dr wendy lawson

Dr. Wendy Lawson MAPS, internationally renowned and respected professional, is a researcher, psychologist, writer and poet with high functioning Autism. She has presented internationally and published many journal articles and written several books including her autobiography and everyday text on Autism. Her work explores the influence of neurological development in individuals with Autism with reference to impact upon learning styles.

At school Wendy was considered to be intellectually disabled and ‘almost incapable of doing as she is told’. In her teens, she was misdiagnosed as ‘schizophrenic’. This label stuck for more than 25 years, until she was diagnosed in 1994 as being on the autism spectrum.

In 2008 Wendy was awarded fourth place as ‘Victorian Australian of the year’. As a writer, poet and adult educator, Wendy is well known both in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Becoming a psychologist and sharing her knowledge, understanding and experience of life encounters, including Autism and Asperger’s diff-abilities, is an ongoing journey that Wendy welcomes.

Wendy knows what it means to represent others and advocate on their behalf. The mother of four children, two of her sons are also on the autistic spectrum. Wendy is passionate about the rights of those who so often cannot speak for themselves and aims to promote justice and equality for all.

Wendy's presentations explore AS, social demand and how to bridge some of the gaps so AS individuals can truly be involved with an inclusive society.

sarah hendrickx

‘Sarah speaks Asperger as a second language.’ Tony Attwood

Sarah has both extensive knowledge and personal understanding of ASC and other disabilities, living with her partner Keith who has Asperger Syndrome and herself having Dyslexia. Together they wrote 'Asperger Syndrome - A Love Story' and Sarah is also co-author of a number of other books including 'Love, Sex and Relationships - What People with Asperger Syndrome Really, Really Want’.

Sarah is the Training Manager for the Aspire Project (an adult AS mentoring and training project based in Brighton and Hove), a freelance trainer and consultant in AS, Autism and Dyslexia, and a qualified Further Education teacher supporting students with Dyslexia and other disabilities. She holds a Postgraduate Certificate in AS and an MA in Autism and is a speaker at both UK and overseas conferences. She has delivered training and consultancy to government departments, psychiatrists, National Autistic Society, police, schools, colleges, universities, care providers, careers services and management consultants.

Sarah also carries out adult assessments on those who believe they may have Asperger Syndrome, workplace assessments and consultancy to employers and coaching to adults and families of those with AS and Autism to increase their understanding of the condition and help them feel positive about it. As a trainee stand-up comedian, her training and speeches are always entertaining and highly enjoyable.

professor tony attwood

Tony is a clinical psychologist who has specialised in autism spectrum disorders since he qualified as a clinical psychologist in England in 1975.  He works in private practice in Brisbane, but is also adjunct professor at Griffith University, Queensland.  His book Asperger’s Syndrome – A Guide for Parents and Professionals has sold over 300,000 copies and has been translated into twenty languages.  He has worked with over 3,000 individuals of all ages with Asperger's syndrome.  Tony presents workshops and runs training courses for parents, professionals and individuals with Asperger's syndrome all over the world and is a prolific author of scientific papers and books on the subject.  His new book The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome was published in October 2006.

dr michelle garnett

Michelle is a clinical psychologist and Founder and Director of 'Minds & Hearts: A Specialist Clinic for Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism.’ The clinic was born through her passion for understanding autism spectrum conditions (ASC), and her strong desire to be part of positive change for people who have ASCs and their families. Michelle thoroughly enjoys working in this area as a diagnostician, therapist, consultant, mentor, clinical supervisor, workshop presenter, and researcher. She has specialized in autism spectrum conditions for the past 17 years, developing expertise in all subtypes of autism across all ages. Michelle created the first screening instrument for Asperger’s Syndrome, the Australian Scale for Asperger's Syndrome (ASAS) in 1993. She obtained a PhD for her research into ASC, diagnosis and families in 2007 from the University of Queensland, Australia. She offers training in ASCs for postgraduate clinical students for 4 Australian Universities. Michelle has been an invited speaker at many national and international conferences and workshop events, including New Zealand, England, Wales, Norway, Portugal & Slovenia.

marc fleisher

Marc was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at the age of 11.  At that time, his parents were told he “would never amount to anything”, something Marc says his mother never got over.  He set out to prove otherwise and his mother would have been very proud to see everything he has achieved.  Marc has a love of mathematics and astronomy, and holds both a Masters and Bachelors Degree in maths from Brunel University.  His other passions are tennis (don’t try to contact him during Wimbledon fortnight!) and Salsa dancing, which he enjoys several times a week. He is patron of a local sports club for children with disabilities, where he is a tennis coach.  With many television appearances to his credit, Marc is the author of ‘Making Sense of the Unfeasible’ and ‘Survival Strategies for People on the Autism Spectrum’. 
Marc is passionate about raising awareness of the abilities and potential of people on the autism spectrum as well as the challenges and difficulties of living with autism.  His message is:
“With the right support, autistic people can do anything they really want to do – but having the right, autism-specific, support is crucial” 

To enquire about a talk by Marc, please contact us.

donna williams

Donna Williams is a multi-talented, highly qualified person diagnosed with autism.  As well as being an internationally renowned public speaker , she is a sociologist, a qualified teacher and a consultant.  She has published nine books, including her international best-selling autobiography, ‘Nobody Nowhere’ and ‘Autism; An Inside Out Approach’.  In addition to these accomplishments, Donna is also a sculptor, painter and singer-songwriter with the band Donna and the Aspinauts, and is also screenwriter of the upcoming film: ‘Nobody Nowhere’.