Disrupting norms of time and talk: Email interviews as a neurodivergent-affirming method for ethical and rich qualitative research

This article challenges the marginal status of email interviews in qualitative research. It argues that neuro-normative assumptions underpin prevailing ideals of ‘good’ research, privileging qualities aligned with neurotypical modes of interaction. Such qualities include verbal, real-time communication and bodily co-presence. Drawing on an interpretative phenomenological analysis study with women diagnosed in adulthood with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), this article challenges these neuro-conventions of research. It argues that email interviews enabled embodied engagement and disrupted normative temporalities by allowing participants to regulate sensory environments and engage on their own terms, in their own time. The asynchronous and written format of email interviews facilitated participant agency, supported their well-being, and enabled reflexivity for both participant and researcher. This produced rich, authentic data and enabled ethical research practices grounded in autonomy, beneficence, and justice. Reframing email interviews as a neurodivergent-affirming method, this article highlights their potential as a robust, inclusive and theoretically generative approach within qualitative research.