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In this special extended annual lecture, Professor Laura Crane will be sharing her experiences as Specialist Adviser to the House of Lords Committee on the Autism Act 2009, where she supported the development of its landmark report, 'Time to Deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy'. The House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Committee offered an unprecedented look at how national autism policy is (and isn’t) working for autistic people and those who support them. In this lecture, Laura will share key findings from the inquiry, including what was learned from autistic people, practitioners, and policymakers, and why the government’s response matters for autistic people's futures. Attendees will gain insight into the evidence behind the Committee’s recommendations, the barriers that continue to limit meaningful change, and the steps the sector can take to strengthen accountability and impact. Laura Crane is Professor of Autism Studies at the University of Birmingham, where she is Director of the Autism Centre for Education and Research (ACER). Laura is also Honorary Professor of Autism Research and Education at the UCL Institute of Education, on, based within the Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE). Laura's work focuses on improving the lives of autistic people and those who support them through conducting collaborative, impactful research that truly makes a difference. Laura is committed to bridging research, policy, and practice, and to working in partnership with autistic people and their allies to bring about meaningful change.
Time to deliver: Lessons from the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Committee – Laura Crane (22-JUN-26)
Vinny Carter Leno considers: Why are some children more responsive to everyday sensory inputs than others? Brain Mechanisms Underlying Heightened Sensory Responsivity in Early Childhood Some children, many of whom are autistic, experience heightened or hyper sensory responsively from early in life. What drives these heightened sensory experiences and the impact they may have on development is not well known. The SENSOR project aims to use innovative technology, such as virtual reality, to better understand differences in brain functioning that may explain individual variation in sensory responsively. Vinny: "I am a Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck College, University of London. I am interested in building understanding of why autistic children are more vulnerable to experiencing mental health difficulties, particularly anxiety. My research uses a variety of methodologies such as EEG, fNIRS, virtual reality and longitudinal modelling to unpick mechanisms that may lead to increased anxiety in autistic people.
Brain Mechanisms of Heightened Sensory Responsivity in Early Childhood: Vinny Carter Leno (4-JUN-26)
"Practice makes perfect" but perhaps not. Spencer Hayes will share findings showing autistic children learn better in unpredictable motor tasks. In this webinar, Spencer will introduce the distinct ways motor movements, such as using a pencil or kicking a ball, operate in autistic children. He will talk about how changing the learning to be unpredictable actually facilitates autistic children to learn new motor skills compared to learning in a predictable and less noisy environment.
Moving in unpredictable environments: autistic children and motor skills – Spencer Hayes (7-MAY-26)
Jess Spigler and Brian Irvine talk about autistic teacher research. • Jess’s open-access paper looking (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/27546330251406910) at how workplace culture shapes belonging for autistic school staff. • The team are working towards developing feasible inclusion measures rated by school leaders and teachers across the UK. Jess will update her website (https://www.jessicajayespiegler.com/)  as they come out so that school staff can freely draw on them. • Current recommendations mentioned by Jess for supporting autistic staff from NAIT (https://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/13698) . The Autism Education Trust has also published “Guidance for school leaders on supporting autistic members of staff”.
Jess & Brian on au-some teachers
Most research that includes the voices of autistic children and young people uses traditional research methods (interviews and surveys), which can exclude many from participating. ACoRNS research focuses on the co-creation of creative methods to enable autistic children and young people to contribute their views and perspectives. This talk will provide examples of creative methods we have developed and applied to show how children and young people’s voices can be included in research and practice. At the heart of this work is a commitment to social and epistemic justice through taking a values-led and strengths-based approach to knowledge production and building the evidence base. --- Sarah Parsons is Professor of Autism and Inclusion in Southampton Education School at the University of Southampton, UK. Sarah’s work is participatory and inclusive with an emphasis on knowledge co-construction between research and practice. Sarah co-directs the Autism Community Research Network @ Southampton [ACoRNS] with Professor Hanna Kovshoff, which is a neurodiverse research-practice partnership between the University, education providers, and related organisations.
Co-Constructing Creative Methods for Voice with Sarah Parsons [5-MAR-25]
Virtual reality as a tool for understanding and supporting social interactions involving autistic people. In this talk, Nate shares how virtual reality has transformed our ability to study complex social interactions in autism. He discusses key insights from VR-based experiments that challenge traditional views of autistic social experiences. He also highlights emerging applications of VR as a tool to support positive social outcomes, including innovative approaches to job interviews. Finally, he reflects on the broader potential of VR and artificial agents to promote inclusion and wellbeing for neurodiverse communities. Associate Professor Nathan Caruana is a cognitive psychologist and social neuroscientist at Flinders University and leads the HAVIC Lab for Human, Artificial and Virtual Interactive Cognition (www.haviclab.com). His research focuses on the brain processes that support social interaction across neurodiversity, including autism and schizophrenia. He was recently awarded the Paul Bourke Award from the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia for pioneering virtual interaction paradigms that have advanced autism and social neuroscience research.
