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 ARC Kent Surrey and Sussex: comparing attunement in therapeutic interventions face to face and online
Our Stories
The Our Stories project was an ESRC grant (Feb 2021 – Jan 2022) held by Professor Sarah Parsons (Education) and Dr Hanna Kovshoff (Psychology), University of Southampton and Professor Nicola Yuill (Acorns Sussex, Psychology), University of Sussex.
It investigated new ways of using shared video stories 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 work has 2 projects:
Time for Autism (with Brighton and Sussex Medical School): Families with an autistic child with learning disability made neuroaffirmative videos to support transitions in healthcare, and exchanged short video stories with medical students as part of their training.
Just Right (with Sadie Gillett, then 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. Young people made videos about how they managed transitions during the school day.
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.
Local Links
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.
mASCot – a parent peer to peer Autism Support Network for families in Brighton & Hove.
National Links
The National Autistic Society – a charity providing information, support and services for people with autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and their families.
Speech and Language UK – a children’s communication charity offering help and advice to parents and practitioners.
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.