Dr Penny Williams is a consultant speech and language therapist specialising in complex communication disorders including those seen in autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. She works within a service for the assessment, diagnosis and support of neurodivergent children. Her PhD explored parent perceptions of their role in speech and language interventions in young children. Her clinical and academic interests include language profiles in epilepsy, actions and response indicative of distress in children, and working with parents.

She has been involved in writing, developing and contributing to national policy and guidance in the field of autism, including for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the NHS in England and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists. She is also mother to Lara, a young autistic woman with complex needs and epilepsy.