Think Autism Melbourne 2026, 48 talks
Every talk from the day, a few minutes each.
Think Autism Melbourne 2026
48 talks. 30 May 2026.-
3 minutes 51 seconds, captioned A practitioner warned that neuroaffirming practice loses its point once written as rules Dani Bultitude Asked how to separate neuroaffirming practice from the label, the first practitioner to answer at Think Autism Melbourne took aim at policy language, and named Thriving Kids as the risk. - 2 minutes, captioned Schools are unprepared for supports moving into community settings, a practitioner warned Shristi Chand A teacher of ten years turned practitioner told Think Autism Melbourne that schools were about to be handed work they had not been trained for, inside a system that measures performance over impact.
- 9 minutes 20 seconds, captioned Three practitioners on how to tell a neuroaffirming provider from a label Shristi Chand, Dani Bultitude and 1 more Asked what families and clients should look for, a Think Autism Melbourne panel pointed to booking systems, generic websites, unadapted therapy and how a therapist behaves when a client pushes back.
- 3 minutes 59 seconds, captioned Neurodivergent practitioners argued autistic clients need therapists who are not blank slates Ben Simmons At Think Autism Melbourne, neurodivergent practitioners challenged the professional rule that therapists should not talk about themselves, arguing that disclosure is often what makes an autistic client feel safe.
- 5 minutes 28 seconds, captioned Autism or trauma is the wrong question, a Think Autism panel argued Think Autism Melbourne 2026 At Think Autism Melbourne, practitioners rejected the diagnostic habit of asking whether a client’s difficulties come from autism or from trauma, and raised what happens when a client’s language has no word for neurodiversity.
- 2 minutes 47 seconds, captioned An audience member asked for a tick of approval for neuroaffirming practices Think Autism Melbourne 2026 At Think Autism Melbourne, a late diagnosed woman proposed that practices should have to prove they are neuroaffirming. An autistic counsellor then said counselling had no such requirement at all.
- 8 minutes 17 seconds, captioned How practitioners reach young people who do not want to do the work Think Autism Melbourne 2026 A parent at Think Autism Melbourne asked how therapists get vulnerable young people to open up. Two practitioners answered with regulation before talk and with the uses of natural consequences.
-
2 minutes 36 seconds, captioned All 40 people working on Think Autism Melbourne were paid, Kyriakos Gold said Kyriakos Gold Closing the 2026 conference, Kyriakos Gold set out the rule behind it, that the event runs only if every worker and speaker can be paid, and asked the audience for connection in place of money. -
2 minutes 21 seconds, captioned The case that every autistic owned business is a social enterprise Roo Harris At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, a panellist defined autistic enterprise by its social mission, and Roo Harris called entrepreneurship the ultimate accommodation. Both were questioning a model that leaves autistic people waiting on employers. - 3 minutes 10 seconds, captioned Closed tenders and NDIS changes threaten autistic led social enterprises Rebecca McCash At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, a panellist said autistic businesses rarely reach government shortlists, and Rebecca McCash warned that moving NDIS money into direct grants and tenders would turn enterprises like FutureTech into charities.
- 3 minutes 12 seconds, captioned Roo Harris reports a quarter of Scale Investors pitches from neurodivergent founders Roo Harris, Kyriakos Gold At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, the venture investor said the share of pitches to the firm from founders identifying as neurodivergent had doubled in a year, evidence of what Harris called a hidden autistic economy.
- 2 minutes 16 seconds, captioned A Melbourne panellist taught entrepreneurship for 14 years and never used the tools Rebecca McCash At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, a panellist argued that business plans and model canvases are built for top down thinkers who are comfortable predicting, and that autistic founders need a method that starts from what they control.
- 4 minutes 48 seconds, captioned Autistic founders are succeeding despite the systems, a Melbourne panel said Will Rosewarne, Rebecca McCash Asked at Think Autism Melbourne in 2026 whether autistic entrepreneurs succeed because of systems or in spite of them, Will Rosewarne asked which systems, and Rebecca McCash said the national strategy had not delivered what McCash expected.
- 4 minutes 52 seconds, captioned Autistic founders at Think Autism Melbourne asked whether AI could be their translator Roo Harris, Rebecca McCash and 1 more In 2026 a Melbourne panel weighed whether AI removes the translation autistic founders have had to do for a neurotypical business world. The answers ranged from cautious optimism to a new solo business registered at 66.
-
1 minute 10 seconds, captioned Focus Bear’s founder reported trial results from 235 university students Jeremy Nagel At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Jeremy Nagel said a randomised trial of his self control app showed less smartphone addiction. Think recordings from 2023 show how differently the product was first described. -
1 minute 34 seconds, captioned Bloom Cycle turns timber waste into trophies and wins clients by sending them one Zoe Atterbury At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Zoe Atterbury described a business that employs a mostly neurodivergent team, sells to banks and festivals, and wins clients by sending them a trophy. - 2 minutes 59 seconds, captioned Founders at Think Autism Melbourne described startup networking as a major barrier Jeremy Nagel, Zoe Atterbury and 1 more At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, founders at the autistic entrepreneurs showcase said some of their hardest barriers lay in the events, calls and conversations around the business.
- 3 minutes 19 seconds, captioned Founders at Think Autism Melbourne say pitching, crowdfunding and investor meetings reward performance Michelle Ridsdale, Rebecca McCash At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, three founders at the autistic entrepreneurs showcase and panel described raising money as a test of social performance. One of them said the turning point came with an end to masking.
- 2 minutes 34 seconds, captioned Paul Micallef says doing nothing by halves is a weakness and a strength Paul Micallef At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, the founder of Autism From the Inside described teaching emotional intelligence to autistic and neurotypical people alike, and said his habit of doing nothing by halves cuts both ways.
- 3 minutes 26 seconds, captioned Rebecca McCash said lived experience is still treated as an optional extra Rebecca McCash At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, the FutureTech founder argued that funders and institutions expect autistic people to be grateful for an invitation, when they should be paying for their expertise.
- 1 minute 53 seconds, captioned Chelle Norris built an electric campervan company on assumptions others had accepted Chelle Norris At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, the founder of Found Power said neurodivergence was the reason the company existed, because it let the founder connect industries that others treated as separate.
-
5 minutes 20 seconds, captioned Eighteen months and several NDIS applications for one refugee family Nicole Smith At Think Autism Melbourne, SSI’s Nicole Smith read the account of a mother from Iran who had to keep applying to the NDIS for her autistic son each time the family moved. -
9 minutes 2 seconds, captioned Seventy years of autism research and three studies that included black women Naz Jacobs At Think Autism Melbourne, Naz Jacobs cited a review that found black women almost absent from autism research. Her fellow panellists traced what that gap does to diagnosis and support. - 4 minutes 53 seconds, captioned Who Thriving Kids could filter out before they are ever recognised Think Autism Melbourne 2026 Panellists at Think Autism Melbourne warned that a pathway sorting children by support needs would miss First Nations and multicultural children the system had never seen, and that the child would be blamed.
- 1 minute 19 seconds, captioned Masking whiteness before masking autism, and why racialised children go unseen Naz Jacobs Naz Jacobs told Think Autism Melbourne she masked from preschool to avoid racism, long before anyone considered she was autistic, and argued that this makes racialised autistic children easy to miss.
- 3 minutes 57 seconds, captioned Workplaces know what excludes autistic staff and lack the will to change it Think Autism Melbourne 2026 At Think Autism Melbourne, a panellist argued that inclusion stalls for lack of will while information is abundant, and used the spread of open plan offices to show how.
