Our 2026 Research Showcase brought together researchers, practitioners, Autistic people, families and community members to explore current autism research and its potential to create meaningful change. Held online for the first time, the event made it possible for people across Australia and beyond to participate in conversations about research, inclusion and evidence-informed practice.
The program opened with Professor Dawn Adams and Dr Mel Heyworth discussing the newly established Australian Autism Knowledge Hub and its role in translating research into practical guidance. Dr Lauren Lawson explored more personalised approaches to mental health research with Autistic adults, Dr Patrick Dwyer followed by introducing the theory of monotropism and its contribution to understanding Autistic cognition and attention. Lyndel Kennedy presented with shared insights into neurodiversity-affirming supervision for graduate researchers, while Dr Diana Tan reflected on the progress and ongoing challenges of participatory autism research over the past two decades. The showcase concluded with a Q&A hosted by MC Faiza Muhammad Fauzi and OTARC Director Professor Alison Lane.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, shared their perspectives and contributed to the discussion. We hope the showcase provided useful insights into the breadth of current autism research and the importance of ensuring that research remains inclusive, accessible and connected to the communities it is intended to support. Here is the recording, along with links and responses to some of the audience questions that we weren’t able to answer on the day.
The talks:
- Australian Autism Knowledge Hub (AAKH) Update
- Experience as Evidence: Rethinking Mental Health Research for Autistic Adults
- Monotropism: Understanding Autistic Minds
- Building Better Supervision for Neurodivergent Graduate Researchers
- Are We Walking the Talk? Taking Stock of Participatory Autism Research Across Two Decades
- Director Q&A & Closing Remarks
Australian Autism Knowledge Hub Update (AAKH)
Presenters: Professor Dawn Adams & Dr Mel Heyworth
Contact: aakh@latrobe.edu.au
Questions
Q: Will the Autistic people involved [in the AAKH] be paid for their time?
A: Yes, of course. The Autism Knowledge Hub is committed to meaningful participation and co-design with Autistic people, and we recognise the value of lived experience expertise. Where Autistic people contribute their time, knowledge and expertise to Hub activities, we will provide remuneration in accordance with best-practice engagement principles and relevant organisational policies.
Q: What is the scope of research that will be covered? I associate the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre with behavioural/psychological research. Will the Hub also cover the emerging biomedical research on e.g. the biological basis of autism, how autism interacts with other medical issues?
A: The Hub aims to be a central, trusted source of evidence about autism across a broad range of topics that matter to Autistic people, families, practitioners, educators, service providers and policymakers. We are currently asking the community about what they want the Hub research translation to focus on through a nationwide survey, we will use the results of this to inform what scope of research the Hub focuses on. Whatever the topic that the community asks us to focus on, a key focus of the will be helping people understand what current research tells us, where evidence is strong, where it is still developing, and what that means in practice.
Q: How are you disseminating information into community/education/industry? Will it be mainly via the website?
A: The website will be an important platform, but it is only one part of our knowledge translation and engagement approach. The Hub also has a newsletter, we will run town halls to share information and deliver free-to-access training for a range of audiences. As the Hub grows, we aim to use a range of channels and formats to share evidence with diverse audiences.
Q: How will the Hub address research whose underlying framing, purpose or interpretation may reinforce harmful or negative narratives about autism? This is where it becomes political and studies can be funded in a way that skewer this.
A: The Hub is committed to presenting evidence in a balanced, transparent and respectful way. We will critically consider not only research findings, but also research quality, methodology, limitations and potential impacts. Importantly, Autistic perspectives will be incorporated into our processes so that lived experience can help inform how evidence is interpreted and communicated.
Resources and Links
Experience as Evidence: Rethinking Mental Health Research for Autistic Adults
Presenter: Dr Lauren Lawson
Contact: L.Lawson@latrobe.edu.au
Resources and Links
- Pre-print article: From Noise to Signal: Leveraging Heterogeneity to Inform Personalised Mental Health for Autistic Adults
Monotropism: Understanding Autistic Minds
Presenter: Dr Patrick Dwyer
Contact: Patrick.Dwyer@latrobe.edu.au
Resources and Links
- Dwyer, P. (2025). Monotropism: Between Obsessive Joy and Overwhelm. OTARC blog. https://otarc.blogs.latrobe.edu.au/monotropism-between-obsessive-joy-and-overwhelm/
- Dwyer, P., Sillas, A., Prieto, M., Camp, E., Nordahl, C. W., & Rivera, S. M. (2024). Hyper-focus, sticky attention, and springy attention in young autistic children: Associations with sensory behaviours and cognitive ability. Autism Research, 17(8), 1677-1695. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3174
- Dwyer, P., Williams, Z. J., Lawson, W., & Rivera, S. M. (2024). A trans-diagnostic investigation of attention, hyper-focus, and monotropism in autism, ADHD, and the general population. Neurodiversity. https://doi.org/10.1177/27546330241237883
- Murray, D., Lesser, M., & Lawson, W. (2005). Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism. Autism, 9(2), 139-156. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361305051398
- Murray, F. (2018). Me and Monotropism: A unified theory of autism. The Psychologist. https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/me-and-monotropism-unified-theory-autism
Building Better Supervision for Neurodivergent Graduate Researchers
Presenter: Lyndel Kennedy
Contact: L.Kennedy@latrobe.edu.au
Questions
Q: Does your research cover anything around office space and the environment that can create challenging in an office setting and how student/supervisors can seek ways to find a solution?
A: This is a great question, and we most certainly have included sensory and working environment information in the training for supervisors, as this was something many neurodivergent students told us was an issue during the co-design stage of the project. If shared office spaces could not be adjusted to suit sensory needs, students often elected to mostly work from home.
