Research Spotlight: Grieving divergently? Developing understanding and support for bereaved neurodivergent children and young people through gameplay

Lucie Wheeler
May 13
3 min read

At RECAP, one of our core aims is to make research more accessible to families. Behind every study are passionate researchers working to better understand children, learning, development, and family life.

In our Research Spotlight series, we introduce the people behind the research - sharing their work, insights, and why their findings matter in the real world for parents and carers.

Today's work is from:

Professor Erica Borgstrom, Professor of Medical Anthropology, The Open University
Dr Jon Rainford, Senior Lecturer in Childhood and Youth Studies, The Open University
Dr Poppy Gibson, Lecturer in Education, The Open University
Dr Stephanie Mulrine, Senior Lecturer in Medical Sociology, University of Sunderland
Katy Vigurs, Practitioner for DEAD GOOD
Matt Jones, Lecturer in Computer Games Design, Anglia Ruskin University

Did You Know?

A man and woman sit at a table in an office setting, engaged in conversation. The woman leans forward, appearing thoughtful.

➤ Not everyone experiences grief in the same way.

➤ Whilst under-researched, there is evidence that neurodivergent people may experience grief, as well as the social practices around death and bereavement, differently from others.

➤ Grief may be overwhelming and unsettling for neurodivergent children who may seek to understand what has happened or be unsure of how to behave in such situations.

What was the research looking at?

Social norms are known to be powerful, influencing what behaviours or responses are expected, accepted, and stigmatised, including around loss and grief. People’s learning about social norms and grief often begins in childhood. Some have claimed that grief is a universal experience, which carries with it unsaid normative assumptions about how people may perceive and experience it.

However, neurodivergent people may experience and respond to bereavement, death, loss and grief in ways that diverge from social norms, and there is a diversity within these differences.

In this pilot research project, funded by The Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness (FSHI), we are aiming to try and develop a shared understanding of what grief means for neurodivergent young people and how we might use gameplay to help understand and support young people in the grieving process.

Research Questions:

RQ1: What is known about neurodivergent children’s and young people’s experiences of bereavement, and associated support?

RQ2: How can gameplay be used to improve the support for bereaved neurodivergent children and young people?  

How did you conduct your research?

Hand reaching for cards with words like "LITTER" and "ANTARCTICA" on a table. Bright red and blue illustrations. Pile of pink papers nearby.

As a result of a recent two-day workshop hosted in Sunderland with four neurodivergent young people, and ongoing conversations, we hope to:

Understand the key issues from research into neurodivergent experiences of grief and the gaps that further research could fill
Develop knowledge on what game play is and how gameplay might work as part of this.

This workshop is accompanied by two scoping reviews across the fields of grief for neurodivergent children and young people, and the intervention and use of game play for neurodivergent individuals. These sought to directly address the research questions.

What are your key findings?

Three people collaborate around a table with papers and stationery. One reaches for a coaster. A Dr Pepper can and vibrant papers are present.

For neurodivergent people, the challenges of naming feelings, differing responses to grief that does not always align with social norms, and depth of feeling can all impact upon grieving. Death may also create disruption in routines and trigger special interests surrounding death, which may be hard for others to understand. Traditional therapeutic approaches might need to be adapted to cater for these differences.

Whilst the pilot research is still ongoing, early findings suggest that game playing can foster safe spaces for people to share lived experiences of grief and bereavement, allowing for conversations to be hosted side-by-side.

Any recommendations?

Hands holding pink toys and a green textured tube on a white table. Blue and green objects in the background. Playful mood.

If you are supporting a child or young person, with grief or more widely with regulation, consider how game playing can be a useful tool to provide a space to explore emotions in an informal way.

Your final word…

Working on projects like this helps us understand possible ways to support children and young people as they grieve. We can only do this if we hear voices of the individuals themselves and listen to their lived experiences.

A doodle of a person thinking, with a hand on chin and a large green question mark above. The background is white.

Are there any games that you have played or that you can reflect may be supportive to play with people who are grieving or have experienced loss; how can these games provide safe spaces for conversation and sharing?

Tell us in the comments

References and Recommended reading:

Palastanga, E.L., Gibson, P. and Greenhalgh, M. (2025) Supporting Bereaved Children in the Primary Classroom: Helping Children Process Death, Grief and Loss. Routledge.
Rainford, J. and Borgstrom, E. (2026) How can I support bereaved neurodivergent children? | OpenLearn - Open University
A free course from Open Learn: An introduction to death, dying and grief | OpenLearn - Open University
Check out the project partner’s Instagram: DEAD GOOD: (9) Instagram