2010 Presenters

Contents

1. Nusrat-ul Hussan
2. Emma Gowen
3. Dr. Mark Brosnan
4. Katja Gottschewski
5. Rudi Harmse
6. Caroline Hearst
7. Bryan Coleman
8. Rob Edwards
9. Vicky

2010 Presenters' Bios

Nusrat-ul Hussan

Nusrat is a Master's in Occupational Therapy from India. During her post-qualification experience she had worked with children having "Autism spectrum disorder and Learning disabilities" in Action For Autism (India).
She has organized and executed conferences and group workshops for parents, professionals and undergraduate and diploma students of occupational therapy and special educators. She is an active participant with various organisations and activity groups in India.
Her areas of interest include Autism, Sensory Integration, Handwriting skills and Visual perceptual skills. She introduced 'Hand writing Program' for children having ASD at Action for Autism
Her interest also involves writing and preparing reading material for caretakers, she has contributed to "Autism Network", a journal published by AFA.

Emma Gowen

Dr Emma Gowen is a lecturer at The University of Manchester. She is interested in how sensory information is used to control action and behaviour and how this may be different in people with ASD. Her current work focuses on sensory integration and imitation.

Dr. Mark Brosnan

Dr. Brosnan is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Bath. He has published widely within academic journals upon a range of topics relevant to ASD.

Katja Gottschewski

Katja is a German music therapist and cellist living in Norway. She has given presentations about music and music therapy in various contexts, including Autscape and Autreat. Music has always been an extremely important part of her life, and she cannot imagine a life without music any more than a life without being autistic.

Rudi Harmse

Rudi Harmse is a senior lecturer in the School of Information and Communication Technology at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in South Africa. He uses his systemising abilities and intense focus on particular topics of interest in his research activities which involve the design of information technology systems that support human activities, particularly in the areas of education and consumer health informatics, in ways that give due consideration to the differences among people. He is currently working towards his PhD focusing on the development of consumer e-health systems that address the needs of individuals exhibiting characteristics typical of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Caroline Hearst

Caroline Hearst is currently living in Christchurch New Zealand, having moved from the UK with her NZ partner and their 2 children 12 years ago. The discovery two years ago that she is on the autistic spectrum helped her make sense of the previous 50 years of her life and also helped her understand her 18 year old son (also suspected to be on the spectrum) better. Even before her diagnosis she noticed that pictures of her as a teenager seemed to show someone experiencing extreme anxiety. Discovering that her anxiety is related to ASD has helped her address it.

Bryan Coleman

Bryan is the deputy manager of the Disability Support Office at the University of Manchester. He has worked with students on the autistic spectrum for 10 years, at three different universities. He has been working at Manchester for nearly 5 years.
He has been involved in working with the NAS/Prospects in setting up a support service for autistic students. This involves one-to-one regular appointments with an NAS adviser, awareness sessions for university staff, and an informal social group for the students – largely arranged and run by the students themselves.
Bryan is also involved in a project – led by Dr Mark Hughes – to develop easy-to-use awareness materials for university staff.

Rob Edwards

Rob Edwards is a trainee psychotherapist who is diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. He volunteers as a speaker for the NAS, and also as a moderator of their new web forum. He has previously been interviewed on BBC local radio about his diagnosis. He is currently working, alongside autistic colleagues, on the development of a resource centre, providing diagnosis, counselling, support groups and advocacy, including support toward self-advocacy, for people with autism.

Vicky

I would like to submit a proposal for Autscape 2010, as this year's theme resonates strongly with me. I am diagnosed with a severe and enduring eating disorder, and have often struggled to get appropriate treatment in a health service that was not designed with autistic people's cognitive, social, and emotional needs in mind.