-
6 minutes 53 seconds, captioned The politics of exceptionalism and the limits of intersectionality Dr Kim Gordon, Maria Dimopoulos AM Maria Dimopoulos asked whether intersectionality was being turned into a new hierarchy. Dr Kim Gordon answered with a critique of Western either or thinking and a call to collective action. - 5 minutes 58 seconds, captioned Self identified, undiagnosed and still needing a diagnosis to get support Think Autism Melbourne 2026 At Think Autism Melbourne, an audience member asked the field to stop talking about diagnosis. The panel agreed in principle and then explained why, for now, diagnosis still decides who gets help.
-
3 minutes 7 seconds, captioned Autistic burnout is different from tiredness, and a holiday does not fix it Anita Aherne, Hannah Badenhop and 1 more Opening a Think Autism Melbourne panel in 2026, Anita Aherne said workplaces still had no clear definition of autistic burnout. The panellists described what it is and why rest alone does not end it. - 7 minutes 16 seconds, captioned Employers avoid naming autistic burnout because naming it creates liability Shamus Hart, Kathleen McCarthy At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Shamus Hart argued that risk averse organisations keep autistic burnout out of policy on purpose. Kathleen McCarthy described how risk systems turn it into a personal choice.
- 6 minutes 35 seconds, captioned Workplaces can supply cupcakes for inclusion but cannot change the lights Shamus Hart, Hannah Badenhop At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Shamus Hart called much workplace inclusion performative and said doing nothing still carries moral weight. Hannah Badenhop said neurodiversity is missing from many diversity policies.
- 7 minutes 10 seconds, captioned Kathleen McCarthy was shut out of talks on her own workplace accommodations Kathleen McCarthy At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Kathleen McCarthy said her employer excluded her from discussions about her burnout because she had a vested interest. She argued that such a policy is worthless.
- 6 minutes 6 seconds, captioned Prevent autistic burnout by design, and ask the person what would help Shamus Hart At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, a panel on autistic burnout heard that it largely disappears when supports are built in. Hannah Badenhop set out what that means for workplace policy, and the panel heard the case for asking the person in burnout.
- 10 minutes 30 seconds, captioned John Munro traced how an autistic student’s school day uses up working memory Professor John Munro At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Professor John Munro described how a classroom’s unspoken assumptions drain an autistic student’s thinking space as the day goes on, and said the system’s policies do not equip teachers to see it.
- 3 minutes 20 seconds, captioned Short time horizons and memories laid without feeling, explained from the stage Think Autism Melbourne 2026 When a speaker at Think Autism Melbourne described being thrown by any change to a familiar situation, a second speaker offered two ideas to explain it, and a teacher on the panel offered a classroom technique.
- 13 minutes 29 seconds, captioned John Munro and Siobhan Lamb split over whether masking stops costing effort Professor John Munro, Dr Siobhan Lamb At Think Autism Melbourne, Professor John Munro argued that practised behaviour becomes automatic and stops costing effort. Dr Siobhan Lamb replied that the price she pays falls on her identity and mental health.
- 3 minutes 2 seconds, captioned Siobhan Lamb on the six teachers she never had to mask for Dr Siobhan Lamb Taught as a child to rehearse small talk in a mirror, Dr Siobhan Lamb told Think Autism Melbourne that the teachers she had to mask in front of taught her nothing. She now teaches eye contact as a choice with a price.
- 9 minutes 9 seconds, captioned Parents ask Think Autism what comes next when the classroom does not work Think Autism Melbourne 2026 A parent whose son had spent three years doing school from the principal’s office asked about alternatives. One panellist said never force a child to school; another asked what the school’s plan was.
- 4 minutes 34 seconds, captioned Thriving Kids could load more onto teachers already underwater, a panellist warned Think Autism Melbourne 2026 A New South Wales teacher described 24 young students, two hours of weekly support and a hamster wheel of content. A panellist said Thriving Kids, as they had heard it described, would add to that load.
- 1 minute 52 seconds, captioned Think Autism Melbourne heard that negative messaging about autism was no accident Dr Sharon Zivkovic, Kyriakos Gold Opening Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Dr Sharon Zivkovic used the iceberg model from systems thinking to explain how public mindsets flow through into structures, and argued that negative messaging was preparing the ground for NDIS change.
- 5 minutes 35 seconds, captioned How the 2026 Autistic Pride Day campaign was built from community responses Kyriakos Gold At Think Autism Melbourne, Kyriakos Gold explained how the six month ‘Autism is trending’ campaign came out of the previous year’s conference conversations, a survey and expressions of interest, processed with AI and tested with an advisory group.
- 5 minutes 40 seconds, captioned Services do not change systems, Sharon Zivkovic told Think Autism Melbourne Dr Sharon Zivkovic, Kyriakos Gold At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Dr Sharon Zivkovic argued that organisations chasing government contracts cannot deliver systems change, and that autistic people would have to build it as disruptors and innovators.
- 2 minutes 59 seconds, captioned Indigenous business as a model for autistic enterprise, and why it scaled Dr Sharon Zivkovic At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Dr Sharon Zivkovic held up Indigenous business as a model for autistic founders. From the audience, Kath Alexander, formerly in social procurement, said its growth rested on government priority and procurement targets.
- 2 minutes 53 seconds, captioned Running Think Autism without state or federal funding Kyriakos Gold At Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Kyriakos Gold set out how the conference was paid for without government money. The conversation then turned to philanthropy and how little of it reaches disability.
-
5 minutes 40 seconds, captioned Awareness asks very little of anyone, Judy Tang told Think Autism Melbourne Dr Judy Tang Opening the conference in 2026, Dr Judy Tang set awareness, acceptance and pride against each other, then showed how a narrow clinical picture leaves autistic people from other cultures unseen. - 9 minutes 13 seconds, captioned Kyriakos Gold on a series of missed cues, and why he quit every community board Kyriakos Gold In the keynote at Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Kyriakos Gold traced a diagnosis that came only six or seven years earlier back through decades of misread signals, and explained why he had stepped away from community leadership.
- 4 minutes 4 seconds, captioned Autism is not a dish that is more or less spicy Kyriakos Gold Closing the keynote at Think Autism Melbourne in 2026, Kyriakos Gold rejected the language of mild and profound autism and answered claims that autistic people lead unremarkable lives.
- 10 minutes 47 seconds, captioned Five provocations at Think Autism Melbourne put the problem in the system Think Autism Melbourne 2026 Five autistic speakers opened the 2026 conference with short provocations on wellbeing, enterprise, schools, identity and practice. Each one moved the burden from autistic people to the structures around them.
The full 6 sessions, on YouTube
- Neuroaffirming Practice: What It Actually Looks Like41 minutes 21 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Autistic Entrepreneurs and the Economy: Access, Capital, Self Determination57 minutes 57 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Who Gets to Be Autistic: Identity and Intersectionality48 minutes 34 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Autistic Burnout Is a Policy Failure1 hour 15 minutes, sign in free to watch
- Autism Went Mainstream. The Systems Did Not.22 minutes 17 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Opening: Keynote, Welcome and the Day Ahead30 minutes 22 seconds, sign in free to watch
Sign in to keep reading, listening and watching.
Sign in with your email and everything in the Library is open to you: every story, every talk and every episode. It is free and it always will be. If you can, a donation helps keep it free for everyone.
Think Autism Sydney 2025
44 talks. 31 May 2025.- 1 minute 16 seconds, captioned Téa Rundback asked for spaces built with autistic people already in mind Téa Rundback, Georgia Zentrich At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, Téa Rundback set the measure of belonging at never having to prove eligibility. Georgia Zentrich explained why autistic people on every side of the support needs line still end up proving themselves.
- 2 minutes 24 seconds, captioned Care is a text that needs no reply, a Think Autism panel heard Georgia Zentrich At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, panellists argued that autistic community can live online and that care is defined by the people who give and receive it, in small, everyday acts.
