A small group from the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) attended the Asia Pacific Autism Conference (APAC) 2025 in Perth/Boorloo. Several of our researchers and affiliates presented across the program, including Professor Dawn Adams, Dr Nancy Sadka, Dr Ifrah Abdullahi and Dr Clare Kermond. Alongside these presentations, OTARC had a presence in the conference exhibition hall, engaging directly with attendees and sharing resources and updates from current projects.
APAC 2025 brought together attendees from 30 countries — the largest gathering in the conference’s history — creating a setting where diverse international perspectives converged across research, practice and lived experience.
Professor Dawn Adams, our Endowed Chair, described the atmosphere of APAC 2025 as energising from the very beginning, saying: “APAC Perth was my very first APAC conference. It was incredibly special to be in a space with more than 1,500 people who were all there because they want to create a more inclusive future for Autistic people and the broader autism community – there was a real sense of collective momentum.”
Engagement at the OTARC Exhibition Stall
Across the three days, the OTARC stall became a point of connection for clinicians, researchers, educators, Autistic people, families and carers — including visitors from across the Asia–Pacific region and beyond, with particularly strong representation from Western Australia (both metropolitan and regional/remote), the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore, as well as visitors from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Ukraine.
OTARC shared a range of resources, including de-stress penguins, copies of our 2025 Impact Report, and course flyers. The Teaching Autistic Students course flyer attracted particular interest, prompting discussions about evidence-informed, neurodiversity-affirming approaches within school settings. We also premiered our new ‘holey-rolls’ merch (a playful nod to an Australian lolly that claims to save lives) — they proved to be popular, with many commenting on the fun design.
Conversations at the stall reflected a notable sense of openness among attendees. People shared perspectives freely even when coming from different professional or lived-experience backgrounds. Visitors spoke to us about impactful sessions such as Liz Smalley’s, which was described to us as brutally honest, raw and well-received by the audience. Kim Galletti, our Victorian Early Assessment Clinic VEAC) Practice Manager also noted how enjoyable Stephen Shore’s presentation style was – a perfect blend of depth and humour.
Autism WA were the conference hosts and it was great to meet some of their clinical staff and learn more about the impressive range of services they offer right across Western Australia. Holding the conference in Perth meant that people from regional and remote areas in WA were able to attend. Many parents, advocates, teachers and clinicians from these areas shared that it was the first time they were able to attend an autism conference of this size.
We also had the chance to re-connect with some organisations we have working relationships with – Amaze, Autism Queensland, Aspect, Autism CRC, CliniKids, Positive Partnerships, and Autism SA. We also enjoyed getting to know other fellow exhibitors – Autism WA, Ocean Heroes and Ngala.
While there were some lived-experience speakers who openly identify as Autistic, notably Stephen Shore, these types of speakers did not make up the majority of the program. From our participation in, and hosting of, many autism events over the past decade, we know that this is very important for Autistic and autism communities. Along with other attendees, we have provided feedback on this and other aspects of the conference that could be improved.
Insights From OTARC Researchers
Research Fellow Dr Kathryn Ambrose (from OTARC) reflected on the value of reconnecting with interstate and international colleagues. She also valued the sense of shared purpose around creating more inclusive and equitable opportunities for Autistic people in both research and practice. Kathryn highlighted the strong response to Francesca Happé’s keynotes on autism and ageing; and mental health with a focus on trauma and PTSD.
Another highlight for Kathryn were powerful contributions of Autistic advocates Tammy McGowan and Andrew Radford, who spoke about individuals with fluctuating support needs.
Reflecting on her time at APAC 2025, Professor Dawn Adams said: “My biggest highlight wasn’t one session or keynote, but the conversations: reconnecting with colleagues, meeting new connections, and finally getting to talk in person with people I’ve only known through screens. Those moments reminded me why community connection matters so much in this work.”
“I also loved listening to Professor Francesca Happé’s series of keynotes. The depth and breadth of her contribution to autism research is incredible, and hearing her speak about how her work has evolved through co-design and meaningful connection with Autistic people made me enjoy her talks even more.”
She added that being able to share OTARC’s current work with Francesca afterwards was a highlight.
“What stood out across the whole conference was the strong presence of community-led and neurodiversity-affirming research, and the passion behind projects across Australia and the wider Asia–Pacific region. There’s so much good, hopeful, important work taking shape in our region that I left feeling inspired, grounded, hopeful and excited for what we can keep building, when we work together,” she said.
The conference incorporated few features aimed at supporting a neurodiverse audience, most notably turning off hand-dryers in bathrooms as a sensory accommodation.
Other aspects of the venue presented challenges – bright white spotlights above the exhibition stands (and inside the Quiet Room) created sensory discomfort for many attendees, and with the conference located inside a casino complex, the absence of clocks and natural light made orientation difficult for some.
As with any large conference, there were aspects of the event delivery and program that could be strengthened, but there were still plenty of positive takeaways. APAC positioned itself around the idea of “creating and inspiring the future together,” and the discussions at the exhibition stall and in other conference spaces, underscored the importance of collaboration across countries, disciplines and lived experiences in shaping that future.
Overall, the value that OTARC gained from participating at APAC 2025 came as much from conversations occurring at the stall, as it did from formal presentations.
Our staff found that our exchanges with attendees were thoughtful, generous and reflective of the diverse communities working toward better outcomes for Autistic people across the Asia–Pacific region. Each of us who attended has also made direct connections with attendees, and hope that many of these will flourish and result in positive outcomes – whether in the short, medium or long term.
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