Session summaries
Below are summaries of all sessions taking place throughout the Annual Professionals' Conference 2024. If you're ready to book your place, you can do so on our conference booking page.
-
Luke's talk will reflect on why so many autistic individuals are so anxious so much of the time, sometimes leading to long-term trauma. He believes that these levels of anxiety are related to the environment rather than intrinsically being autistic, in which case - he argues - there is much that can be done by society to decrease the risk of anxiety states in the autistic population.
-
In this session, we’ll look at autistic people’s experiences of the education system, including schools, colleges and higher education. We’ll take in the Equality Act 2010’s provisions for fair treatment by reasonable adjustment.
The session will provide clear and up-to-date perspectives on issues such as:
- admissions
- attendance
- exclusion, including the effect of the “Rowley” judgement (C & C v Governing Body 2018)
- environmental impacts, including the way education providers are organised and governed
- psychological safety
- communications between education professionals and local services (including CAMHS, the local authority SEND team and Children’s Services)
- neuro-affirming school cultures
- “masking” and “ghosting”.
-
Experiencing mental health difficulties is a devastatingly common part of being autistic, and while good counselling can be extremely effective, it is all too common for therapy to be inaccessible or not sufficiently attuned to neurodivergent needs, sometimes even leading to harm. This talk will explore the challenges faced by neurodivergent, particularly autistic, people when accessing counselling and psychotherapy, and look at some ways therapy can be made more helpful and accessible for neurodivergent people.Drawing from the speaker's own experience as an autistic therapist and therapy client, and from research into autistic people's experiences of counselling, this talk aims to invite practitioners, clients and others to expand their imaginations around what therapy can look and feel like, and how we can adapt our own thinking, understanding and approaches to embrace different ways of experiencing the world.
-
Executive functioning is commonly misunderstood. In this session, we will explore aspects of executive functioning as they relate to autism, factors that often impair executive functioning on a day-to-day basis, common challenges that many autistic people face, as well as helpful strategies you may wish to try.Using empathy experiments and worked examples, we aim to achieve an intuitive understanding of the mechanisms involved as well as a felt connection with the autistic experience. It's also important to acknowledge the role that ADHD and motivation often play, as this often looks similar but needs to be managed quite differently.
-
Research shows that having a positive understanding of your autistic identity is an indicator of higher self-esteem and wellbeing as an adult. Yet, when do we teach this? This session will consider:
- what autistic identity is
- why and when to start discussing this
- the importance of the adult’s understanding of autistic identity and terminology
- what not to do and say
- concrete, neurodiversity-affirming strategies
- top strategies for having conversations around a young person's autistic identity
- activities to do with young people to develop their understanding.
Content has been shaped by autistic advisors and contributors, with first-hand experiences woven throughout.
-
Autistic people are much more likely to experience loneliness than non-autistic people. Despite this, negative stereotypes remain that autistic people aren’t motivated to seek out meaningful social connections. In this talk we share findings from our latest research which challenge these stereotypes and reveal the profound distress autistic people experience concerning their loneliness.
We will present findings from two studies on experiences of loneliness in autistic and non-autistic adults, including the role of sensory differences for loneliness, share perspectives from our autistic participants, and suggest ways in which society can tackle the loneliness experienced by autistic people.
-
Cath will be talking about the value of upskilling careers professionals and services, who play a vital role in supporting autistic people into meaningful employment. Cath will highlight how services and sessions that cater for a wide demographic of autistic individuals should be adapted generally, drawing on the experiences of young autistic people, case studies and professional experience of working with careers professionals over the last ten years.
Finally, Cath will signpost to some helpful free resources, tools and training to enable careers professionals to adapt their services and sessions to be fully inclusive and meaningful for autistic individuals.
-
An increasing number of children are struggling with school. Their families report high levels of anxiety and distress, and some children are refusing to go at all. The Government talks about attendance crackdowns, and schools and parents are under pressure to get those young people back into school.
In this talk, Dr Naomi Fisher will draw on her clinical experience as well as the research about why school is hard for many autistic children. She’ll talk about common strategies which are used by schools and why these can make the situation worse. She’ll suggest some ways in which we could make school a better fit for a diverse range of children.
-
This session will cover:
- the challenges autistic people have in inpatient units
- what Care, Education and Treatment Reviews (CETRs) are
- why they’re needed
- the positive impact they have
- lessons learned/how we can support those in inpatient units better.
-
Autistic burnout is not an official diagnosis but it is a commonly and consistently reported experience within the autistic community. Research suggests that autistic burnout is caused by too much stress and inadequate support. We know that masking is a large contributor to autistic stress, however unmasking can leave people feeling ashamed and vulnerable.
Similarly, seeking support and meeting their needs can lead to fear of being stigmatised. In this talk, I will draw on the research evidence and my clinical and personal experience to explain what autistic burnout is and what causes it. I will explain how recovery happens and what you can do to help yourself, or someone else, recover from and prevent autistic burnout.
-
The pedagogy and places we endure as autistic practitioners and pupils are not fit for purpose.
Follow a personal journey to explore some of the barriers and look at ways to go beyond equity towards liberation in the classroom, based on lived experience as an autistic teacher, headteacher and parent of autistic children.
