In our stream of Clinical Sessions, learn how neurodiversity arises in our genes and our brain cells, and consider what that means for diagnosis, health and daily life.
These are just some of the sessions we have in store. Join us for these inspiring sessions, packed with insights and innovative.
The Transdiagnostic Future of Neurodiversity Research – Keynote
Tuesday 14th, March (p.m.)
Sue Gathercole (University of Cambridge) offers a hopeful look into the future and the role that transdiagnostic research can play in generating new knowledge about neurodiversity.
Processes in Denial of Care
Monday 13th, March (a.m.)
Bo Hejlskov (psychologist, and author at HELS, Birmingham City University) examines the reasons why care services sometimes fail to effectively look after the people who use those services in this pre-record “Big Talk”.
Healthy Brains
Monday 13th, March (p.m.)
A session to examine the important role of shaping how our brain develops across childhood and in adulthood as well as how to work with acquired neurodivergence in the form of brain injury. Discover a new sense of what we might mean by a “healthy brain” and practical information you can deploy for yourself and for children.
Cos Micheal is an autistic speaker at conferences in the UK and abroad. Having led the Autism and Ageing workstream at the NAS, she contributed to various research projects around health and wellbeing in autistic adulthood, co-authoring research papers. Other publications include articles in ‘Autism’ and ‘Autism in Adulthood’. Cos now trains and advises predominantly about aspects of autistic adulthood and ageing, Over a long career, Cos has worked at the BBC, the National Sound Archive and in the theatre.
Rachel V Gow is a Nutritionist and Child Neuro Psychologist at Kings College London and will be talking about “Smart food for ADHD and brain health
Neurodiversity & Quality of Life
Monday 13th, March (a.m.)
Professor Sven Bolte (Director of the Centre of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm) explores how we can measure what “the good life” really means for very different kinds of people; discover how quality of life can be manifest in different ways for different people, and practical information about tools for measuring quality of life.
The Ever Changing Brain – Keynote
Tuesday 14th, March (a.m.)
Pierre Magistetti (EPFL University of Lausanne) reveals what is known about the brain after decades of relentless investigation, and how this incredible hardware nonetheless gives rise to such enormous diversity of experience.
Diversity in Neurodiversity
Monday, 13th March (p.m.)
Find out where the concepts of neurodiversity and neurodivergence originated and consider how those origins shape our knowledge today.
Nick Walker is a queer autistic writer, educator, and futurist, best known for her foundational work on the neurodiversity paradigm and Neuroqueer Theory. She is a professor of psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies, Managing Editor at Autonomous Press, senior aikido instructor at the Aiki Arts Center in Berkeley, California, and author of the book Neuroqueer Heresies. She also writes speculative fiction, including the urban fantasy webcomic Weird Luck.
Kassiane Asasumasu (Foundation for Divergent Minds), the person who actually coined the word “neurodivergent”, examines how neurodivergence intersects with other aspects of a person’s identity, such as their gender, culture or ethnicity.
Routines for Happiness
Monday, 13th March (a.m.)
Learn more about the daily lives of carers and the people they care for, and gain insight about how best to care for the carers.
A Day in the Life of an Autistic Parent and Carer: Adam Murphy (father and award-winning full-time carer and Twitter superstar) provides honest, rich and witty insights into daily life with an adult autistic son who needs plenty of care and supervision.
Sleep Routines and Intellectual Disability: Dr Lindsey Mizen (Patrick Wild Centre University of Edinburgh) a consultant psychiatrist and clinical academic, with a learning disability specialism, will showcase cutting edge research and practice information about sleep routines for people with an intellectual disability.