Session information

About the workshops and speakers

Supporting our Autistic young people to make sense of their experiences

This practical workshop offers parents/carers and professionals the opportunity to explore ways to support Autistic young people in developing meaningful self-understanding. We will explore:

• The foundations we bring to the knowledge we share
• The most up-to-date information about autism and Autistic experience
• Practical ways to support young people to build self-understanding day to day, and how to adapt these approaches to the individual in front of us

The workshop is fully neuro-affirming and grounded in accurate, value-neutral knowledge. There will be plenty of opportunities to co-create ideas, ask questions, and develop a path forward that feels right for the young person each attendee parents or works with.

Jess is a late-identified Autistic ADHDer, mum to two neurodivergent children with very different support needs, and a former secondary school teacher. She now runs GROVE, an Autistic-staffed online organisation providing support for Autistic young people. Jess holds a Masters in Autism (Distinction), and focused her academic work on children and young people’s experiences exploring areas such as community connection, developing self-understanding, and fostering positive identity. Her Masters culminated in a novel research project on young people’s experiences of joy.

Supporting mental health in Autistic Young people – a brief introduction.

We will look at the principles of what needs to be adjusted around the young person to support their mental wellbeing, then move on to considering mental health difficulties in young autistic people and how they might present. We will then focus on a few key strategies to support and manage these difficulties. In a short talk we can of course only briefly cover the principles but we will aim to provide signposting to useful resources, and there will be time for questions. This talk is aimed at those who already understand the main differences that might be experienced by autistic young people but want to increase their understanding of supportive strategies when things are difficult.