A stuffed penguin in a red shirt stands in front of a vibrant, colorful painting
Posted inNews

The OTARC penguin name is…

Our late benefactor Mrs Olga Tennison AO, had a soft spot for penguins! We've used penguins as a kind of unofficial mascot for the Centre for a number of years, and we've even been known to gift them on occasion. This year we decided to hold a vote amongst our staff and name our penguin...
black and white photo of middle-aged man looking into camera
Posted inNews

Vale Steve Silberman

Read about Steve Silberman's contributions to the Autistic community (This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license)
A man in a maroon shirt stands in front of lush green trees, creating a natural backdrop
Posted inAcademic Neurodiversity

Dr Patrick Dwyer, OTARC Research Fellow

Explore Dr Patrick Dwyer's groundbreaking work on the interplay of attention and sensory experiences in Autistic individuals, centered on the understudied monotropism theory. Learn about Patrick's commitment to advancing neurodiversity, his insights on the diversity within autism, and his personal interests in alternate histories.
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Posted inNews OTARC Seminar Series

Finding him among the living

Content warning: The following seminar contains content about suicide.

Any mother would die for their child, but how do you live for them?

Dr Jessica Revill is a psychologist and parent survivor to the loss of her Autistic son Gregory. She wrote the memoir of his death “Find him Among the Living” in 2020. In her book, her investigations into the mental health system, suicide and Autism revealed not a ‘broken system’ but an absent one. Coming from the perspective of both lived experience and research raises questions about the following:

  • Is the health care’s separation of health from mental health helping or hindering suicide prevention?
  • Doctor education and disability.
  • Public health’s approach to prevention comparing preventing road deaths versus suicide deaths.
  • A mental health curriculum in schools. What would that look like?
  • How does de-institutionalization help or hinder the mental health of people with disabilities and mental illness?
  • Non-clinical support systems.
  • The emergency room.