Co-Producing Knowledge in Autism Research

Join Professor Mark Brosnan, Professor of Psychology and Founding Director of the Centre for Applied Autism Research at the University of Bath, UK, for a discussion of participatory approaches to autism research and the development of inclusive, neuroaffirmative supports.

In this talk, Professor Mark Brosnan (University of Bath, UK) will chart a transformative agenda for participatory autism research that bridges rigorous science with genuine community involvement. Drawing on over a decade of interdisciplinary work at the Centre for Applied Autism Research (go.bath.ac.uk/caar), he will argue that meaningful participation of autistic people - from early design stages through evaluation - is not merely an ethical imperative but a source of scientific insight and innovation. Grounded in participatory design principles developed with autistic children and adults, Professor Brosnan will showcase digital technologies, such as the SOFA app (sofa-app.com), that embed social stories into supportive tools co-created with end users to make everyday environments more predictable and accessible. Evidence from recent randomized controlled trials and autism-led studies demonstrates that digitally mediated social stories can produce sustained behavioural benefits, improve understanding, and reduce anxiety across the lifespan in a neuroaffirmative manner.

Professor Mark Brosnan is Professor of Psychology and Founding Director of the Centre for Applied Autism Research at the University of Bath. His research focuses on autism, cyberpsychology, enabling technologies, and participatory design. His work brings together autistic people, families, researchers, and technology developers to co-create evidence-based digital tools and supports. He is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society and Senior Editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.