Autism Research Centre Symposium

Autistic Partnership in Action: Weaving Research into Policy and Practice to Support Autistic Well-Being

Keynote Speaker -  Professor David Trembath

This Changes Everything: The Promise and Possibilities of the new National Autism Centre 

Prof David Trembath is a speech pathologist by background and Head of Autism Research at CliniKids, The Kids Research Institute Australia. His career is dedicated to helping improve the life opportunities and outcomes for autistic people and their families.

The opening of the National Autism Research Centre for Aotearoa New Zealand presents enormous opportunities to unite around the common purpose of enhancing the wellbeing of autistic people and those who make up their support network. In this presentation, Prof David Trembath will reflect on the promise a Centre of this kind makes, and the possibilities it creates, to not only enhance the outcomes and impact of research, but also the approaches taken to achieve them.

Presentations will cover a range of topics including:

·        Co-designed early support for autistic children and their whānau/families (Dr Carla Wallace-Watkins, (Univ. of Canterbury, Victoria University); Lee Patrick (Autism NZ); Prof. Laurie McLay (Univ. of Canterbury)

·        Outcomes across the early life course for Autistic young people: evidence using the Integrated Data Infrastructure – Dr Nick Bowden (Univ. of Otago)

·        Change the system, change the world - Prof. Ann-Marie Kennedy (Univ. of Canterbury)

·        Examining case complexity among Pasifika Autistic/Takiwātanga youth in Aotearoa New Zealand: A national cross-sectional study – Dr Troy Ruhe (Univ. of Otago)

·        Getting it Right – Provision and Access to Timely and Appropriate Supports for the Tāngata Whaitakiwātanga/Autistic Community Before, During, and After Diagnosis - Dr Larah van der Meer and Lee Patrick (Autism NZ)

·        Auditory Sensitivities and Quality of Life in Autistic People – Prof. Paul Sowman (Auckland Univ. of Technology)

·        Plus you will hear from our Autistic Partnership – New Zealand (AP-NZ) panel including X, X, X, X

·        Closing remarks (Dr Ruth Monk, Univ. of Canterbury)

Light refreshments, including morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea will be provided.

To enable attendance from across the autism community, we have not included a registration fee for this event. However, any donations toward the Autism Research Centre, to support future events and activities, would be very gratefully received. 

Please note that numbers are limited for this event so if you decide not to attend, please withdraw your registration at your earliest convenience to enable others to attend. 

You can find out more about our Autism Research Centre by visiting our website.