Virtual reality as a tool for supporting autistic people, with Nate Caruana (5-FEB-26)
Brian was joined by Daniel Williams, a PhD researcher and assistant head teacher at Eagle Park School. They discuss Daniel's research on sensory processing in autistic children, focusing on how sensory data is processed and learned behaviors are developed. Daniel shares how his research influences classroom practices, encouraging more engaging and holistic teaching methods. 00:37 Understanding Sensory Processing in Autistic Children 02:22 The Importance of Longitudinal Studies 03:45 Motor Skills and Academic Success 07:40 The Role of Confidence in Learning 09:53 Evaluating Motor Confidence in Children 12:38 Adapting Research for Autistic Students 17:28 Practical Applications in the Classroom 18:50 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Daniel & Brian on movement confidence
Appreciating Differences in Neurodivergent Learners: Providing support using the SCERTS framework As interactive partners, we have a responsibility to understand the lived experiences of autistic and neurodivergent learners, appreciate their neurodevelopment differences, and adapt the environment to meet their needs. By constantly seeking insight and learning, interactive partners can work collaboratively to support neurodivergent children and young people. The SCERTS framework is an evidence-based framework that provides a common language, particularly around provision of support, where developmental capacities in Social Communication and Emotional Regulation are supported by our Transactional Support. When we see opportunities for our learners to increase their active engagement, our first consideration should be whether the environment is meeting our learners’ needs. SCERTS recognizes that learning is a “two-way street”… let’s start learning how we can change our interactive support and the environment for our learners to thrive. Emily Rubin, MS, CCC-SLP, is the Director of Communication Crossroads in Southern California and is specialised in providing professional learning focused on helping educators create positive learning environments focused on relationships and an appreciation of the neurodiversity of children. She is a speech-language pathologist who is passionate about the relationship between active engagement and the development of language, learning, and well-being. As a co-author of the SCERTS Model, she helps educational teams implement a framework for social emotional engagement and learning that is: 1) natural activity-based in that it can be embedded in everyday activities, 2) sensitive to the unique needs and preferences of autistic learners, and 3) can guide educational teams in creating learning environments to promote active engagement. She lectures internationally and provides ongoing technical assistance to school systems and other agencies that care for children and their families.
Appreciating Differences in Neurodivergent Learners: SCERTS with Emily Rubin (4-DEC-25)
Jada Brown shares her work on 'Understanding the embodied experiences of Black, autistic university students in the UK.'
Understanding the experiences of Black, autistic university students with Jada Brown (6-Nov-25)
Brian and Louie make a primer for the upcoming PLASN-r meeting where they'll explore the topic of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers in autism education. They highlight the limitations of current CPD practices, emphasizing the need for a more practical and collaborative approach. The conversation introduces the concept of Appreciative Inquiry, a strengths-based model aimed at improving teaching practices by building on what already rocks! Brian might also go off on one to critique the framing of SEND as a crisis.00:00 Introduction to the Plaza Podcast00:40 Discussing the Literature 00:52 Understanding CPD for Teachers02:53 Appreciative Inquiry in CPD05:38 Challenges in the Current Education System06:41 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Louie & Brian on Appreciative Enquiry
Connor Keating considers whether emotion-processing differs between autistic and non-autistic adults after controlling for alexithymia. Are differences in emotion processing truly a feature of autism, or are they better explained by co-occurring alexithymia? What helps autistic and non-autistic people understand their own and others’ emotions? In this talk, I will explore how autistic and non-autistic adults differ—or don’t—in how they conceptualise, experience, visualise, express, and recognise emotion, once alexithymia is accounted for, and present models that may explain the relationships between these processes for autistic and non-autistic people. Dr. Connor Keating is a Junior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and an experimental psychologist whose work focuses on emotion processing, movement, and social cognition in autism. He is also the co-director of the U21 Autism Research Network, a global collaboration of researchers and community members across 14 countries dedicated to addressing issues around diversity and inclusion in autism research.
Demystifying Emotion-Processing: Autism & Alexithymia – Connor Keating
CRAE's Brian and Hannah have a chat about the work of Seb Gaigg, who will be joining our next PLASN-r meeting. They look at emotional processing in autistic individuals, emphasising the depth and validity of their emotional experiences, and implications of Seb's findings for educational strategies, emotional learning, and the importance of respecting diverse emotional expressions. 00:00 Introduction to the PLASN-r primer 01:31 Emotional Processing in Autism 03:01 The Role of Anxiety in Autism 04:22 Emotional Regulation Strategies 05:09 Research Methods and Their Importance 07:11 Participatory Research and Breaking Stereotypes
Hannah & Brian on Emotional Processing
Autistic people commonly experience anxiety and depression. These issues often arise by adolescence and can have detrimental effects on autistic people’s lives. However, support for anxiety and depression among autistic people is lacking, in part because we currently do not have a good understanding of how and why these difficulties develop. Historically, research into the causes of autistic people’s mental health difficulties has focused on autistic individuals’ characteristics rather than how autistic people and their environment fit together. Exploring environmental influences allows us to consider autistic people’s lives in context and may identify factors that can be changed so we can form targets for intervention. This talk outlines the findings of a participatory, qualitative interview study with autistic young people and their parents about their experience of anxiety and depression. The talk outlines ways in which experiences of often unaccommodating environments (e.g. academic, social and built environments) impact autistic young people’s wellbeing and what could be done to help. Sarah is a postdoctoral researcher at University College London. Her research aims to improve the physical and mental wellbeing of neurodivergent people. She has a range of research interests, including autistic people’s healthcare experiences and the experiences of autistic women and girls. She is autistic and an ADHDer and takes a neurodiversity-affirming approach to her research. She has an interest in participatory methods and aims to centre the priorities of those with lived experience in her research.
