Understanding and Working with the Interplay of Trauma and Neurodivergence in Children and Young People

This one-day joint conference between BPS and UKTC features psychologists and academics sharing insights on trauma and neurodiversity, focusing on the lived experiences of neurodivergent children.

About this conference

In this one-day conference, we hear a range of perspectives from professionals with expertise in the fields of trauma and neurodivergence. This conference will look at the lived experience of trauma for neurodivergent children and young people, including the contexts and risk factors for trauma in this group. Alongside this, we will explore the complexities and solutions for working with trauma and neurodivergence in schools and in therapy.

This conference is aimed at clinicians who would like to understand more about the lived experience of trauma for neurodivergent children and young people. Throughout the day we will unpick the interplay between trauma and neurodivergence and take away some key ideas for how clinicians can adapt their practice to better help neurodivergent young people who have experienced trauma.

Learning outcomes:

Learn more about the research relating to the co-occurrence of trauma and neurodivergence.
Learn more about formulating trauma and neurodiversity.
Learn how to support neurodivergent children and young people who have experienced trauma in schools and in therapeutic work.
Learn about the interplay of trauma and neurodiversity in young people who present with forensic risks and what we can do to help.” This more accurately summarises what Emma and Yvette are presenting on.

This conference is for:

Clinicians and mental health professionals working with neurodivergent children and young people who have experienced trauma.

