Improving the Lives of Autistic People and their Families and Carers
Online Event 29 June 2022, 9:00am - 3:00pm
Day 1
9:00am
Online Registration
9:30am
Chair's Welcome Address
Ritu Kiran-Jackson, Founder and CEO, Aubilities
9:40am
Driving Forward The National Strategy For Autistic Children, Young People And Adults 2021
- The Roadmap for the next five years
- The Government’s commitment to almost £75 million to the first year of its strategy to develop a public understanding campaign, reduce diagnosis waiting times and increase crisis support in the community, among other
- Strengthening governance, leadership and accountability
- Creating the necessary community support and assisting people in inpatient care
- Advancing support within the criminal and youth justice systems
Will Quince MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister for Children and Families, Department for Education
9:50am
Keynote Address: Working In Partnership To Deliver A Quality All Age Autism Strategy
- Creating a world where all Autistic children and young people experience a positive education that supports their wellbeing
- Empowering the education workforce across early years, schools, colleges, and universities to develop good Autism practice so that they can confidently support Autistic children and young people to experience a positive education, enabling them to have solid employment prospects
- The importance of seeing Autism as a difference not a deficit and ways of ensuring difference is valued and celebrated in education settings
- Supporting education leaders to achieve good Autism practice by helping them to embed The Education Trust (AET) Standards Framework in their settings
Sarah Broadhurst, Director, Autism Education Trust
10:15am
Enriching The Rights Of Autistic Children And Adults - Passing The Autism Amendment Bill
- Progressing the support for the right of Autistic community and their families through advocating for the Autism Bill in Northern Ireland
- Addressing the challenges of pre- and post- diagnosis support that Autistic children and adults face for a long time
- Learning the importance of an independent scrutiny mechanism and how this will benefit the Autistic community as a whole
Kerry Boyd, Chief Executive Officer, Autism NI
10:40am
Questions And Answer Session
11:05am
Break And Networking
11:35am
Case Study: Driving Social Changes For The Autistic Community - Harry Specters
- Providing full-time and part-time jobs to enable flexibility for the Autistic population
- Supporting not just Autistic population but also their families
Mona Shah, Founder, Harry Specters
11:55am
Case Study: Building A Diverse And Inclusive Environment For The Autistic Community
- How can we as a society support the inclusion of Autistic individuals and why does diversity matter
- Understanding the dynamics and cultural challenges for some Autistic children from an ethnic minority background
- How can we facilitate better triangulation between home and school for our Autistic children
Reena Anand, Autism Speaker, Writer, and Trainer
12:15pm
Interpreting Anxious Behaviour And Reducing The Triggers In A School Environment
- The significance of one-to-one attention in order to support students with their learning and behaviour
- Developing student communication, independence, social understanding, emotional wellbeing and academic achievement
- Working in community partnership to improve the lives of parents, carers and wider families
- Meeting pupil needs to multi-level strategies: The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped Children (TEACCH), Social Stories and Comic Strip Conversations, Attention Autism, Intensive Interaction and Sensory diets
Justin Price, Headteacher, Freemantle School
12:35pm
Questions And Answers Session
12:55pm
Lunch And Networking
1:40pm
Keynote Address: Breaking Misunderstanding Around Mental Health Of The Autistic Community
- Differentiating the challenges as an Autistic individual and syndromes of mental health illness
- Truly understanding the experience of living as an Autistic person from building personal linkage
- Providing advice on supporting Autistic parents, families, and carers from the counselling perspective
Elaine Nicholson MBE, Founder and CEO, Actions for Aspergers
2:00pm
Keynote Address: Supporting Autistic People To Obtain And Maintain Employment
- Accessing pathways to employment: Providing opportunities for Autistic community to find and succeed in suitable jobs
- Methods of encouraging employers to employing Autistic community and recognise the value they may bring to the workplace
- Assisting employers in making adjustments to their workplaces so that Autistic community can succeed in their jobs
- Increasing employment outcomes with evidence-based methodologies, approaches, and technologies
Stephen Alexander, Joint Chair, Employment Autism, and Hilary Fertig, Development Manager, Employment Autism, and Mahlia Amatina, Freelance Artist, Qualified Coach, Mentor, and Autistic Advocate
2:20pm
Supporting Surrounding Autism Diagnosis
- Discussing pre- and post- diagnostic support
- Developing needs- and strengths-based assessment and support for the Autistic community
- Conducting identity-based assessment and support system
Professor Mark Brosnan, Professor of Psychology, Bath University
2:40pm
Closing Keynote: Overcoming Challenges On A Daily Basis As An Autistic Person
Kay Locke, Director, Specially Unruffled LtD
3:00pm
Questions And Answers Session
3:20pm
Chair's Summary And Close