- 5 minutes 37 seconds, captioned Quinn Jones on why commercial kitchens push out autistic learners Quinn Jones At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, a Hotel Etico graduate turned apprentice chef said kitchens mistake a different way of processing instruction for not caring, and that his training hotel showed another way.
- 5 minutes 59 seconds, captioned Minds at Play hires its staff by asking them to run a game Dwayne Fernandes At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, Dwayne Fernandes described an online games service that recruits through Dungeons and Dragons and sends its players out to find local clubs.
- 3 minutes 19 seconds, captioned A false community is one you have to mask around Think Autism Sydney 2025 At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, a panellist offered a test for whether a community is safe, and the panel heard the rules one speaker uses to run neurodivergent safe spaces inside government agencies.
- 3 minutes 31 seconds, captioned Georgia Zentrich said neurodivergent people create the communities they wish they had Georgia Zentrich, Anita Aherne and 1 more At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, panellists described building directories, businesses and advocacy careers because the communities and systems they needed did not exist.
- 3 minutes 35 seconds, captioned Autistic roles belong to autistic actors, a Think Autism panel argued Kyriakos Gold, Heather Ridge At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, panellists argued that portrayals without lived experience slide into stereotype, and named the few characters in which they recognised themselves.
- 1 minute 31 seconds, captioned Dating is the same barrier for every autistic person, however they present Kyriakos Gold On a Think Autism Sydney panel in 2025, Kyriakos Gold said he could not watch autistic people dating on television, and that autistic people face exactly the same barrier in dating whatever their presentation.
- 6 minutes 2 seconds, captioned Autistic performers described casting rooms that judge them for being autistic Michael Theo, Heather Ridge A panellist told Think Autism Sydney in 2025 that casting agents and directors judge autistic performers. Michael Theo named the one director he said had truly given him a chance.
- 3 minutes 46 seconds, captioned A Think audience member asked whether autistic coded characters should be named Think Autism Sydney 2025 At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, an audience member asked whether it matters that screen characters show autistic traits without being named as autistic. One panellist said name it, and Heather Ridge said cast autistic actors.
- 2 minutes 42 seconds, captioned Michael Theo described life as a puzzle that needs every piece Michael Theo, Kyriakos Gold Asked at Think Autism Sydney in 2025 how much the people in his corner mattered, Michael Theo described support as security, friendship as a second family, and a life that cannot be completed alone.
- 3 minutes 27 seconds, captioned A British soap fan told Think Autism Sydney Australia was far behind Kyriakos Gold At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, a viewer who follows EastEnders and Emmerdale urged two autistic performers to look to the UK. A panellist replied that Home and Away had never had an autistic character.
- 2 minutes 50 seconds, captioned Michael Theo said his book with an autistic hero is for every child Michael Theo Someone in the audience at Think Autism Sydney in 2025 who works in children’s publishing asked how stories with minority protagonists escape being shelved as niche. Michael Theo described a book with no target audience but children.
-
1 minute 50 seconds, captioned Four founders on what neuroaffirming means once the tick box is gone Anita Aherne, Holly Fowler and 2 more At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, Anita Aherne asked four founders to define a word everyone was using. Their answers moved from safety and unmasking to individual need, respect and plain kindness. - 58 seconds, captioned Holly Fowler built Wable with its users and found investors who wanted that Holly Fowler At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, Wable’s founder described an app reshaped by a year of consultation, and a capital raise in which, to her surprise, the pressure to conform did not arrive.
- 2 minutes 26 seconds, captioned Kate Lambridis turned a spreadsheet about her children’s health into an advocacy app Kate Lambridis Once her children were diagnosed autistic, doctors fobbed her off, Kate Lambridis told Think Autism Sydney in May 2025. Her answer was to turn lived experience into data patients could take back into the consulting room.
- 2 minutes 36 seconds, captioned Natasha Siryj said her workplace called itself inclusive and was not Natasha Siryj The Practice Inclusion founder told Think Autism Sydney in May 2025 how a workplace that called itself inclusive turned her into an advocate. Later in the session, a panellist argued that disclosure depends on feeling safe.
- 3 minutes 41 seconds, captioned Think Autism panellists on the health data that could end trial and error care Think Autism Sydney 2025 Asked what they would build with unlimited resources, a panellist at Think Autism Sydney in May 2025 called for a large unbiased dataset to end trial and error care. Another, speaking as a health professional, said it was coming, slowly.
- 1 minute 24 seconds, captioned The peer worker who once feared being sued for mentioning her ADHD Georgia Zentrich At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, Georgia Zentrich described once fearing she would be sued for speaking about her ADHD, and finding a job in which she is employed to share her lived experience.
- 4 minutes 4 seconds, captioned A trauma therapist traced the distrust of lived experience back to colonisation Think Autism Sydney 2025 At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, a trauma therapist on a panel of neurodivergent practitioners argued that mental health care inherited its suspicion of lived experience, and described sitting on the ground with clients.
- 6 minutes 45 seconds, captioned Neurodivergent practitioners on the village that got them through Think Autism Sydney 2025 At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, a panel of neurodivergent practitioners described the partners, parents, housemates and lecturers who got them through, and what neurodivergent clinicians need from each other.
- 10 minutes 12 seconds, captioned Advice for neurodivergent clinicians began with treating burnout as an environment problem Think Autism Sydney 2025 Asked at Think Autism Sydney in 2025 what they would tell neurodivergent people entering mental health work, three practitioners spoke about burnout, saying no, schemas and lowering the bar to safe enough.
- 2 minutes 11 seconds, captioned A physiotherapist asked why physiotherapy regulation lags psychology on lived experience Dr Naomi Malone At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, a physiotherapist with lived experience asked a panel of mental health practitioners how to win at the regulatory level what psychology was already writing into its standards.
- 4 minutes 9 seconds, captioned No government strategy has ever created systemic change, Sharon Zivkovic told Think Autism Sydney Dr Sharon Zivkovic On the opening panel of Think Autism Sydney in 2025, Sharon Zivkovic warned autistic leaders against taking their direction from the National Autism Strategy, and pointed them to the movements that came before.
- 8 minutes 50 seconds, captioned A tender lost over two extra pages tested the autism strategy’s promise Kyriakos Gold At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, Kyriakos Gold asked whether the strategy was changing anything for autistic people or only describing them well. The panel answered that its value depended on what autistic people did with it.
- 4 minutes 14 seconds, captioned Counting eye contact is not success, Rebecca McCash told Think Autism Sydney Rebecca McCash, Dr Sharon Zivkovic Asked what failure would look like for the National Autism Strategy, Sharon Zivkovic and Rebecca McCash both pointed to measurement, from opposite ends of the system.
-
4 minutes 10 seconds, captioned Three autistic leaders set different terms for staying at the strategy’s table Christina Chun, Dr Sharon Zivkovic Asked at Think Autism Sydney in 2025 for one non negotiable they would put to government, three panellists, among them Sharon Zivkovic and Christina Chun, gave different answers about who should hold power. - 1 minute 27 seconds, captioned A Think Autism Sydney panellist asked why Australia has no autism procurement policy Think Autism Sydney 2025 At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, a panellist proposed adding autistic led businesses to the targets in government purchasing rules. An audience member argued for a wider disability category, and another panellist pointed to the UK.
- 3 minutes 3 seconds, captioned Schools are still teaching young autistic people to mask, a Think Autism panellist said Think Autism Sydney 2025 Kyriakos Gold asked the Think Autism Sydney panel in 2025 how to guide a generation that knows it is neurodivergent and expects the system to be ready. A panellist said school was teaching them the opposite.
