This was was written by autism@manchester’s co-production officer, Erin Beeston

I’m happy to be back for another season with Autism@Manchester! I’ve recently been away on leave, due to an operation for endometriosis. I don’t mind sharing this personal detail, as it strikes me that this is an area that needs greater awareness and understanding – as a cooccurring health condition autistic women can experience.

Here at Autism@Manchester we work with people across the University of Manchester in a network to channel our efforts and to share knowledge about the latest autism research. Coming soon on 27 March we have our next Café Autistique at the Contact Theatre, Space 0 (on the ground floor) from 5.30-8.30. Everyone is welcome is to attend. We’ll hear talks from two PhD students with lived experience of autism. Firstly, Freddie Jones will be discussing how creative communication methods for non-verbal autistic people can bring their voices into research. Secondly, Phoebe Walker-Sharpe will be explaining how visual imagery figures in how we access meaning, highlighting cognitive diversity and an autistic cognitive style.

You can find further details about the event on our Eventbrite page, please note that although it now states ‘sold out’, you can still join our reserve list and gain priority if you are autistic by emailing: Alexandra.sturrock@manchester.ac.uk. Here are details of how to get to the Contact Theatre including a floor plan: Getting Here | Contact Theatre.

We’ll have more research news to share with you in our newsletter soon. Our team and wonderful colleagues in the University of Manchester library are also refining the Autism@Manchester Research Involvement Toolkit – so look out for the launch of this if you are interested in getting involved with autism research with our projects and across the UK.

If you’d like to keep up to date with the latest news and calls for research participants or advisors you can join our mailing list by emailing erin.beeston@manchester.ac.uk or follow us on BlueSky, Instagram or Facebook.

Enjoy my latest photos of ducks and dandelions, which are currently fascinating my five-year-old.

Related