Chaired by Dr Carly Danesh-Jones and Tim Nicholls, this year’s Annual Professionals’ Conference brought together experts by experience, researchers, and practitioners to explore what truly neuroaffirmative practice looks like in education, health, and care settings.

With a focus on embedding inclusive, strengths-based approaches, the conference welcomed hundreds of delegates from across sectors to hear from a powerful speaker line-up.

Highlights included:

• Tanya Adkin and Helen Edgar presented Neuro-affirming research into practice – monotropism in the classroom and beyond, offering educators practical strategies rooted in autistic-led theory and affirming approaches to support autistic and ADHD learners in all settings.
• Lee Chambers delivered Autism and Allyship: Moving from Awareness to Action, emphasising the need for partnership and shared responsibility in breaking down systemic barriers.
• Tim Chan shared his lived experience in Self-advocacy and Inclusivity: A Nonspeaker’s Perspective, challenging assumptions around communication and advocating for greater inclusion of non-speaking autistic individuals.
• Additional sessions from leaders like Professor Andy McDonnell, Marsha Martin, Catherine Crompton, Andy Smith, and Holly Sprake-Hill addressed low arousal approaches, intersectionality, sensory needs, PTSD, and inclusive education.

Key themes included:

• Neuroaffirmative practice in theory and action
• Understanding monotropism and autistic-led research
• Inclusive strategies for mainstream, alternative, and SEND settings
• Intersectionality, access barriers, and allyship
• Promoting self-advocacy and challenging outdated narratives

The conference was accessible live online, with all sessions available on demand for three months, supporting flexible learning and reflection.

Together, speakers and attendees explored what it means to show up for autistic people, not just in policy or training, but through everyday interactions and institutional culture.