Session summaries
Below are summaries of all sessions taking place throughout the Annual Professionals' Conference 2025. If you're ready to book your place, you can do so on our conference booking page.
Education and young people |
| Stream A |
| Chairs: Dr Carly Danesh-Jones & Tim Nicholls |
Mental health and clinical services |
| Stream B |
| Chair: Peter Watt |
Supportive approaches |
| Stream C |
| Chair: Fenella Cannings-Jurd |
9.20 - 10.10am
-
Neuroaffirmative practice is increasingly being recognised and embraced by many practitioners and clinicians. However, we know this is still a new idea to many people, and there can be uncertainty about what it actually means. Our panel speakers all work in different disciplines or research, so we have invited each person to talk about what neuroaffirmative practice means to them. The speakers will then join together for a Q&A session.
10.20 - 11.10am
-
This talk explores the unique challenges faced by Black autistic individuals, focusing on how the intersection of race and disability impacts their lives and experiences. It highlights both socio-cultural (community) and systemic barriers that hinder access to diagnosis and support services for Black families. It also delves into the potential benefits of culturally tailoring support/interventions to address the specific needs of the Black community, within the broader context of autism care and advocacy.
11.30 - 12.15pm
-
Description coming soon.
-
Description coming soon.
-
The ethos of Autism Understood is that it’s a website about autism, for autistic young people. This talk will explain why we created Autism Understood, what is important for young people and parents to understand about being autistic, and why this is so important.
The session will include:
- information and ideas about how professionals and parents can support young people to understand their neurotype
- information and ideas about how professionals can support parents to understand autistic experiences.
1.15 - 2pm
-
This session will focus on understanding monotropism, an autistic-created, neuro-affirming theory that offers a holistic and, to many people, a new understanding of both autistic (and ADHD) experiences. Drawing from autistic culture, we'll explore how this theory provides insights into many autistic experiences, examine practical strategies that align with a monotropic perspective, and develop additional support strategies through this lens. The session will be relevant to children with profound and multiple learning disabilities and those without.
-
Description coming soon.
-
Description coming soon.
2.10 - 2.55pm
-
The NEurodivergent peer Support Toolkit (NEST) is a suite of materials to facilitate peer support for neurodivergent young people in mainstream secondary schools. The toolkit has been co-created by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, neurodivergent young people and a neurodiverse group of adults who work with neurodivergent young people. NEST groups aim to provide a safe space for neurodivergent students to have fun with their peers, engage in their choice of activities, learn about neurodiversity and explore feelings related to their own neurodivergence. This talk will describe the development and subsequent trial of the NEST materials, and how they may improve neurodivergent young people’s school experiences.
-
The field of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in autistic individuals has been gaining increasing interest in recent years. While there are more publications in this area, the lack of large-scale international trials on assessment measures and randomised controlled trials on psychological treatment models, means that evidence-based practice guidelines for autistic individuals with trauma and PTSD are lacking. This talk will provide an overview of what is currently known about identifying, treating and supporting autistic individuals who have experienced trauma and PTSD, while also highlighting the gaps in current knowledge.
-
This session will explore practical ways non-autistic individuals can become effective allies for the autistic community. We'll discuss the importance of understanding and respecting autistic communication styles, sensory needs and diverse perspectives. Participants will learn how to create inclusive environments, challenge stereotypes and amplify autistic voices. We'll cover strategies for adapting social interactions, supporting autistic colleagues in the workplace and advocating for systemic changes. The session will emphasise the value of neurodiversity and the need to move beyond mere awareness to active allyship. By the end, attendees will have practical actions they can take to become an effective ally and know how they can partner with autistic people in a meaningful way.
3.10 - 3.55pm
-
This session will explore how technology can be harnessed to create inclusive learning environments that support neurodivergent learners. Dr Broadhurst will discuss key benefits and share practical examples of personalised learning experiences, improved engagement and accessible content tailored to various learning needs. She will address potential risks, including the inherent bias in generative AI that can exacerbate inequality. Finally, Dr Broadhurst will emphasise the importance of thoughtful design and collaboration with neurodivergent communities to ensure technology enhances education in an equitable and sustainable way.
-
Our autistic sensory experiences can be intensely joyful, deeply distressing and everything in between. They provide colour and spice to every encounter with the world outside and inside of our bodies in a way that can be difficult for non-autistic people to understand. Led by an autistic occupational therapist, this session will be a refreshing exploration of how autistic sensory preferences and sensitivities influence the way we interact and live our daily lives and impact our mental health and wellbeing.
-
Description coming soon.
4.05 - 4.50pm
-
This talk is on reducing restrictive practices by adopting non-confrontational low arousal approaches. It will explore a practitioner’s perspective on the low arousal approach, including reflective practice and its implications for changing day-to-day practice; developing arousal regulation and co-regulation; and removing the ‘battle for control’ (McDonnell, 2019). The perspective of people with lived experiences and their application of low arousal approaches will also be explored. The talk will focus on eradication rather than reduction of restrictive practices, predominantly from a human rights-based perspective.
Learning outcomes: Practitioners should be able to understand the basic principles of the low arousal approach; develop ideas for the reduction and elimination of restraint and seclusion; and move away from punitive methods of behaviour control.
-
Autism and chronic illness
Charli Clement, Autistic authorHealth and healthcare support needs in older autistic people
Liz O’Nions, Epidemiologist at Bradford Institute for Health Research
Professor Joshua Stott, Clinical Psychologist and Professor of ageing and clinical psychology at UCLInteroception, the 8th Sense: The Science of How We Each Uniquely Feel
Kelly Mahler, Occupational TherapistSelf-advocacy and Inclusivity: A Nonspeaker’s Perspective
Tim Chan, Adult autistic non-speakerSuccessful Transitions: Transdisciplinary working to support children and young people and their families
Dr Irina Roncaglia, Corinna Laurie & Joanne Neill Smith, National Autistic Society Clinical LeadsUnderstanding how autistic people experience trauma
Caroline van Diest, CBT and EMDR therapist