- 2 minutes 51 seconds, captioned Sharon Zivkovic on growing up autistic when it was called childhood schizophrenia Dr Sharon Zivkovic, Christina Chun and 1 more At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, two autistic leaders described going through school without a diagnosis, and why an earlier label might have made things worse.
- 5 minutes 25 seconds, captioned Autistic leaders on the diagnoses that came first and did not fit Christina Chun At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, Christina Chun, Sharon Zivkovic and other speakers described diagnoses of depression and cognitive impairment that, in their telling, did not account for being autistic.
- 5 minutes 1 second, captioned A high school teacher’s case for putting more autistic teachers in schools Think Autism Sydney 2025 At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, a teacher named Kathleen argued that making schools better for children starts with how autistic teachers are treated and assessed. The panel answered with cognition and curriculum.
- 4 minutes 57 seconds, captioned A call to break the system, and a panellist’s case for new civics Think Autism Sydney 2025 At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, an audience member called the panel’s solutions slow band aids. A panellist answered with falling faith in democracy and a civics that trains activists.
- 10 minutes 35 seconds, captioned An audience call for an Autism Act, and who it would leave out Kyriakos Gold At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, an audience member asked for autism legislation beneath the national strategy. The answers from the stage turned on who gets diagnosed, and on how culture shapes who is seen as autistic.
- 5 minutes 9 seconds, captioned Sharon Zivkovic said autistic founders belong to the older meaning of social entrepreneurship Dr Sharon Zivkovic, Christina Chun At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, Dr Sharon Zivkovic separated autistic social entrepreneurship from the mainstream social enterprise model. Christina Chun said her own sector did not actively think about autistic entrepreneurship.
- 2 minutes, captioned When employment shuts autistic people out, building a business becomes the pathway Kyriakos Gold, Zoe Atterbury At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, the panel on autistic entrepreneurship treated self employment as a response to inaccessible workplaces, and a panellist said she wanted children to see that it was possible.
- 3 minutes 25 seconds, captioned The unwritten rules of business, and the workarounds autistic founders build around them Rebecca McCash, Kyriakos Gold and 1 more At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, Rebecca McCash said the hard part of her enterprise was the nuance outside it. Christina Chun credited neurotypical advisers, and Kyriakos Gold described using AI and mimicry.
- 3 minutes 31 seconds, captioned Sharon Zivkovic said older autistic people free of masking should lead Dr Sharon Zivkovic, Zoe Atterbury At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, Dr Sharon Zivkovic said she would no longer mask for anyone, and argued that autistic elders free of job worries should push for a society where young people do not have to.
- 2 minutes 48 seconds, captioned Christina Chun said funders keep backing the people they already fund Christina Chun At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, Christina Chun described a funding system that runs on social cues and rewards incumbents. A fellow panellist said the first barrier is the grant application itself.
- 4 minutes 32 seconds, captioned Sharon Zivkovic built a founder program when none met the autism strategy’s principles Dr Sharon Zivkovic, Rebecca McCash At Think Autism Sydney in 2025, Dr Sharon Zivkovic said the national strategy’s action plan promised to evaluate support for entrepreneurs, and that the programs on offer still asked autistic founders to predict.
- 3 minutes 27 seconds, captioned Autistic founders were told to aim for the places where budgets are set Think Autism Sydney 2025 At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, a panellist warned that running a business is a separate skill from pursuing an interest, and told autistic founders to aim for the positions where budgets and policy are set.
- 5 minutes 1 second, captioned Rebecca McCash and Christina Chun disagreed over grants, trade and autistic enterprise Kyriakos Gold, Christina Chun At Think Autism Sydney in May 2025, Rebecca McCash of FutureTech said a business that already trades still needs money to scale. Christina Chun held that trading defines a social enterprise, and the conference became the test case.
- 7 minutes 26 seconds, captioned No one counts the autistic founders who fail, a Think Autism panellist said Think Autism Sydney 2025 An audience member at Think Autism Sydney in May 2025 asked whether anyone tracks autistic founders whose businesses do not succeed. A panellist said nobody does, and argued that the attempt still opens other doors.
- 8 minutes 42 seconds, captioned Autistic founders described building businesses around capacity that changes daily Think Autism Sydney 2025 Asked at Think Autism Sydney in May 2025 how autistic people choose between financial stability and psychosocial safety, two panellists described work designed around fluctuating capacity, and what it costs.
The full 6 sessions, on YouTube
- Community Is the Cure: Belonging Beyond the System41 minutes 57 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Telling Our Stories: Autism in the Media39 minutes 32 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Neuroaffirming Systems: Designed by Us, for Us36 minutes 31 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Neurodivergent Health Practitioners: Rethinking Care, Reclaiming Practice37 minutes 30 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Unapologetically Autistic: Leadership, Visibility and Voice57 minutes 39 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Autistic Entrepreneurship: Disrupting the System51 minutes 15 seconds, sign in free to watch
Sign in to keep reading, listening and watching.
Sign in with your email and everything in the Library is open to you: every story, every talk and every episode. It is free and it always will be. If you can, a donation helps keep it free for everyone.
Think Social 2 2025
1 talk. 28 May 2025.The full session, on YouTube
- Think Social 2: Sydney1 hour 8 minutes, sign in free to watch
Sign in to keep reading, listening and watching.
Sign in with your email and everything in the Library is open to you: every story, every talk and every episode. It is free and it always will be. If you can, a donation helps keep it free for everyone.
Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024
94 talks. 8 June 2024, Melbourne · 9 June 2024, Sydney.- 6 minutes 30 seconds, captioned Sharon Zivkovic said autistic expectations had risen and called it a social movement Dr Sharon Zivkovic, Christina Chun Opening the closing session of the 2024 Sydney symposium, Dr Sharon Zivkovic said the bar for future autistic lives had been raised in two years. Participants then described what the two days had meant to them.
- 5 minutes 55 seconds, captioned Autistic led does not mean autistic only, an AV panellist told Sydney Kyriakos Gold A founder diagnosed with ADHD three weeks earlier challenged the symposium’s red flag test for programs that are not autistic led. A panellist from Aspergers Victoria replied that the leadership did not have to be one person.
- 1 minute 58 seconds, captioned Minds at Play, a contract critique and growth built from special interests Dwayne Fernandes At the Sydney symposium in 2024, Dwayne Fernandes of Minds at Play described an autistic employee whose critique of a contract fixed a problem for the business. A panellist explained using a game to start the conversation.
- 9 minutes 1 second, captioned Sleep, preparation and support workers, the hidden cost of attending an autism event Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 In the closing session of the 2024 Sydney symposium, a first time attendee asked for more talk about struggle. The replies described how much effort it takes to be in the room at all.
- 2 minutes 48 seconds, captioned Kyriakos Gold on unmasking at 48 and being told he does not look autistic enough Kyriakos Gold In the closing session of the 2024 Sydney symposium, Kyriakos Gold described the daily work of suppressing sensory pain, what unmasking had done to his composure, and the comments that called him a fraud.
- 3 minutes 45 seconds, captioned Tourette’s, a childhood stroke and why one panellist chose to be the bridge Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 In the closing session of the 2024 Sydney symposium, a panellist from Aspergers Victoria described conditions that complicate each other’s treatment, a childhood without support, and accepting a harder road for others.
- 4 minutes 57 seconds, captioned Especially hard to find if not a Caucasian cisgender boy, an activist said Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 In the last round of the 2024 Sydney symposium, participants spoke about who gets recognised, from masked adults to late diagnosed sisters, and what a full room changed for them.
- 3 minutes 44 seconds, captioned Stigma is the biggest barrier to autistic employment, Sandra Thom-Jones argued Sandra Thom-Jones At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, the researcher told an employment panel that autistic people lose out at every stage of work because of what others believe about them.
