Professional Conference 2011

Overview

Dates: 1-2 March 2011
Location: Central Convention Complex, Manchester

This annual two-day conference was a unique opportunity for senior professionals to discuss best practice and share learning. The theme this year was 'Delivering excellence in times of austerity'.

Presentations

• A history of autism: my conversations with the pioneers (PDF)
  Adam Feinstein, Autism Cymru/Awares
• Biological difference in the brain - so what? (PDF)
  Prof. Declan Murphy, Head of Department, Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry
• The diagnosis and education of girls and women with autism (PDF)
  Dr Jacqui Ashton-Smith, Principal, Helen Allison School and Dr Judith Gould, Director, The NAS Lorna Wing Centre for Autism, and Dr Judith Gould, Director, The NAS Lorna Wing Centre for Autism
• Different sleep patterns and difficult sleep problems in young people with autistic spectrum disorders (PDF)
  Prof. Paul Gringras, Professor of Paediatric Sleep Medicine and Neurodisability, Evelina Children's Hospital
• Don't just do something - stand there! A sceptical guide to autism treatments (PDF)
  Dr Michael Fitzpatrick, Barton House Health Centre
• The impact of sensory issues on individuals and the family (PDF)
  Carolann Jackson, Chair, Asperger Syndrome Adults and Parents in Essex (ASAP Essex) and mum to Nita
• Inclusion and diversity at the Kingsway School (PDF)
  Mary Burgess, SENCO, The Kingsway School
• Inclusion or exclusion - key developments in education law for children with autism (PDF)
  Steve Broach, Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers
• My son is an adult and has ASD: what should I do? (PDF)
  Dr Tom Berney, Consultant in Developmental Psychiatry, Education and Services for People with Autism (ESPA)
• The passionate mind: how individuals with autism learn (PDF)
  Dr Wendy Lawson, Autism Consultant
• Perceptual problems in individuals with autism - implications for management and support (PDF)
  Dr Michael McCreadie, Consultant Clinical Director, Studio III
• The pervasiveness of autism thinking in daily life situations (PDF)
  Hilde de Clercq, Former Director, Opleidingscentrum Autisme, Antwerp, and speaker, trainer and consultant
• Selective eating in children with autism (PDF)
  Dr Gillian Harris, Senior Lecturer in Applied Developmental Psychology, University of Birmingham
• Sense-making in communication and play (PDF)
  Prof. Ina van Berckelaer-Onnes, Clinical Child and Adolescent Studies, Leiden University
• Sensory processing abnormalities (SPA): challenges in the diagnosis and assessment of children referred for possible social and communication disorders (PDF)
  Dr Elspeth Webb, Reader, Cardiff University
• Sensory processing in autism and the built environment (PDF)
  Teresa Tavassoli, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge & Andrew Brand, Research Associate, Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre
• Time for change – rethinking the international classification systems for diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders (PDF)
  Dr Judith Gould, Director, The NAS Lorna Wing Centre for Autism
• Using personalisation to improve the quality of life for people with autism (PDF)
  Dr Julie Beadle-Brown, Senior Lecturer in Learning Disabilities, University of Kent, and Andrew Ellis, Individual budget holder
• What I wish I'd known sooner and what I wish I knew now: a retrospective of childhood and adolescence, lessons learned in hindsight and anticipations of future challenges (PDF)
  Virginia Bovell, Parent of a 17-year-old with autism