09:00 – 09:20 Arrival & Coffee
09:20 – 09:30 Annette Greenwood (CDT Chair): Opening Address & Welcome
09:30 – 10:15 Session 1 – Professor Helen Minnis
10:15 – 10:30 Q&A
10:30 – 11:15 Session 2 – Dr Georgia Pavlopoulou & Alexis Quinn
Title: A trauma informed approach to mental health support for autistic children, young people and their families
Overview: Georgia and Alexis will present a neurodivergence informed approach to trauma (with emphasis on autistic people's experiences and their family members). Autistic children with and without a learning disability, are at heightened risk of experiencing interpersonal, cultural or medical trauma and exposure to bullying and violence. It is estimated that these children are approximately two to three times more likely to encounter traumatic events of an interpersonal nature relative to their nonautistic counterparts.
11:15 – 11:30 Q&A
11:30 – 12:00 Coffee break
12:00 – 12:45 Session 3 – Dr Naomi Fisher
Title of presentation: Not Fine in School: School Trauma and Neurodiversity
Many children are struggling with school and some show signs of trauma from their experiences. In this presentation Naomi will outline some of the reasons why school can be challenging for neurodivergent children, and how the response of adults can make things better or worse.
12:45 – 13:00 Q&A
13:00 – 13:45 Lunch
13:45 – 14:30 Session 4 – Laura Bartlett
14:30 – 14:45 Q&A
14:45 – 15:30 Session 5 – Emma Williams & Yvette Bates
Title: Exploring the intersection of Trauma, Neurodivergence, and Forensic Risks in Children and Young People
Overview: Using the Trauma Recovery Model (TRM) by Skuse & Matthew (2015) as a guiding framework, this session equips professionals with practical, trauma-informed, and neuroinclusive strategies for supporting vulnerable children and young people who present with forensic risks.
Through a case study of "Jaden," a neurodivergent teenager navigating complex trauma and behavioural challenges, attendees will learn to reframe behaviours as expressions of unmet needs. They will also explore how to apply staged interventions to promote safety, emotional regulation, and long-term growth through strengths-based approaches.
15:30 – 15:45 Q&A
15:45 - 16:15 Panel Discussion: Bringing It Altogether: Summarising and Reflecting on Themes from the Day
16:15 – 16:30 Closing Reflections and Feedback Forms
16:30 Conference Close
Yvette Bates
Principal Forensic Psychologist, (CPsychol, HCPC Registered)
Yvette is a highly experienced Principal Forensic Psychologist with over 20 years in the field, including 11 years post-qualification. She is Chartered with and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a HCPC Registered Practitioner. Yvette's career has included a variety of roles working across the life span, including roles in prisons and secure services, supporting young people in residential care and educational settings and working with adults with a forensic history in community-based settings.
Yvette has completed a broad range of assessments of risk that have considered the impact of trauma and unmet need identified through formulation and exploration of an individual’s journey and made recommendations around future intervention, risk management and supporting strategies. Yvette has an extensive background in raising awareness, consultation and assessment in relation to supporting autistic people and has taken this forward as a consistent specialist area in her work. This has been through consultation, training development and delivery and also research. Yvette has presented at national and international conferences and has a published book chapter relating to supporting autistic people in prison.
(Bates, Y. & Tully, R.J. (2021) Supporting Autistic People in Prison. In Tyler, N. & Sheeran A. (Eds.). Working with Autistic People in the Criminal Justice and Forensic Mental Health System: A Handbook for Practitioners. London, UK: Routledge).
Dr Naomi Fisher
DClinPsy, PhD, MA (Cantab)
Dr Naomi Fisher is a clinical psychologist and EMDR-Europe Trainer who specialises in trauma, autism and alternatives to school. She is the author of several books, including A Different Way to Learning: Neurodiversity and Self-directed Education and the recent When the Naughty Step Makes Things Worse, with Eliza Fricker. She works with families of children who are struggling with school or who are no longer attending. She runs training for professionals on EMDR and is currently writing a book on adapting EMDR for neurodivergent people.
Emma-Jayne Williams
Director of Clinical Services, Emerge Care and Therapeutic Solutions & Excel Group Ltd Consultant Forensic Psychologist, Williams Psychology (CPsychol, HCPC Registered)
Emma is a highly experienced Consultant Forensic Psychologist with over 18 years in the field, including 10 years post-qualification. She is Chartered and an Associate Fellow with the British Psychological Society and an HCPC Registered Practitioner. As Director of Clinical Services for Emerge Care and Therapeutic Solutions and Excel Group Ltd, Emma leads the design and delivery of therapeutic models across residential homes and independent schools. Through Williams Psychology, Emma completes assessments with individuals with complex needs, including trauma, personality disorders, and cognitive deficits.
Emma’s career spans roles in prisons, social care, and private practice, where she has supported adults, young offenders, and children. She has extensive experience in forensic assessments for criminal and civil proceedings and provides clinical and managerial supervision to psychologists. Emma is passionate about advancing trauma-informed care and systemic approaches, ensuring best practices in therapeutic services and psychological support.
Dr Georgia Pavlopoulou
Associate Professor, University College London (UCL) , Programme Director, National Autism Trainer Programme, Anna Freud , Co-Lead, Special Interest Group in Coproduction, Centre for Equality Research , Founder, Group for Research in Relationships And Neurodiversity (GRRAND) , Psychotherapist
Georgia is a neurodivergent academic who has a PhD in Developmental Psychology and Mental Health and is the Founder of the University College London (UCL) Group in Research in Relationships and Neurodiversity, and is an AT-Autism Associate Consultant. She is using a combination of behavioural, phenomenological and participatory techniques together with a developmental approach to understand social determinants of autistic mental health through autistic people’s personal accounts (stress, belonging, loneliness, low mood, family experiences). Georgia is committed to creative participatory health and educational research, co-producing work with community members. Georgia has 20 years’ experience working with autistic people and their family members and has felt the benefits of involving them at the heart of clinical and educational decision making. She is currently a Medical Research Council (MRC) co-investigator in emotional regulation and depression prevention in autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and a trainee UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) psychotherapist.
Georgia has led national and international short courses for mental health practitioners working in educational and NHS systems with young people with atypical development. Georgia has been nominated for the David Cottrell ‘Education of CAMH Professionals’ Award 2020 and 2021 and won the UCL Impact Award 2021 and UCL Professional Award for her work with East Londoners to tackle stigma, inequalities and mental health with and for autistic adults. During the pandemic, she co-authored reports that have been cited by the Policy Innovation and Evaluation Research Unit (PIRU), which informed the government's new autism strategy 2021–2026.
She is passionate about working with marginalised groups, service users, scholar activists and mental health services to facilitate service transformation and advance mental health practice through better cross-agency collaboration, translational research and service user participation.
Alexis Quinn
Manager of the Restraint Reduction Network
Alexis Quinn is a psychotherapist and author of two books: her ground-breaking memoir, Unbroken, and Autistic & Expecting, a guide for autistic parents to be. Alexis speaks on neurodivergence, trauma, restraint, solitary confinement and mental well-being. She works as Manager of the Restraint Reduction Network.
We want to make our conference as comfortable and accessible as possible for all delegates. We recognise that some people may benefit from adjustments to help make the day more comfortable for them, so they can get the most from the conference. We have listed below a few ways we can work together to make the conference experience better for our delegates:
- Venue: The conference is held at the BPS Offices in London. The conference room is on an upper-level floor which is accessible by either stairs or a lift. The conference room has large windows to the outside on one side and a window to the break-out coffee area on the other side.
- Temperature: The temperature of the conference room is controlled electronically through air-conditioning. Please feel free to bring what you need to help regulate your temperature (e.g. extra layers). We have to keep outside windows closed.
- Lighting: There is some natural light from outside in the main conference room as well as overhead lighting which is centrally controlled. We are quite limited in our capacity to make individualised changes to the lighting, but you are welcome to bring and/or wear anything that would help you to regulate light sensitivities, such as glasses and/or hats.
- Environment: The conference is held in central London and there will be a large number of people in one space, which we know can feel overwhelming for some people. You are welcome to take breaks at any time (see below). During the presentations, the coffee space outside of the main conference room will be free for anyone who would like to move to a quieter space – we just ask you to please be thoughtful about making noise in this area when the speakers are presenting.
- Seating: The conference seating will be hard-backed chairs laid out in rows. The speakers will be at the front of the room.
- Breaks: We have planned breaks for coffee and lunch into the programme, but delegates are free to take additional breaks anytime throughout the day. If you think you might benefit from additional breaks, you may like to sit on an aisle seat to make leaving and returning easier.
- Self-regulation: You're welcome to bring and use items which will help with self-regulation, such as fidget toys. Some people prefer to move, walk or sit on the floor rather than a chair – you are welcome to move around or sit on the floor if preferred. We kindly ask people to be mindful of making additional sounds/movements which might distract other delegates. You are welcome to take some time outside of the conference room for movement breaks.
- Refreshments: Tea, coffee, water and biscuits are provided throughout the day. Lunch is provided and you can share any dietary requirements on the conference booking form.
- Lunch: Lunch is served in a large separate room. Some people enjoy talking to other delegates during coffee/lunch breaks, whereas others prefer a quieter break and less interaction. You are welcome to take your lunch outside or into the conference and/or coffee break rooms if you prefer, which may be quieter. Please return your plates and cups to the lunch or coffee break rooms after eating.
- Questions: If you have a question for the panel discussion at the end of the day and do not want to raise your hand and ask it aloud, you can write your question on a post-it note and put it in the box by the door to the conference room and a CDT committee member will read the question to the panel.
- Feedback: We will ask you to complete some written feedback forms about the speakers and the overall event towards the end of the day and after the event.