- 1 minute 48 seconds, captioned Government workplace supports for autistic staff were hidden away, an employment panel heard Tammie Sinclair, Kyriakos Gold At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist argued that employers were missing help that already existed, and Tammie Sinclair said the rigidity autistic workers are accused of belongs to employers.
- 2 minutes 40 seconds, captioned Put an outside advocate in workplaces that hire autistic people, a panellist argued Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, an employment panellist argued that an outside organisation should share accountability for autistic hires, and translate between them and their employers.
- 3 minutes 7 seconds, captioned Working from home opened up her life, Rebecca McCash told employers Rebecca McCash At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, Rebecca McCash and Tammie Sinclair argued that workplace accommodations are individual, usually simple, and best offered to everyone.
- 4 minutes 58 seconds, captioned Sandra Thom-Jones would replace the job interview with a paid trial day Sandra Thom-Jones At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, the researcher set out how recruitment shuts out autistic candidates, and an audience member described a company that hires through a 30 minute task instead.
- 6 minutes 22 seconds, captioned Employ four people for one job, the case for carving work into tasks Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist argued that autistic people are task oriented, that jobs should be broken into tasks shared across a team, and that steady contract work should count as employment.
- 3 minutes 47 seconds, captioned Why autistic employees need the reason behind an instruction, and time to trust Rebecca McCash At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, Rebecca McCash said questioning authority had repeatedly got her into trouble at work, and that explaining the reason, and earning trust, solves most of it.
- 3 minutes 38 seconds, captioned Think like the manager, an autistic worker’s account of a London warehouse job Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist described fixing a bottleneck on a warehouse floor without permission, and argued that putting a problem in the manager’s terms changed how the employer responded.
- 5 minutes 32 seconds, captioned Where autistic employment advocates should push, from local councillors to large corporates Tammie Sinclair Asked at the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium where advocacy energy should go, Tammie Sinclair, a local councillor, said to pester councillors. Another panellist pointed to large corporates, and Rebecca McCash closed on autistic leadership.
- 1 minute 38 seconds, captioned Sharon Zivkovic split product development from business development for autistic founders Dr Sharon Zivkovic At the Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney in June 2024, Dr Sharon Zivkovic argued that autistic cognition suits building a product and clashes with the way business development is usually taught.
- 4 minutes 13 seconds, captioned Autistic founders hold on to the problem and let the solution keep changing Christina Chun, Roo Harris At the Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney in June 2024, Christina Chun and a FutureTech panellist described constant iteration on feedback as an autistic strength, and the panellist named the difficulty of explaining it to funders.
- 8 minutes 4 seconds, captioned Christina Chun compared founder etiquette training to ABA in business Christina Chun, Kyriakos Gold At the Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney in June 2024, Christina Chun questioned the social norms autistic founders are trained to follow, and Kyriakos Gold described how culture and gender change the way directness is heard.
- 2 minutes 51 seconds, captioned A Sydney panel asked whether board governance itself shuts autistic people out Kyriakos Gold At the Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney in June 2024, an autistic board member described being called unprofessional, and the panel split on whether the fault lay with board structures or with how they are run.
- 3 minutes 18 seconds, captioned A Sydney panellist expects AI to change the moment investors doubt a founder Kyriakos Gold At the Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney in June 2024, a panellist described the founder whose leadership investors question as a company grows, and others separated entrepreneurship and leadership from day to day management.
- 5 minutes 25 seconds, captioned A neurotypical translator at the front door, and the risk of losing control Dr Sharon Zivkovic, Roo Harris At the Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney in June 2024, speakers from Minds at Play described putting a neurotypical between the business and its audience, and Dr Sharon Zivkovic warned what happens when that person builds the systems.
- 6 minutes 50 seconds, captioned An autistic panel asked whether AI belongs on a company board Kyriakos Gold At the Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney in June 2024, autistic founders split over AI in the boardroom. Kyriakos Gold asked whether AI is itself a little autistic, and got a sharp answer.
- 2 minutes 7 seconds, captioned A Sydney panellist made the case for design justice inside autistic businesses Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney in 2024, a panellist warned against dividing business processes between neurotypical and neurodivergent staff, and argued for designing every process so more people can take part.
- 3 minutes 47 seconds, captioned Christina Chun now schedules her masking, and Sharon Zivkovic asks for accommodations Christina Chun, Dr Sharon Zivkovic At the 2024 Sydney symposium, Christina Chun described masking after diagnosis as a cost to be budgeted, and Dr Sharon Zivkovic described accommodations as something she now felt able to demand.
- 4 minutes 26 seconds, captioned Told pride was too gay, Autistic Pride Day asked where to compromise Kyriakos Gold, Roo Harris At the 2024 symposium in Sydney, Kyriakos Gold put the feedback on Autistic Pride Day’s name to a panel of autistic founders and an investor. Their answers set the movement’s values against the money it needs.
- 2 minutes 47 seconds, captioned One panellist’s advice to young autistic founders was to find another autistic person Dr Sharon Zivkovic Closing a 2024 Sydney panel on autistic entrepreneurship, Kyriakos Gold asked for advice for a younger autistic founder. Two of the answers described support that did not yet exist, and the third pointed to other autistic people.
- 2 minutes 53 seconds, captioned A Sydney panel named the classroom rules that count stillness as learning Kyriakos Gold The education panel at the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney began with the rules of an ordinary classroom, and ended by arguing the system that sets them has to change.
- 2 minutes 8 seconds, captioned Why three extra weeks fail autistic students who do not understand the question Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 A panellist on the Sydney education panel argued in 2024 that university adjustments are offered from a fixed list, and proposed that autistic people check assessment questions before students ever see them.
- 4 minutes 13 seconds, captioned Autistic university students said they were left to educate their own lecturers Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 Research reported at the 2024 Sydney education panel found stigma, discrimination and outdated knowledge among university staff. The proposed next study would question the staff instead of the students.
- 2 minutes 56 seconds, captioned Dr Siobhan Lamb wanted classrooms where no student needed an accommodation Dr Siobhan Lamb At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, a panellist working in secondary education called neurodivergent students the canaries in the coal mine. A participant who works at Headspace warned that one design rarely fits every young person.
- 1 minute 55 seconds, captioned Schools need openly neurodivergent teachers students can look up to, Sydney panel said Sandra Thom-Jones Panellists at the 2024 Sydney education session argued for visible neurodivergent staff and autistic experts in schools, and described three local examples of schools starting to make that change.
- 2 minutes 6 seconds, captioned Letting autistic students leave an overwhelming room would cost schools nothing, panel heard Marion Rabuka, Sandra Thom-Jones At the 2024 Sydney education panel, Marion Rabuka named the sensory barriers in classrooms and Sandra Thom-Jones argued the cheapest fix was giving students the autonomy to walk out.
- 1 minute 17 seconds, captioned A father used ChatGPT to show his autistic daughter how a speech is built Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, a teacher and a parent described students using AI for the structure of their work while doing the writing themselves.
- 2 minutes 11 seconds, captioned When parents and schools stop trusting each other, the autistic student loses Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, a panellist said parents, teachers and the student must work as one team, and that schools should expect neurodivergent parents.
- 5 minutes 13 seconds, captioned A panellist argued school can’t children should never be tricked into class Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, a participant praised an inclusive school model with learning plans for every student. A diverse learning teacher raised the cost of the plans, and a panellist used a story about a lion to question the premise.
- 8 minutes 25 seconds, captioned Autistic students catch every word and miss the hint, a Sydney panel heard Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 An audience member asked the 2024 Sydney education panel to look past the sensory environment to how autistic students process information. The answers described instructions, lectures and assignments built for another kind of mind.
