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Ideas Café – Autism
On 5th April, we held an ideas cafe surrounding the topic of autism. Attendees came from a diverse range of health, social care and academic backgrounds. A range of ideas were highlighted for discussion, in relation to autism that the attendees felt would be valuable to discuss. Ideas that were put forward included: Managing parents’ expectations around obtaining a diagnosis for their childHow to keep autistic children in mainstream schoolSpecial needs training for all trainee teachersTransition for a child into adult servicesTraining for educational staff – increasing training and confidence levels of staff to better manage children with autismHow do we access school staff in order to train them?Can technology be used to link up all of these different areas?Mapping the services available for different age groups. The group consensus was that a mapping exercise would be useful to visualise what services are currently available and who they are aimed at. This led to an interactive session of plotting out services and gaps in service for different age ranges: Early YearsPrimary School AgeSecondary School AgePost 16/Teenagers/Young adultsAdultsThe Elderly Where gaps were identified, the group considered what was being done, or what could be done to address the shortcomings. Once plotted, services were categorised according to whether they could be accessed through universal services or self-referral, or whether they required a referral to be made via a professional. A follow-up event to further map out out the autism landscape of Lincolnshire, and to discuss and collaborate on other themes relevant to autism has been planned at LORIC on Friday 7th June 10am-12pm. This event is open to anyone with a personal or professional interest in autism and places can be booked via the LORIC Eventbrite page. -
Participatory Autism Research Symposium
Bishop Grosseteste University’s LORIC Autism Ideas Café and the Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC) are pleased to announce details of their joint event to be held on 24th March 2021. -
Autism Cafe Update February 2021
This month’s event was a small discussion group, with input from a BGU student engagement champion who is involved in a piece of work to review the university’s provisions for autistic people. Discussions mostly centred around the on-campus support and facilities available to students with autism at BGU, which include designated quiet spaces, sensory equipment, and a lanyard system to show face mask exemption, as well as bespoke support plans for autistic students that are put in place in conjunction with course tutors. Considerations were given to how these facilities could also be utilised by autistic staff members. Other discussions included considering what masking behaviours and coping mechanisms people find helpful, and how engaging in these can impact on wellbeing, both positively and negatively. We also continued on two of our discussions from last month, one around special interests; considering how these can present and how people draw a distinction between hobbies and special interests; and another around adult diagnosis, particularly in older adults and how society’s understanding of, and attitudes towards, autism have changed over the last 30-40 years. The next Autism Café event will be held in March and will feature a research symposium, hosted in conjunction with The Participatory Autism Collective (PARC) featuring the presentation of research discussions by post-graduate and doctoral students from Bishop Grosseteste University. Topics which will be covered are: How can autistic people be supported to enter the creative “gig” economy? Advantages and disadvantages of pursuing a “diagnosis” of autism. The lived experiences and journeys of autistic teachers. Is the reading of literature different in autistic and neurotypical pupils? -
Autism Ideas Cafe Update - December 2020
LORIC Autism Ideas Cafe goes online -
Bishop Grosseteste University Third Participatory Autism Research Symposium Reflection
On 16th November 2022, Bishop Grosseteste University hosted it's third Participatory Autism Research Symposium. -
Autism Ideas Cafe Update - May 2021
An update on the latest Autism Ideas Cafe event held 19th May 2021 -
Bishop Grosseteste University launches autism exhibition
A free exhibition of artefacts that have emerged from the autism community in answer to the question ‘What is autism?’ will go on display at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). -
Autism Ideas Café Update January 2021
