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Autism Resources and Community Hub (ARCH)
Welcome to ARCH. These pages can be used as resources for the autistic community at BGU Scroll through the options below to find updates, resources and information that celebrates BGU’s autistic community. -
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. -
The Enigma of Autism explored in BGU lecturer’s new book
A senior lecturer from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln has edited a new book on autism. Dr Maria Efstratopoulou, Senior Lecturer in Special Educational Needs & Inclusion at BGU, launched her new book ‘The Enigma of Autism: Genius, Disability, or Just Different?’ at an event on campus this week. ‘The Enigma of Autism‘ is intended to serve as a resource for everyone who is dedicated not only to research but also to the education and wellbeing of children and adults on the Autistic Spectrum. The book presents the latest research findings in the field and provides coping strategies for professionals working with students with Autism in special education or mainstream settings. It is not only a research textbook for researchers and professionals but also aims to serve as a user-friendly guide and resource for the families who have a child in the Spectrum. Other contributors to the book from BGU are Dr Julia Lindley Baker who has written a chapter on strategies to cope and Dr Graham Basten who has written the foreword. ‘The Enigma of Autism: Genius, Disability, or Just Different?’ by Dr Maria Efstratopoulou was published in 2017 by Nova Sciences, New York. Find out more about studying Special Educational Needs & Inclusion -
Research Symposium Seeks to Highlight Participatory Autism Research
Last month Bishop Grosseteste University’s Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre (LORIC) Autism Ideas Café joined the Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC) to hold a Research Symposium event to discuss a collection of projects aimed at widening society's understanding of Autism. The virtual event saw four participatory autism researchers showcase their projects via short presentations and discussions with other researchers in front of an audience of over 70 attendees comprised of individuals, allies, professionals, and academics from around the world (many of whom were autistic). Topics and projects discussed included: “The Precariat” is a good name for a band: Autism, employment and the creative industries – Examining the experiences of autistic individuals as they transition from university into employment within the creative industries.Parents’ stories involving autism diagnosis for their child – Exploring the advantages and disadvantages of having an autism “diagnosis”.Autistic Teachers – The lived experiences of autistic professionals as they enter, manage, stay in, or exit the professionExploring classroom literature from an autistic viewpoint – How lenses of perception can impact on emotional interaction with a text. Following the presentations, attendees had the opportunity to discuss the research, network and share ideas. This has already led to some interesting collaborations with researchers from all over the UK and overseas,with a range of presentations already lined up for future events. Further details will be released in due course, but to register interest for these events, please visit the LORIC events page. Dr Clare (Kate) Lawrence (Senior Lecturer in Teacher Development at BGU, East Midlands Convener for the Participatory Autism Research Collective(PARC) and L.C.C. Autism Champion) shared her excitement at the potential impact of the event: “I am very excited by our first event as part of the Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC). This symposium showcased how BGU is embedding participatory autism research into our work through interesting and innovative projects that will further enrich and widen understanding of autism. It was a pleasure to listen in to these exciting research projects and on the discussions about them that took place between the participants. This is participatory autism research both in that the researchers are members of the autistic community and in that those researchers are exploring how best to capture the voices of their autistic community participants. There is real richness here, and I feel deeply privileged to be a part of this work.” Autism Ideas Café founder, Kay Purle, echoed Dr Lawrence's excitement, and discussed her hopes for future events: “It was very exciting to partner with the Participatory Autism Research Collective to deliver this event and it provided an exciting addition to the calendar of Autism Ideas Café events, which are based on a World Café Model of ideas sharing and collaboration. It was great to see such a positive response to the event in terms of sign up and of feedback so far, and it is hoped that we will be able to run further joined up events in the future”. Recordings of the event are available to view on the Participatory Autism Research Collective website: View recordings This event was funded by the Research England Strategic Priorities Fund. -
BGU Participatory Autism Research Symposium - 13th October 2021
The second Participatory Autism Research Symposium presented by Bishop Grosseteste University and the Participatory Autism Research Collective will be held online on Wednesday 13th October from 10am-12pm. Participatory autism research is defined as research where members of the autistic community have control over the research agenda and the analysis of, and reflection on, the data that is generated. It embeds the values of the draft framework for inclusive autism research (Chown et al., 2017), including that autism research should be aimed at improving the lives of autistic people. Each participant in the symposium will introduce an element of their current research and this will then be discussed by the group. Each presentation will last for approximately 15 minutes. Comment by audience members will not be supported during the symposium, but there will be an opportunity for delegates to discuss the event in groups at the end. Presentations: Autistic women and university This participatory PhD research focuses on autistic women's experiences of university, with specific regard to wellbeing. Participants expressed barriers to university and wanted universities to be more inclusive. As part of this project participants created creative pieces such as poems or artwork. Sophie is particularly interested in the use of creative methods as a research tool. Sophie is a BGU alumnus. Using the short film ‘Broken’ to explore autism in the classroom The short film Broken (Rimmer, 2020) is an artistic impression that aims to articulate autistic pupil dysfluency from an autistic viewpoint. The film has been used a tool to support trainee teachers’ understanding of fluency issues in autistic pupils in the mainstream classroom. The film (6 minutes) will be shown as part of the presentation. John is a member of BGU academic staff. The film’s co-creator, ‘Fauxparl’, is a BGU alumnus. Representation of