healthcare professionals within ASPiH. Our business platform model3 has been implemented, and focuses on development. Our next phase is recruitment. T...

Sebastian Shaw, Postgraduate Student, Division of Medical Education, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom. Background and Relevance Dyslexia is a common condition within the United Kingdom. It effects approximately 10% of the population as a whole and an estimated 1.7% of medical students (1). These prevalence data are however...

Sebastian Shaw, Postgraduate Student, Division of Medical Education, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom. Background and Setting As doctors of the future, Medical Students (MS) are expected to develop a high degree of self-reliance in their learning (1). This includes filtering and assimilating large quantities of information...

Sebastian Shaw, Postgraduate Student, Division of Medical Education, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom. Background and Relevance Dyslexia is a common condition within the United Kingdom. It effects approximately 10% of the population as a whole and an estimated 1.7% of medical students (1). These prevalence data are however...

Sebastian Shaw, Postgraduate Student, Division of Medical Education, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom. Background and Relevance Dyslexia is a common condition within the United Kingdom. It effects approximately 10% of the population as a whole and an estimated 1.7% of medical students (1). These prevalence data are however...

Sebastian Shaw, Postgraduate Student, Division of Medical Education, Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom. Background and Relevance Dyslexia is a common condition within the United Kingdom. It effects approximately 10% of the population as a whole and an estimated 1.7% of medical students (1,2). Some research has investigate...

Sebastian C. K. Shaw and John L. Anderson BSMS, Division of Medical Education - Post-graduate Medicine Dyslexia is a common condition within the United Kingdom. It effects approximately 10% of the population as a whole and an estimated 1.7% of Medical Students (1). Some research has investigated the experiences of Nursing Students, but remarkably...