Our training package includes a whole section on Managing Environments, and recommends supervisors have regular conversations with candidates to discuss the sensory impacts for:
- everyday workspaces,
- regular meetings and presentations, and
- when organising social events, seminars, and conferences.
We’ve also created a Sensory Self-Audit Checklist for Supervisors in the Resources section of the training package. Ultimately, we recommend reducing unnecessary sensory load wherever possible, and increase students’ choice, predictability and control.
Q: Could this research be transferred to supervision for clinical practice, eg. psychologists and social workers?
A: While not connected to this body of work, the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre has a specifically designed course for those in client-facing positions. The ‘Working with Autistic Clients: A Neuro-affirming Approach’ course provides practical, autism-informed guidance to help psychologists recognise and respond to the diversity of Autistic presentations and conceptualise, plan and adapt therapy using neurodiversity-affirming frameworks.
It can be accessed here: Working with Autistic clients: A neuro-affirming approach | La Trobe Professional
This course is primarily intended for psychologists but applicable for anyone in a client-facing professions.
The online course takes approximately four hours and is also approved for four hours of CPD points for APS members.
Resources and Links
Are We Walking the Talk? Taking Stock of Participatory Autism Research Across Two Decades
Presenter: Dr Diana Tan
Contact: Diana.Tan@latrobe.edu.au
Questions
Q: Did you find any examples of community-initiated research? Or if not did you find any other studies that stood out as a good example of meaningful participation?
A: Yes, there are a few that stood out to us, here are a couple of examples:
- This study was community-led which looked at Autistic people’s experiences in accessing advocacy in England: Louise Townson, Sue Macauley, Elizabeth Harkness, Andy Docherty, John Dias, Malcolm Eardley & Rohhss Chapman (2007) Research project on advocacy and autism, Disability & Society, 22:5, 523-536, DOI: 10.1080/09687590701427669. Full article: Research project on advocacy and autism
- This study was done by our own Dr. Jac den Houting who worked with Autistic community members who had been co-researchers before. They worked together to understand Autistic people’s experiences of being a part of participatory autism research: den Houting, J., Higgins, J., Isaacs, K., Mahony, J., & Pellicano, E. (2021). ‘I’m not just a guinea pig’: Academic and community perceptions of participatory autism research. Autism, 25(1), 148–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320951696
Q: Do you feel that community research led by Autistic researchers may have a higher participation rate?
A: It is possible, but we don’t know that for sure from our research. Some studies have found that Autistic participants have found it a positive experience to participate in studies designed by other Autistic people: Pellicano, E., Lawson, W., Hall, G., Mahony, J., Lilley, R., Heyworth, M., Clapham, H., & Yudell, M. (2021). “I Knew She’d Get It, and Get Me”: Participants’ Perspectives of a Participatory Autism Research Project. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2021.0039
Q: What percentage of Autistic adults involved in participatory research were from culturally diverse backgrounds?
A: We did not code this information because researchers tend to provide very little information about the community members involved. We recommend that researchers consider the importance of intersectional experiences to include information beyond the Autistic status of their community members but also whether they come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, are gender diverse, or have co-occurring disabilities, etc.
Resources and Links
- A preprint of the systematic review presented: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/q52wz_v1
- Link to an interactive dashboard to explore the data further: https://dianatan.net/sys-rev-par/
- A preprint describing inclusive practices working with Autistic people with complex support needs: https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/k3pxe_v1
Director Q&A & Closing Remarks
Presenter: Professor Alison Lane
Contact: otarcadmin@latrobe.edu.au
Questions
Q: Does the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre have any direct role / agenda in relation to advocacy based on research?
A: Yes. We use opportunities to apply the Centre’s latest research to inform policy and practice in multiple ways.
We have a dedicated staff member who seeks out opportunities for OTARC to provide expert, community-driven advice at organisational, state, national, and international levels to facilitate positive change to policies that impact Autistic people. This includes public inquiries and open calls for feedback on government policy and legislation that is relevant to our research. See our policy contributions to date: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/otarc/impact/contributions-to-policy
We also produce or contribute to policy briefs, practice frameworks and best practice guidelines. For example, Professor Dawn Adams co-leads the development of the National Guidance for best practice in inclusive education for Autistic students.
Our researchers also serve on panels and committees. For example, Professor Alison Lane serves on the Autism State Plan Advisory Group, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing in Victoria.
Q: Are there any plans to conduct research around the non-tertiary education space – particularly regarding barriers for Autistic young people in accessing mainstream secondary education?
A: Dr Clare Kermond completed a PhD at OTARC in 2025 on the topic of Autistic secondary students in mainstream schools and what enables or inhibits them from having a successful experience of schooling. A successful experience of school included participation in academic and non-academic school activities, reaching academic potential, attendance levels and feelings of acceptance, inclusion and wellbeing. This study used participatory research methods to include the perspectives of Autistic students, their families or carers and their educators.
Dr Kermond is currently a Research Fellow in the School of Psychology and Public Health at La Trobe University, her recent article on this topic is here: https://search.lib.latrobe.edu.au/permalink/61LATROBE_INST/1od8u8u/cdi_crossref_citationtrail_10_1017_jsi_2025_10009
Q: Does the Centre have plans or opportunities to partner with organisations in other countries on autism research, data collection, outreach and service development?
A: Yes to both. We have an international autism researcher, Professor Brian Boyd, on our Advisory Committee. Individual OTARC researchers collaborate with teams around the world including in New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, England, Scotland, the Netherlands and Malaysia. On top of this we have other international collaborative projects, with professionals across 25 countries trained in our SACS tool and our ASDetect app translated into 11 different languages.
Resources