Black autistic characters in picture books In 1990, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop published an essay outlining the importance of children’s books as both ‘windows’ and ‘mirrors’: books that are windows enable children to learn about the lives of others, and those that are mirrors support children to see themselves reflected. This project looks at the representation of Black autistic children in picture books – a hugely under-represented demographic. It critiques this representation both from a Black and from an autistic perspective and investigates how these books work both as windows and mirrors. Clare is undertaking a PhD in children’s literature at Cambridge University. She is supporting three members of BGU’s academic staff with this project. BGU’s ARCH project BGU has this year started an Autism Resources Community Hub (ARCH), which aspires to be a one-stop starting point for all members of the BGU autism community (autistic students and staff, family members, friends and allies) to access information about autism at BGU. This community-based, exploratory work aims to build a positive resource that emerges from our autistic community. Helen is BGU’s Student Engagement Facilitator. -
Second BGU Participatory Autism Research Symposium - October 2021
On 13th October, BGU hosted the second in its series of Participatory Autism Research Symposia, which featured presentations from members of the current BGU community and alumni. Attendees joined in with the online event from as far afield as Sweden, Canada and Malaysia, and heard presentations from four researchers. The first presentation described the artistic and academic journey taken by a current BGU staff member and an autistic BGU alumnus who created a short film called “Broken” (Rimmer, 2020) to detail an autistic pupil’s experience of trying to communicate with his teacher that his glasses were broken. This film has been used as a tool to support trainee teachers’ understanding of fluency issues in autistic pupils in the mainstream classroom. It can be viewed here. Sophie, a BGU alumnus then shared details of her participatory PhD research project which focuses on autistic women's experiences of university, with specific regard to wellbeing. As she is particularly interested in the use of creative methods as a research tool, Sophie asked project participants to create creative pieces such as poems or artwork which expressed barriers to university and a desire for universities to be more inclusive. In 1990, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop published an essay outlining the importance of children’s books as both ‘windows’ and ‘mirrors’: books that are windows enable children to learn about the lives of others, and those that are mirrors support children to see themselves reflected. Clare, a PhD candidate at Cambridge University who is supporting three members of BGU’s academic staff with a research project into the representation of black autistic characters in picture books provided information on the study, which critiques this representation both from a Black and from an autistic perspective and investigates how these books work both as windows and mirrors. Finally, Dan, a PhD candidate at BGU gave a short presentation on the BGU Autism Resources Community Hub (ARCH), which aspires to be a one-stop starting point for all members of the BGU autism community (autistic students and staff, family members, friends and allies) to access information about autism at BGU. This community-based, exploratory work aims to build a positive resource that emerges from our autistic community. The ARCH web pages can be found here. If you missed the first Participatory Autism Research Symposium, you can view the recording on the Participatory Autism Research Collective Website here. -
Autistic Perspectives to be Explored in Third Bishop Grosseteste University Participatory Autism Research Symposium.
Wednesday 16th November 2pm -
BGU alum Pete Wharmby launches new book on life with autism
Former Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) student, Pete Wharmby, has published his second book, "Untypical: How the World Isn't Built for Autistic People and What We Should All Do About It". The speaker and writer explores the topic of autism and the autistic experience. His work seeks to elevate the public's awareness of autism and highlight the unique challenges faced by autistic individuals in a world that does not always accommodate their needs. At the age of 14, Pete moved to Lincolnshire with his family. After completing his teacher training in English and Drama at BGU in 2008, he spent the next 13 years teaching, including at schools around Lincolnshire. It wasn't until 2017 that he received his autism diagnosis, which came as a turning point in his life. According to Pete, his diagnosis allowed him to finally understand why he had always felt different. He said: "It was a profound sense of relief to have my diagnosis confirmed. All the miscommunications and hyper fixations I'd had started to make sense. "I also realised that I had been able to connect so well with the autistic students I had taught because we had the same type of brain. I continued to teach with a renewed determination to create safe and welcoming spaces for my students, particularly those with autism." With a newfound understanding of his condition, he began to explore and share his experiences, which culminated in his first book, "What I Want to Talk About: How Autistic Special Interests Shape a Life" in 2022. The inaugural publication takes readers on a journey through his special interests, illuminating the challenges of autistic experience along the way. According to Pete, there's a significant lack of knowledge surrounding autism, and even well-meaning people can make common mistakes around communicating with autistic people. His second book, Untypical, seeks to shine a light on the condition for non-autistic people, offering suggestions of how people can better support the individuals in their life with autism. Preferring to offer a "warts-and-all" portrayal of autism, Pete promotes an authentic representation of what it is like to live with the condition, although he acknowledges that every autistic person will have different experiences. He aims to dispel myths and misconceptions and inspire open discussion around neurodiversity. Pete said: "It's actually quite handy being known as an autistic person, because I don't have to mask when I first meet people. "I did one public talk where I had an autistic meltdown just before I was due to speak. I could've cancelled it at the last minute, but instead I took it as an opportunity to share the experience with the audience; to speak about what had happened and the emotions I was experiencing." Pete regularly speaks at conferences and events, often as the keynote speaker, on topics such as autism in education, the experience of autistic students and teachers, the importance of monotropism and special interests and much more. Learn more about Pete and his work here.
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