• begins with listening

• grows with collaboration

• flourishes with intentional action

Benefits to the autistic individual include avoiding negative narratives leading to shame, stigma, reduce trauma associated with pathologising approach, and fosters better self-awareness of the autistic experience, leading to accessing the right forms of support

Background context:

• Participation in decision making is an assured right of all children

• There has been growing attention to the role of children’s participation in everyday spaces, places, including at home, in the community and at school

• Despite this, there is an absence of attention to the voice and participation of autistic children in everyday contexts

Key themes emerging:

• Space and belonging Rapport with school staff

• Rapport with peers

• (Lack of) autonomy and agency

• Sensorial barriers within the environment

• Family-school dynamics

• Unpacking neurodivergent identity – Who am I within the classroom (Masking and Burnout)

• Need for further education and training

Personal food for thought:

• To what extent are students empowered to make decisions in school and what is their level of participation in them?

• To what extent do we have opportunities to hear from students about their school experiences and incorporate their feedback in our practice?

AASPIRE Suicide Prevention Project

Thematic results from interviews with autistic individuals who have experienced suicidality:

Theme 1: Pervasive negative societal attitudes and social experiences have a lasting impact on autistic people’s feelings of worth i.e., societal pressure to confirm, societal exclusion and marginalisation

Prevention recommendations:

• Improving societal treatment of autistic people

• Autistic resilience and self-advocacy

• Connection, acceptance and non-judgemental social support

Theme 2: Negative experiences and stressors add strain, making life feel overwhelming and hopeless i.e., daily challenges lead to burnout, traumatic and disruptive life events, lack of accessible and helpful supports

Prevention recommendations:

• Engaging in meaningful activities i.e., behavioural activation for autistic individuals

• Address underlying stressors and co-occurring conditions/needs

Theme 3: Difficulty regulating and managing emotions can increase the likelihood of suicidal feelings and actions i.e., emotional and reactionary difficulties, relying on risky coping strategies for relief

Prevention recommendations:

• Improving emotion regulation skills

• Crisis and suicidal supports

One very prominent speaker is

key note speaker: Maja Toudal

Title: Energy accounting – Neurodiversity -affirming stress management and burnout prevention

What struck me on how she used organised her tasks into colour coded energy blocks in her calendar to prepare her week. I thought we could guide our students to do the following so that they can be more self regulated, knowing what they can expect through the week / term / semester.

Improving physical and mental health 1 and 2: the importance of accessibility to autism assessment so as to identify/flag out any risk factors for suicidal ideation and put in place strategies for suicide prevention.

Self-Determination Skills for Autistics: important to teach and impart SDT skills as they are critical life skills and getting the individuals to be involved (have a voice), aligns with Family Envisioning Meeting (FEM)

Title: Chasing the conversation: Autistic experiences of speech perception and strategies to manage difficult listening environments

Speaker spoke about people with ASD having speech perception difficulties, often leading to a list of issues:

Social participation,

Effort and fatigue,

Emotions,

Practical costs,

Impression on others, and

Self-perception.

The study yielded 92 strategies and they are organised into six categories:

1.      Shaping the listening environment

2.      Disclosing differences

3.      Requesting / encouraging adaptations

4.      Using internal strategies

5.      Using technology

6.      Using vision

Speaker also noted that most strategies are self taught and most autistic people found listening strategies useful.

Autism ASPECTSS Design Index was published in 2013 and is a researched-based framework of 7 design concepts facilitative of architectures for Autism. They adopted a co-design approach, involving stakeholders such as children, teacher, parents and even the neighbourhood (neighbourhood facility). Students were asked question about their dream playground and they discussed the feasibility. Student ambassadors were empowered to ensure implementation of the co-design approach. To create ownership, everyone could bring materials to add on to designing such as the walls.

Rethinking Sensory Spaces in Schools

Considerations for setting up and the effective use of sensory space: student-centred, proactive vs reactive and the role of the adult (staff)

Link to resource: https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Sensory-Spaces-in-Schools.pdf