- 1 minute 34 seconds, captioned Sandra Thom-Jones said screens cast autistic people as burdens or superheroes Sandra Thom-Jones At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, the autistic writer and researcher said film and television show autistic characters but rarely autistic people, and that The Good Doctor combines both stereotypes.
- 3 minutes 53 seconds, captioned Sandra Thom-Jones said Love on the Spectrum turns autistic dating into entertainment Sandra Thom-Jones At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, Sandra Thom-Jones criticised the dating show for its narrow casting and its coaches. A year later, someone who had been on it gave the other side.
- 3 minutes 19 seconds, captioned Kyle Goldfinch drew on his own dating life to write Neuromance Kyle Goldfinch At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, the writer and producer of the short film Neuromance described where it came from, and the panel asked where autistic audiences find stories that give them hope.
- 2 minutes 46 seconds, captioned Why autistic characters on screen are pushed to look more autistic Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, a panellist explained the choice between canon and coded autistic characters, and argued that scarcity forces the few named ones into a textbook version.
- 7 minutes 43 seconds, captioned The old excuse for not casting autistic actors was the set itself Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, a panellist described productions changing their sets for autistic actors, and the panel heard how access coordinators work.
- 5 minutes 49 seconds, captioned Every autistic writer in a panellist’s workshops had been told they could not write Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, a panellist traced the shortage of autistic stories on screen back to the classroom, and another described ways into the industry.
- 2 minutes 36 seconds, captioned Sandra Thom-Jones said autistic comedy depends on who is in on the joke Sandra Thom-Jones Asked at the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney whether 1980s comedies mocked neurodivergent traits, Sandra Thom-Jones said audiences should ask whether they are laughing with an autistic person or at them.
- 2 minutes 4 seconds, captioned Readers’ letters led Sandra Thom-Jones to quit her university job and write Sandra Thom-Jones At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, the autistic writer described a book that explains autism from the inside, the letters that followed it, and fiction in which autistic characters have ordinary lives.
- 2 minutes 17 seconds, captioned A Sydney panel on the line between autistic led and autistic co designed Anita Aherne At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, Anita Aherne defined an autistic led program, and panellists set out what a program needed for a listing and the red flags they watched for.
- 7 minutes 25 seconds, captioned FutureTech asked every child how each session went, and changed the program fast Rebecca McCash, Kyriakos Gold At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, Rebecca McCash and a panellist from Sunny Spectrum described how their autistic led social enterprises gathered feedback and changed their programs in response.
- 5 minutes 8 seconds, captioned Funding went to large organisations with token autistic voices, Anita Aherne said Anita Aherne At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, autistic panellists described a funding system that rewarded size and normalising outcomes, and left autistic led programs running on donated time.
- 8 minutes 3 seconds, captioned Tammie Sinclair warned that a special interest made into work could be lost Tammie Sinclair, Rebecca McCash Autistic program leaders at the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney argued for building on special interests that diagnostic language had called obsessive. Tammie Sinclair added a caution about employment.
- 2 minutes 11 seconds, captioned Programs for late diagnosed autistic adults were scarce, a Sydney panel heard Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 Asked what existed for autistic adults diagnosed later in life, panellists at the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney described grief, isolation and a focus on children that left adults with little.
- 7 minutes 29 seconds, captioned What the parent of an autistic adult was told to look for, and avoid Tammie Sinclair A parent at the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney asked how to help an adult child. The panel’s answers kept returning the question to the child’s own experience.
- 2 minutes 34 seconds, captioned Workplace adjustments should not wait on proof of disability, a Sydney panellist said Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 Asked at the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney how employers could afford people with higher support needs, panellists moved the question from cost to design.
- 6 minutes 17 seconds, captioned Neurodivergent practitioners weigh the DSM checklist against the social model of autism Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 Facilitator Dr Judy Tang put it to three neurodivergent practitioners in Sydney that autism was at a crossroads between the medical model and the real world’s understanding. The answers favoured the social model but kept the criteria.
- 5 minutes, captioned Practitioners who self identified argue support should not wait for a diagnosis Dr Judy Tang At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, the panel’s facilitator, Dr Judy Tang, admitted feeling territorial about diagnosis. Neurodivergent practitioners on the panel explained why they had started from self identification.
- 8 minutes 2 seconds, captioned Two practitioners studied ADHD at university and found their own through social media Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, two neurodivergent practitioners described recognising themselves through online content after formal study had not, while the facilitator, Dr Judy Tang, voiced caution about what circulates online.
- 4 minutes, captioned Functioning labels can describe how others see autistic people, a Sydney panellist said Dr Judy Tang At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist with lower support needs asked not to be called high functioning, and another speaker asked how autistic people with different needs could stop pushing against each other.
- 5 minutes 47 seconds, captioned Colouring in without talking, and other lessons in neurodiversity affirming therapy Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, neurodivergent practitioners said much of their profession was not yet on board, and set out what affirming care looks like in a session.
- 2 minutes 35 seconds, captioned A speaker asked why Australia lacked an autism strategy like Ireland’s Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Sydney, one speaker pointed to an Irish strategy as a model, a panellist welcomed Australia’s draft autism strategy, and another argued change also happens one person at a time.
- 2 minutes 58 seconds, captioned A panellist said founder burnout was a problem funders should design for Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 On stage in Melbourne in 2024, a panellist disclosed being close to burnout and argued that investors, incubators and accelerators should build mental health support into their processes before asking founders to self manage.
- 5 minutes 36 seconds, captioned A panellist described the NDIS and business advice as two worlds that never meet Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 In Melbourne in 2024, a panellist set out why autistic founders on the NDIS deal with two systems that do not understand each other, and named a quick fix in training a hundred business advisers.
- 7 minutes 30 seconds, captioned An investor said investors should check their own bias before judging autistic founders Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 An investor on the panel told the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium that their firm runs unconscious bias checklists on its decisions, as founders in the room described pitching as being made to mask.
- 59 seconds, captioned Autistic founders described being shut out of the rooms where money moves Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 In Melbourne in 2024, the panel traced funding success to privilege and social capital, and founders in the audience described what it is like to sit outside the circles where deals are made.
- 5 minutes 31 seconds, captioned Founders told Autistic Pride Day their businesses were built for jobs and control Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, autistic and neurodivergent founders described businesses built to control their own working conditions or to create jobs, a version of entrepreneurship that venture capital measures poorly.
- 3 minutes 49 seconds, captioned Rejection sensitivity and the long road of raising money as an autistic founder Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 Asked in Melbourne in 2024 how founders with rejection sensitive dysphoria should handle fundraising, a panellist urged reframing and peer support, as one founder described feedback that she was too monotone.
- 6 minutes 2 seconds, captioned A positive duty on systems, and the data case for neurodivergent founders Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 In Melbourne in 2024, a participant asked why the burden of inclusion still fell on autistic people and proposed a positive duty on systems. A panellist answered with the economic case.
- 2 minutes 46 seconds, captioned A panellist warned against building a segregated support system for autistic founders Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne, a panellist argued that the work should go into changing existing systems, as the session heard that the social enterprise sector casts autistic people as beneficiaries.
- 9 minutes, captioned A participant argued that a grant process that excludes anyone is wrong Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 Told that help with a grant application would be an unfair advantage, an autistic participant asked the 2024 symposium whether to play the system or challenge it, and speakers argued for both.
- 1 minute 54 seconds, captioned A panellist proposed effectuation for autistic founders in place of traditional business planning Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 In Melbourne in 2024, a panellist set autistic cognition against traditional business planning and proposed effectuation instead, with skill development for the business advisers who guide founders.