-
Rates of mental health difficulties amongst the autistic community are extremely high. Despite being more likely to experience mental health difficulties however, large numbers of autistic people report problems with accessing mental health services that are adjusted and adapted to support their needs. Many mental health staff are highly skilled and dedicated to supporting clients, but longstanding systemic problems result in professionals lacking the required resources and training to provide effective support to their autistic clients (Mandy, 2022).
Within Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, we are privileged to offer an Adult Neurodevelopmental Liaison team; a three-year NHS England funded project, which aims to break down barriers that autistic people may face when accessing mental health services. Through adopting a consultation model, staff are supported through bespoke training, supervision and the provision of resources co-produced by psychologists, allied health professionals and experts by experience.
A key outcome of the project is the production of a neuro-affirmative reference guide to making reasonable adjustments within clinical services. In this talk, we will outline how to ensure equitable access and achieve positive outcomes for autistic people, drawing on a “4 Ps Reasonable Adjustments Model” to guide this process.
-
Sadly, some autistic people enter the criminal justice system. A report written in 2023 by the Criminal Justice Joint Inspectorate, Neurodiversity in the criminal justice system, identified a lack of specific training for those working with autistic and other neurodivergent people. Taking the best practice developed from understanding autistic people’s needs, the National Autistic Society has worked for over a decade to embed this practice into criminal justice settings.
This talk will explore how this has been developed, how it has been received (from the perspectives of autistic people and those working with them) and the value that can be gained from having partnerships between charities like the National Autistic Society and the criminal justice system.
-
Growing up autistic can be hard. Many young people report feeling different and having a sense of being out of step with the expectations of others. They say that they develop a strong sense that there is something wrong with them – and that this is their fault. Many carry this with them into adulthood.
Using the lens of trauma, Dr Naomi Fisher will talk about why autistic young people may be particularly vulnerable to experiencing the world as threatening, and how common behavioural and parenting techniques can exacerbate this. She’ll suggest some ways to get alongside young people and to help them feel that they are okay just as they are.
-
Autism and ADHD: supportive approaches
Dr Jo Steer, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Dr Jo Steer & AssociatesADHD is one of the most common co-occurring conditions of autism.
Since 2013, when the diagnostic criteria changed in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM-5), it became possible for people to be diagnosed with autism and ADHD. It is, therefore, important that we have a good understanding of both ADHD and autism and where the similarities and differences are.
This session will give an overview of up-to-date clinical practice for ADHD, considering assessment for ADHD alongside autism. There will also be some focus on ADHD in girls and women and the importance of being aware of this profile, as they are more likely to go under the radar and be missed.
Finally, there will be a discussion on supporting people who are diagnosed with autism and ADHD.
Autism & Learning disability: Actions and Responses indicative of distress: selfinjury, escape and harm to others
Penny Williams, Consultant Speech and Language Therapist, Evelina London Children’s HospitalAutistic individuals with a learning disability may act and respond in ways that are difficult to understand by others but which may be indicative of distress. This could include, for example, self-injurious actions, destruction of property, escape and/or harm to others. This session focuses on ways of reducing the risks of these arising or continuing, recognising and understanding them when they do, and ways to provide support.
It will discuss understanding the individual, their needs and preferences, the impact of the environment (sensory and physical) and physical health, and the importance of meaningful communication and occupation. It will also consider the potential roles of different professionals in supporting autistic individuals and their families when such distressed actions and responses arise.
Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training - Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board
Wendy Scott, Associate Director of Nursing Learning Disabilities and Autism, Suffolk and North East Essex NHSEach Integrated Care Board was tasked with leading and supporting their local registered services to implement the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training. Much of what Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board has implemented has been on good faith and system relationships.
We would like to share our journey, experiences and approach in training the workforce across health and social care who are required to deliver the tier 1 and tier 2 face-to-face sessions in their organisations; and our next steps in piloting a training collaborative starting with the acute trust.
Improving the Health of Older Autistic People (IHOAP): tailored healthcare adjustments
Barry Ingham, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Associate Psychological Services Director, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation TrustMeeting the health and wellbeing needs of older autistic people is a priority. We consulted with autistic adults and clinicians to develop and test the “Tailored Healthcare Adjustments (THA)” intervention, a personalised approach to improve healthcare access using reasonable adjustments.
Participants reported feeling more confident knowing that their GPs were aware of their adjustments, and they identified new health conditions and unmet needs following the THA intervention.
The THA intervention was found to be feasible and acceptable for autistic adults, with the potential for this to be tested further alongside other healthcare interventions currently being developed (eg health checks for autistic people).
Supporting autistic people with an eating disorder
James Ward-Sinclair, Founder, Autistic & UnapologeticIn “Autism, food and eating disorders: Supporting autistic individuals with restrictive eating”, I will explore the complex connection between autism and food challenges by discussing the impact of heightened sensory sensitivity on eating habits. This presentation will delve into how negative associations with specific foods emerge and persist.
Drawing from my personal experience with an eating disorder, I will also share insights on coping mechanisms, the significance of professional support and the role of hospitalisation.
Topics also featured include bulimia, muscle dysmorphia and the influence of social media on exacerbating eating disorders within the autistic community.