More dates

Payment plans

How does it work?

  • Reserve your order today and pay over time in regular, automatic payments.
  • You’ll receive your tickets and items once the final payment is complete.
  • No credit checks or third-party accounts - just simple, secure, automatic payments using your saved card.

Profound Autism Symposium 2025

Share
State Library of New South Wales
Sydney NSW, Australia
Host icon
Autism Awareness Australia
765 followers  ·  Contact host (Opens in new tab)
Add to calendar

Mon, 17 Nov, 9am - Tue, 18 Nov, 4:30pm AEDT

Event description

We are delighted to host Australia’s first-ever national event focused solely on profound autism.

The Profound Autism Symposium 2025 is a landmark event, placing the voices of families and needs of people with profound autism on the national stage for the very first time. 

Many profoundly autistic people are non-speaking or minimally verbal. Most have the co-occurring effects of intellectual disability and complex health conditions. Daily life often includes a range of behaviours of distress and safety risks. Consequently, diligent, comprehensive, person-led, 24/7 care is required each and every day, week, month and year of their lives for as long as they live.

Join us on 17 and 18 November in person at the State Library of NSW or via Livestream, as we convene world-class expertise, lived experience voices, and practical solution-building in a mix of presentation and discussion panels across a wide range of topics.

Whether you are a parent or caregiver, a family member, clinician, educator, service provider, or policymaker, we invite you to be part of this history-making event designed to put profound autism back on the national agenda.


Symposium Program

17 November

Keynote
Conversations Around Profound Autism: Compassion. Clarity. Progress.
Judith Ursitti (USA)
‍
Presentation
Autism and Emergency Services: Building Safer Responses
Kathrine Peereboom
‍
Break - Morning Tea
‍
Keynote

When Acceptance Ignores Reality: Life with Profound Autism
Eileen Lamb (USA)
‍
Panel Discussion
Housing Futures: Building Better Options for Profound Disability
Brent Woolgar (DSC), Lydia Dockrill (Housing Hub), Libby Ellis (Mable)
‍
Break - Lunch
‍
Panel Discussion
Bridging research and practice: What do we know about profound autism in an Australian cohort
Dr Rebecca Sutherland, Dr Kelsie Boulton, Dr Antoinette Hodge, Prof Andrew Whitehouse
‍
Panel Discussion
Parent Voices: Living with Profound Autism
Kathrine Peereboom, Judith Ursitti, Tim Pryde, Bob Buckley
‍
Break - Afternoon Tea
‍
Presentation
The Light, the Dark and the Lasting: supporting ourselves as families and carers through the profound autism experience
Meredith Coote, Briana Blackett
‍
Networking Event - from 5pm at the Library Bar. Proudly supported by: Dexus

18 November

Keynote
The Representation Wars: Media Portrayals, Language Debates, and Advocacy in the Autism Community
‍Amy Lutz (USA)

Break - Morning Tea

Panel Discussion
Overlooked and Underserved: Healthcare for Profound Autism
‍Dr Peter Smith, Dr James Best, Dr Rummana Afreen

Presentation
Where Should We Begin? Understanding & Teaching the Essential Skills to Live a Happy and Healthy Life
‍Karen McKinnon

Break - Lunch

Presentation
Securing the Future of your Family Member with a Profound Disability - Estate Planning for Families
Jonathan Harris

Panel Presentation
The Road Ahead: Building a National Voice for Profound Autism
Bob Buckley, Dr James Morton, Shannon Eeles, Tim Pryde

Additional sessions to be announced soon!

Click here to see our line-up of speakers.


Ticket Options


In-person or Livestream
Full Symposium (2 Days) – attend both 17 & 18 November in person or via livestream
Single Day Pass – attend on either 17 OR 18 November (in person or via livestream)
All tickets include – 6 months’ on-demand access to session recordings after the event

Ticket Categories
Parents & Caregivers – for parents, carers, and family members supporting someone with profound autism.
Includes a special flexible pass option that allows family members to share attendance across both days in one ticket
Professionals – for educators, allied health professionals, clinicians, support workers, researchers, policymakers and service providers

For more information about ticket packages and inclusions, check our website.

For more information, including FAQs, please visit the Profound Autism Symposium webpage.


Proudly supported by:


Networking Partner:

Powered by

Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity

State Library of New South Wales
Sydney NSW, Australia
Host icon
Hosted by Autism Awareness Australia