- 1 minute 47 seconds, captioned Autistic led technology still has to be co-designed, a Melbourne panel heard Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne, a panellist argued that user centred design is everything in autism technology, and three founders described how they bring their users into the build.
- 2 minutes 32 seconds, captioned Kaboose had no funding, then one TikTok video brought almost a thousand users Kyriakos Gold A year after her first symposium appearance, Michelle told the 2024 Melbourne technology panel that her community app had grown without investment, and asked the room for an investor.
- 1 minute 49 seconds, captioned Karista’s founder said the mothers seeking help were often undiagnosed themselves Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 Karista’s founder told the 2024 Melbourne technology panel that the company had taken close to 80,000 requests, mostly from mothers of young autistic children, and that many of those mothers were neurodivergent without a diagnosis.
- 6 minutes 45 seconds, captioned A founder asked how to reach ADHD users without exposing them to Meta Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Melbourne technology panel, an app founder in the audience said a Facebook ad and pixel would flag users’ ADHD to Meta. The panel answered with the channels they used instead.
- 3 minutes 7 seconds, captioned An investor told autistic founders that hyperfocus answers the question investors ask Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 Closing the 2024 Melbourne technology panel, a panellist speaking as an investor said investors want to know whether a founder will go the distance. The founders gave their own advice on staying in the game.
- 10 minutes 30 seconds, captioned Autistic panellists disagreed on whether to call themselves proudly disabled Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne, two panellists claimed the word disabled with pride. A third said they were and were not proudly disabled, and another speaker said they did not yet have the words.
- 3 minutes 17 seconds, captioned A panellist said light intolerance showed where the social model of disability stops Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne, a late diagnosed panellist accepted the social model of disability but said some autistic sensory limits are not socially imposed, and that disablement can change by the hour.
- 7 minutes 39 seconds, captioned Diagnosed at 46, a panellist said self acceptance began with finding their people Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne, panellists described carrying internalised ableism for years, and said finding community was central to putting it down.
- 9 minutes 15 seconds, captioned Rikki said disclosure meant choosing between discrimination and being infantilised Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne, Rikki, a panellist who uses a cane, said they disclose first because they will be judged either way. Another panellist holds back until the end.
- 2 minutes 38 seconds, captioned Lost skills or known limits, a participant asked about life after diagnosis Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne, a participant said the office had become excruciating since their diagnosis. Panellists, including a provisional psychologist, gave different answers.
- 4 minutes 11 seconds, captioned Turning down discriminatory clients is a choice some autistic people cannot afford Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne, a disabled business owner said she would not work with clients who discriminate. Another speaker said not everyone has that option, and a panellist described what it took to get one.
- 2 minutes 47 seconds, captioned Disabled person or person with disability, autistic panellists answered a carer’s question Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne, a carer asked why the panel said disabled person. The answers turned on whether disability can be separated from the self.
- 7 minutes 23 seconds, captioned A panellist challenged the symposium’s own theme by defending the business costume Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, held under the theme Taking Off the Mask, one panellist argued there was power in putting it back on. The panel did not let the claim pass unexamined.
- 3 minutes 42 seconds, captioned Seek the community before the diagnosis, one panellist told the newly diagnosed Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 Asked for advice to someone just diagnosed, a Melbourne panel at the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium agreed on community. One panellist questioned what a diagnosis is for.
- 3 minutes 2 seconds, captioned Victoria’s refreshed autism plan lost sight of autistic owned enterprise, a panellist said Kyriakos Gold At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist compared how the national draft, South Australia and Victoria treated autistic entrepreneurs, and found Victoria had moved from ownership to employment.
- 4 minutes 22 seconds, captioned A Melbourne panel split on whether strategy funding would reach autistic led enterprises Kyriakos Gold At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium Kyriakos Gold argued that funding goes to people without lived experience and to big disability organisations. One panellist was unsure what would change, and a South Australian panellist was confident.
- 2 minutes 52 seconds, captioned Peer support was the autism strategy’s most promising idea, a working group member said Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a member of the strategy’s economic inclusion working group named peer support as the part they were most excited about. The room asked what could start without government.
- 1 minute 44 seconds, captioned An autism strategy panel said its measures of success were still unfinished Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 Two panellists who helped draft the economic inclusion part of the National Autism Strategy described the process at the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium. Others said how success would be measured was unsettled.
- 3 minutes 54 seconds, captioned The autism strategy working group found no answer on federal and state responsibility Kyriakos Gold At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium Kyriakos Gold asked where the national strategy ends and the states begin. A working group member said the gap was real, especially in schools, and unresolved.
- 6 minutes 5 seconds, captioned South Australia’s autism reforms began as an election platform, a panellist said Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2024 At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a South Australian panellist traced the state’s school supports and its autistic led Office for Autism to a policy taken to an election. The lesson Kyriakos Gold drew was to lobby early.
- 8 minutes, captioned Autistic advocates at a strategy panel said change could start at council Kyriakos Gold At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panel on national and state autism strategies turned to local government, where participants described asking for policies, joining committees and finding autistic staff.
- 1 minute 45 seconds, captioned Mental health professionals had a lot of unlearning to do, Dr Judy Tang said Dr Judy Tang On the Melbourne day of the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, the neuropsychologist named the diagnostic checklist as part of what she had to unlearn. A practitioner on the panel located innovation in that unlearning.
- 2 minutes 28 seconds, captioned Naomi Malone said allies could meet autistic people halfway across the bridge Dr Naomi Malone, Kyriakos Gold Asked in Melbourne in 2024 whether practitioners need lived experience of autism, Dr Naomi Malone said it was valuable but not essential, and offered an image of allies on a bridge. Kyriakos Gold replied that autistic people had walked it all.
- 4 minutes 59 seconds, captioned Two psychologists told the symposium they would rather talk about support than treatment Kyriakos Gold, Dr Judy Tang and 1 more When Kyriakos Gold told a Melbourne panel in 2024 that he did not want to be treated, Dr Judy Tang and Dr Naomi Malone explained why their professions were moving away from the word.
- 9 minutes 53 seconds, captioned A practitioner said autism assessment had more entry points but no gold standard Kyriakos Gold At the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne, practitioners defined holistic care, said neuroaffirming practitioners were getting easier to find, and named what the system still lacked.
- 11 minutes 30 seconds, captioned Profound autism, unheard carers and the fight over who is really autistic Kyriakos Gold, Dr Judy Tang A question about profound autism at the 2024 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne drew a warning about consensus, a defence of carers, and a live account of what the term did to Kyriakos Gold.
The full 12 sessions, on YouTube
- Q&A: Think Autism (Sydney)36 minutes 40 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Enhancing Employment Opportunities for Autistic Individuals42 minutes 45 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Autistic Entrepreneurship: Autistic Cognition and Business Development41 minutes 53 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Embracing Neurodiversity in Education (Sydney)43 minutes 9 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Media Representation of Autistic People: Challenges and the Future (Sydney)36 minutes 42 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Autistic Led Solutions for Autistic People: Programs (Sydney)37 minutes 48 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Neurodivergent Practitioners on Diagnosis, Treatment and Perception (Sydney)31 minutes 41 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Autistic Entrepreneurship: Building a Support Ecosystem (Melbourne)55 minutes 57 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Autistic Led Solutions for Autistic People: Technology Focus (Melbourne)30 minutes 43 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Autism and Disability: Perspectives and Intersections (Melbourne)47 minutes 35 seconds, sign in free to watch
- National and State Autism Strategies: Opportunities, Challenges and Impact32 minutes 31 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Neurodivergent Health Practitioners: Insights and Innovations (Melbourne)33 minutes 48 seconds, sign in free to watch
Sign in to keep reading, listening and watching.