Environmental influences on anxiety and depression in autistic YP – Sarah Hampton (10-Jul-2025)
Brian met up with Oli Hobin after his presentation to PLASN-r for a brief chat about the function and benefits of transdisciplinary teams, particularly within the context of schools for autistic students. They discuss the coordination across various disciplines, the advantages of this approach, and the potential for influencing broader educational and policy changes.
Oli & Brian on transdisciplinary teams
This is a video about In conversation with Virginia Bovell – author of Danny’s People – and Jules from Autistic Radio. 00:00 In conversation with Virginia Bovell – author of Danny’s People – and Jules from Autistic Radio.
In conversation with Virginia Bovell – author of Danny’s People – and Jules from Autistic Radio.
In this PLASN-r Primer, Aaron and Brian from UCL's CRAE discuss research and insights on supporting autistic youth. They introduce the work of Dr. Jo Saul and Dr. Mel Romualdez. Topics include the ISLaND Project's observational study of minimally speaking children, transitioning schools, the challenges autistic individuals face transitioning into the workforce, and the importance of inclusive practices in education and employment. The episode unpacks how teachers and employers can better understand, support, and strive for inclusive and fulfilling futures. 00:00 Introduction to PLASN Primer 00:55 Dr. Jo Saul's ISLaND Project, Language Development and Transitioning Schools 04:26 Transitioning from School to Employment 07:46 Dr Mel Romualdez' research on Supported Internships 12:41 Challenges in the Workforce for Autistic Individuals 16:41 Key Takeaways
Aaron & Brian on Language & Transitions
Nonverbal behaviours and first impressions during video calls between autistic and non-autistic adults with Holly Radford
First impressions during calls between autistic and non-autistic adults, Holly Radford (5-Jul-25)
Exploring the inclusion and belonging of autistic people in religious groups with Krysia Waldock. Thursday, May 8 Resouces: Pearson, A., & Rose, K. (2023). Autistic Masking: Understanding Identity Management and the Role of Stigma. Pavillion Press. https://pavpub.com/health-and-social-care/health-autism/autistic-masking-understanding-identity-management Wharmby, P. (2024). Untypical: How the World Isn’t Built for Autistic People and What We Should All Do About it. Mudlark. https://www.waterstones.com/book/untypical/pete-wharmby/9780008529307 Waldock, K. E. (2023). The Impossible Subject: Belonging as a Neurodivergent in Congregations. Journal of Disability & Religion. pp. 568-583. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23312521.2023.2249452 The Impossible Subject. Autism and Theology Podcast. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5lJcaw6odZ0YFn9PgvOv64?si=0wbGaoKzRa6MDHAHfdvxLw Kieran Rose’s website https://theautisticadvocate.com/
The Impossible Subject: Autistic belonging in religious groups, with Krysia Waldock (8-May-2025)
CRAE's 2025 annual lecture - Supporting nonspeaking autistic people's flourishing using collaborative cognitive science, with Prof. Vikram Jaswal
Supporting nonspeaking autistic people's flourishing, Vikram Jaswal (3rd April 2025)
A gentle warning: This panel includes a discussion of suicide, as Stefan’s parents speak about his life and legacy. The book is dedicated to him. Improving Mental Health Therapies for Autistic Children and Young People Promoting Self-agency, Curiosity and Collaboration Edited By Georgia Pavlopoulou, Laura Crane, Russell Hurn, Damian Milton https://www.routledge.com/Improving-Mental-Health-Therapies-for-Autistic-Children-and-Young-People-Promoting-Self-agency-Curiosity-and-Collaboration/Pavlopoulou-Crane-Hurn-Milton/p/book/9781032372525 The air-con was really loud! So we've added captions.
Book launch – Improving Mental Health Therapies for Autistic Children and Young People – March 2025
English translation only - no over dub. Prof. Shinichiro Kumagaya and Dr Satsuki Ayaya from the University of Tokyo introduce us to tōjisha-kenkyū. In tōjisha-kenkyū, which roughly translates as ‘self-directed research’, people with hermeneutically marginalized experiences - including disabilities, mental health conditions or neurodivergent - learn to study their own experiences. Translated in real time by Dr. Nanami Harada.
Tōjisha-kenkyū (English only)
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