Fostering Ethical and Caring Fieldwork Practices in ADHD Research

Voices of people with ADHD tend to be marginalized in the research. This chapter delves into what ethical and meaningful inclusion of neurodivergent participants could mean in relation to fieldwork. It is a self-reflective account on researching a neurotype other than one’s own. The impetus for this is the author’s ethnographical fieldwork conducted with young adults with ADHD for a period of two years. Here, she engages with how she navigated her fieldwork journey—starting from the very first contact with participants until exiting the field. Describing the challenges and dilemmas faced during the fieldwork, she offers insights into the significance of listening effectively for developing a mutually respectful and trusting relationship. Some of the complex questions the author addresses are: What are the boundaries to knowledge generation, which forms of knowledge are considered credible, when is something a risk, and what does it really mean to inform participants that fieldwork has ended? Organizing the discussion around being inclusive of diverse voices and being mindful of blurred boundaries, opportunities for and challenges to listening effectively are identified. The author concludes by arguing for quality as an ethical and caring research practice, central to which is listening.