Sign in with your email and everything in the Library is open to you: every story, every talk and every episode. It is free and it always will be. If you can, a donation helps keep it free for everyone.
Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023
29 talks. 18 June 2023.- 2 minutes 38 seconds, captioned Neurotype, culture or disorder, the first symposium’s closing dialogue began with language Kyriakos Gold Asked what autism is, speakers at the close of the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium in Melbourne described a brain style and a culture, and split on whether the word disorder should stay.
- 2 minutes 20 seconds, captioned A panellist argued autism research had been built through a white, male, cisgender lens Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 Asked to explain intersectionality at the closing dialogue of the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist asked who had shaped the field’s understanding of autism, and whose lives it left out.
- 3 minutes 50 seconds, captioned A panellist warned that anti trans politics was weaponising autism and gender identity Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the close of the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist said autistic people are more likely to be queer and trans, and explained why research into it was met with suspicion.
- 5 minutes 23 seconds, captioned Some parents froze at the word autism, and others felt relief Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 Asked at the close of the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium whether autism still carried stigma, speakers described culturally diverse families, schoolyard taunts and the moment a diagnosis finally makes sense.
- 3 minutes 25 seconds, captioned A two hour talk can look functional and cost the speaker the day Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the close of the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a non autistic teacher in a mostly autistic team described what audiences do not see when autistic advocates tell their stories on stage.
- 4 minutes 57 seconds, captioned Autistic panellists described allyship as work done with the real person Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 Asked at the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium what an ally looks like, panellists answered with practice, from unmasking in public to a written user guide handed to a manager.
- 8 minutes 22 seconds, captioned A panellist warned of a lost generation of undiagnosed autistic seniors Kyriakos Gold At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist described a lost generation of older autistic Australians and argued that aged care has to be planned for people who may never get a diagnosis.
- 12 minutes 19 seconds, captioned Neurodiversity got a better hearing from employers than autism, a panellist said Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, autistic panellists said “everyone’s on the spectrum” protects the listener’s comfort, then weighed the use of the softer word neurodiversity to get a hearing from employers.
- 5 minutes 5 seconds, captioned Panellists said inclusion training puts the burden back on the communities it serves Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, panellists who deliver and receive inclusion training questioned whether it changes anything, and who pays the cost of trying.
- 5 minutes 39 seconds, captioned Diagnosed as adults, autistic practitioners weighed whether to say it out loud Tamsin Jowett Two psychologists diagnosed as adults and an advocate who came to the field through her son told the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium how they came to the work, and what disclosure risked.
- 6 minutes 11 seconds, captioned Neurodivergent practitioners challenged the idea that autistic people are poor at peopling Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, neurodivergent practitioners argued that the way they relate to people is a strength in their work, and that the communication problem is often a mismatch.
- 3 minutes 26 seconds, captioned The myth that autistic people cannot be psychologists persisted inside the profession Dr Naomi Malone At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist said old myths about empathy and friendship still shaped diagnosis and the way some professionals saw autistic colleagues.
- 1 minute 48 seconds, captioned Practitioners said the DSM lagged behind what the autistic community already knew Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a practitioner argued the diagnostic manual limits help, and a panellist from Asperger’s Victoria described what members lost when their diagnosis name went.
-
5 minutes 20 seconds, captioned Neurodiversity affirming practice, and research that asks autistic children what worked Raelene Dundon At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, practitioners defined affirming practice, linked it to the trauma they see in autistic adults, and called for research that asks children whether therapies helped them. - 2 minutes 37 seconds, captioned Autistic entrepreneurship was already in government plans, with no money behind it Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the first Autistic Pride Day Symposium in June 2023, a panellist said policy already named autistic entrepreneurship and the work now was lobbying for programs and funding behind it.
- 1 minute 16 seconds, captioned Autistic founders were told to learn the pitch and to build their own fund Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, the entrepreneurship panel heard that the pitch still decides who gets capital, and a hope that the community would one day fund autistic startups itself.
- 1 minute 49 seconds, captioned An autistic founder said they were a lousy employee and a good entrepreneur Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 Asked why an autistic person who struggles to hold a job would start a business, panellists at the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium described working lives that came together through self employment.
- 3 minutes 45 seconds, captioned Business advisers were steering autistic founders away from their interests Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 A panellist told the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium that business advice runs on neurotypical thinking. Another described starting instead with a scribble on a page.
- 1 minute 10 seconds, captioned Open plan offices pushed one autistic professional into business Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist described open plan work as hostile to their thinking, and the conversation with their department that finally named the problem.
- 2 minutes 25 seconds, captioned Autistic founders described masking, bluntness and keeping clients happy Dr Sharon Zivkovic, Kyriakos Gold At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, one panellist described unmasking as unfinished work, and Dr Sharon Zivkovic explained why, in her sixties, she had stopped.
- 4 minutes 38 seconds, captioned A panellist said social enterprise should sit between human rights and business Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist argued that a sector positioned between charity and business treats disabled founders as people things are done to.
- 1 minute 24 seconds, captioned A panellist took research to the doctor and flagged a gap on autistic ageing Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist said autistic people have to educate the professionals around them, and that research on older autistic people is lacking.
- 4 minutes 50 seconds, captioned For autistic founders, pride meant special interests and the joy of each other Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 Closing the entrepreneurship panel at the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, panellists described pride as loving an autistic brain, reading autistic researchers and finding their own people.
- 2 minutes 4 seconds, captioned Two autistic led programs built belonging around games and STEAM Rebecca McCash Opening the first Autistic Pride Day Symposium in June 2023, Next Level Collaboration and FutureTech described programs that teach skills through children’s interests without trying to change who they are.
- 6 minutes 47 seconds, captioned Chris Varney traced ICAN Network to a teacher who pushed him to try Chris Varney In a recorded message to the first Autistic Pride Day Symposium, Chris Varney told how a year seven coordinator’s belief in him became Australia’s largest autistic led organisation, by his account.
- 4 minutes 4 seconds, captioned Australia’s first Autistic Pride Day Symposium asked whether pride had come too early Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 Opening the 2023 symposium, Kyriakos Gold asked whether Australia was ready for autistic pride. One panellist said the sector lacked cohesion; others said the moment had arrived and autistic people should lead it.
- 6 minutes 1 second, captioned Parents felt relief when autistic children joined in, and relearned what socialising meant Rebecca McCash At the first Autistic Pride Day Symposium, panellists described parents crying when a child finally joined in, and Rebecca McCash explained why parallel play counts as socialising.
- 5 minutes 50 seconds, captioned Panellists predicted demand for autistic led programs and warned of burnout by 18 Rebecca McCash At the first Autistic Pride Day Symposium, panellists said autistic leadership was becoming an expectation, and Rebecca McCash argued that education itself was where change was most needed.
- 1 minute 50 seconds, captioned Accommodations made for autistic workers help everyone, the first symposium heard Autistic Pride Day Symposium 2023 At the 2023 Autistic Pride Day Symposium, a panellist described early career mistakes that a neurodivergent mentor might have prevented, and the panel heard that autistic people are the canaries in the coal mine.
The full 4 sessions, on YouTube
- Think Autism: Q&A35 minutes 8 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Understanding Neurodiversity through Neurodiverse Practitioners25 minutes 8 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Autistic Economic Inclusion and Self Determination in the Social Sector29 minutes 26 seconds, sign in free to watch
- Autistic Led Programs for Children and Young People29 minutes 19 seconds, sign in free to watch
Sign in to keep reading, listening and watching.
Sign in with your email and everything in the Library is open to you: every story, every talk and every episode. It is free and it always will be. If you can, a donation helps keep it free for everyone.
Every recording is on our YouTube channel (opens in a new tab). The talks are cut into stories by Think Talks (opens in a new tab).