Please note that we provide these links as useful information on relevant research initiatives and local and national support groups, but it does not imply we have a connection or endorse particular services.
Projects
Current projects involving ACoRNS members include:
- NIHR: comparing attunement in therapeutic interventions face to face and online
- Language alignment in autism: See wechat.org.uk for details
- Department for Education: Evaluation of the Alternative Provision Innovations Fund, in partnership with ECORYS (2018-2022)
- Social skills and transition project with Year 6 autistic and non-autistic pupils – with i-Contact autism network
Our Stories
The Our Stories project is a new ESRC grant (Feb 2021 – Jan 2022) held by Professor Sarah Parsons (Education) and Dr Hanna Kovshoff (Psychology), University of Southampton and Professor Nicola Yuill (ChaTLab, Psychology), University of Sussex.
It will investigate new ways of using shared video stories developed in Southampton to support participation of autistic individuals in their health, education and social care when they may not necessarily verbalise their experiences.
The Sussex side of the project consists of 2 sub-projects:
Time for Autism (with Brighton and Sussex Medical School): This will involve 3-4 volunteer families to make videos providing perspectives to support transitions that take place in healthcare, and liaison with medical students on best practices. This works is in tandem with the BSMS project.
Just Right (with Sadie Gillett, Brighton & Hove Inclusion Support Service): Just Right is an emotion regulation scheme developed and implemented across schools in Brighton & Hove. It focuses on using calming techniques to support moment-to-moment transitions in the school settings, supporting all children to be ready to learn.
Playing A/Part
Playing A/Part is an interdisciplinary collaboration of drama, media arts and psychology working with autistic girls and a steering group of autistic women to investigate the different faces of autism and marginalised gender identities. Improvisatory performance and interactive media are used as creative tools for exploring the lived experiences of this community.
Research Links
ChaT Lab – the Children and Technology Lab at the University of Sussex.
Digital Bubbles – archive of Seminar Series on Innovative technologies for Autism.
Local Links
West Sussex ASC Team – works with schools and families to promote the educational, social and emotional development of children and young people with communication difficulties including autism in West Sussex.
Your Space West Sussex – provides advice and information, job vacancies, news and more to young people of West Sussex.
East Sussex Parent Carer Forum – for parent carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in East Sussex.
Time for Autism – an autism education programme for medical students at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS).
Amaze – for families with disabled children and young people in Sussex.
i-Contact – a Lewes-based autism community group.
mASCot – a parent peer to peer Autism Support Network for families in Brighton & Hove.
Extratime – parent-led charity providing fun & inclusive out of school activities for children & young people with & without disabilities.
National Links
The National Autistic Society – a charity providing information, support and services for people with autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and their families.
I CAN – a children’s communication charity offering help and advice to parents and practitioners.
The Communication Trust – a communication charity. The site includes the What Works database on interventions to support children’s speech and language.
Act for Autism – an organisation supporting and empowering people involved with autism.
Team Domenica – a social enterprise charity working to help people with learning disabilities discover their career potential, to create employment opportunities and remove barriers to work in local communities.