The first Autism Ideas Café event of 2021 welcomed new faces and led to some lively on-line discussions. Each event held so far has been unique, with a different mix of attendees made up of academics, professionals, students, members of the autistic community and their allies. What makes each event special is the views, knowledge and experience that each attendee brings, as well as the diversity of topics of discussion. The January session included musings on the need for researchers to communicate their research findings so that they are relevant, easily accessible, and relatable to real life situations, as well as discussions around a number of autism related issues. Employment: How can employers be more inclusive? How can their awareness of autism be raised? The importance of making workplace adjustments. Understanding what employers can gain from having a neuro-diverse workforce. How can research be used to support the increased employment of autistic individuals? Diagnosis: How can adults on the spectrum get a diagnosis? Should they pursue one? What difference does it make? Do the diagnosis rates in boys and girls actually reflect the incidence of autism? Are girls on the spectrum treated differently? Do they get diagnosed with other issues instead? The experience of girls and women on the spectrum: How do autistic women cope with the hormonal and physical changes of puberty and menopause? Are girls more likely to mask their autism? Does this manifest in mental health issues such as depression or eating disorders? Are girls as likely as boys to have a “special” interest? Are these seen as hobbies? Autism and parenting: Being an autistic parent. How does late diagnosis of parents affect children? If a parent gets an adult diagnosis does that affect the child? Do autistic parents parent differently? How can parents empower their autistic children? How can parents meet the sensory needs of their children? Many of these themes will be explored in the March Autism Ideas Cafe event, which will be in the format of a research symposium, including presentations of their current research by PhD and Master's students from BGU. Details TBC. -
Autism Ideas Café Update July 2021
The July session of the Autism Ideas café welcomed attendees from the UK and beyond and was based around three discussion topics. International Perspectives on Autism and Autism Research – The discussion was informed by a description of the situation regrading diagnosis, support and public attitudes towards autism in Hong Kong led by an autism researcher living in Hong Kong. She explained that in Chinese, the word for autism means to “self-isolate or self-enclose”, and that much of the focus of support for autistic children tends to be around encouraging them to present as being “less autistic”, and advised that there is very little focus on adults with autism. Autistic children may be referred to as “children of the stars”, which can perpetuate the view that autism is something which is only experienced by children. The discussion was further supplemented by a group member from New Zealand who shared their experiences of receiving a diagnosis of autism as an adult. Employability Support for Neurodivergent Women – an innovative approach Darkside Rising , a community interest company based in Lincolnshire gave a presentation on their innovative programme of support for neurodivergent women which includes weights-based strength training and mindfulness. More information on their programme can be found here. Diagnosis or Self-Identification – Implications for Research The discussion focussed on the issue of formal diagnosis and self-identification of autism, and how these differ in relation to their implication on autism research. General consensus of the group was that for general autism research, self-identification is perfectly valid, but that depending on the research question being explored, then specifying diagnosis as an inclusion criterion is acceptable, particularly where research focusses on experiences relating to the diagnostic process. Save the Date – the next Bishop Grosseteste Participatory Autism Research Symposium has been scheduled for the 13th October, with further details of the agenda to be shared nearer to the date. Register Here. The next Autism Ideas Café event will be held online on Wednesday 8th September. Register Here. -
Autism Ideas Café Update September 2021
The September session of the Autism Ideas Café focused on three topics of conversation: The new National Strategy for autistic children, young people and adults in England. This provided an opportunity to explore and discuss the new strategy, which was launched in July 2021, and will be in place until 2026. The strategy document for 2021-2016 and implementation plan for 2021-2022 can be found here. What autistic adults wish their parents had known - Supporting neurotypical parents to understand the needs of their autistic children. Sharing autistic people’s experiences of growing up and discussing how parents can meet the individual needs of all children, including those who are autistic. Developing an Autism-friendly campus. Showcasing the work done at BGU regarding support for the university’s Autistic community in the form of ARCH (Autism Resources and Community Hub) and gathering feedback on this, including the webpages, which can be found here. Autism Research Symposium Update: Work is underway to finalise the programme for the second Participatory Autism Research Symposium which will be run in collaboration between Bishop Grosseteste University and the Participatory Autism Research Collective. This will be held online on Wednesday 13th October. Register Here.
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