MDPN is a community of different disciplines, e.g., speech & language therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, teachers, nurses, psychiatrists, paediatricians, researchers, academics, working with neurodivergent people across the lifespan (our main focus in on autism). We might differ in our core training, but we are united by shared interest and commitment to best practice.
Why did you start the MDPN?
We started the network to:
- Build a supportive community that is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and values all members.
- Create a forum where we can share knowledge and experience to develop our understanding and clinical practice.
- Encourage multi-disciplinary working.
- Give a voice to multi-disciplinary professionals and a platform to present projects, clinical practice, research and experience.
- Interest, inspire and excite.
About the network
We hold 3 main events a year on different topics related to neurodivergence and invite a range of speakers to talk at these. Involving speakers with lived experience is very important to us.
We advertise upcoming events and booking details on LinkedIn and here:
You can join our mailing list and find booking links here too.
We arrange occasional events during the year as well as these, which tend to be practical, such as on report writing, or on topical and highly relevant subjects, e.g., assessing girls & women.
What events did MDPN host in 2025?
Our first event was:
Autism and Mental Health: Application to Practice
Speakers:
Dr Judy Eaton, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Researcher & Author
Dr Sue Smith, Head of Lorna Wing Centre (National Autistic Society), Principle Speech & Language Therapist
Lucy Sanctuary, Highly Specialist Speech & Language Therapist CBT Practitioner (specialising in autism) & ADOS-2 Trainer
Our second event was:
Cultural Considerations in Autism Diagnostics & Support
Speakers:
Dr Prithvi Parepa, Associate Professor in Autism Studies Birmingham University
Dr Amy Esler, Associate Professor University of Minnesota
Dr Ramzi Nasir, Consultant in developmental-behavioural paediatrics Imperial college healthcare NHS trust & The Portland hospital London
We also hosted a talk on:
GAIN (Global Autism Interactive Network)
Speakers:
Dr Stephen Kanne, Clinical Professor of Psychology at the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment and serves as the Director of Special Projects
Dr Kourtney Nigh, Clinical researcher at the University of Kansas’s Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART) & Life Span Institute
What events are planned for 2026 and beyond?
Autism & ADHD
29th January 2026
Speakers:
Dr Khurram Sadiq, Consultant Psychiatrist Believe the AuDHD way
Dr Floriana Reinikis, Consultant Clinical Psychologist Her Hidden Narrative: AuDHD and Mental Health in Women & Girls from Assessment to Support
Alice Cantwell, Specialist Speech & Language Therapist & Neurodevelopmental Assessor The Bold Truth: Navigating Assessment, Late Diagnosis and Life, Through and AuDHD lens
Karen Cowan, Neurodevelopmental Consultant, Assessor, Mentor and Specialist Teacher Everything, Something & Nothing
The Reality of Writing Autism Assessment Reports: The 3 Cs: Considerations, Constraints & Creativity
Friday 27th February, Thursday 5th March & Thursday 12th March 2026
A series of 3 half day interactive, practical workshops run by Ruth Fine and Lucy Sanctuary with a focus on real life situations, conflict between what we want to write and what we have to write, different types of reports, prioritising information in reports, balancing personal versus generic, language considerations, and recommendations. Including:
- Examples of autism assessment reports
- Rewording information to be neuro-affirmative
- Feedback from different people on autism assessment reports, e.g., teachers, parents, young people
International Developments in Research & Clinical Practice in Autism
Face-to-Face Conference London, 7th September 2026
Speakers:
Dr Somer Bishop, Professor Department of Psychiatry & Behaviour Sciences University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Dr Petrus de Vries, Sue Struengmann Professor of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Cape Town
Dr Laura Hull (Research Fellow University of Bristol) & Dr Will Mandy (Professor of Neurodevelopmental Conditions University College London)
Dr Stephen Kanne (Professor of Psychology at the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment and serves as the Director of Special Projects) & Dr Kourtney Nigh (Clinical researcher at the University of Kansas’s Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART) & Life Span Institute)
Dr Marion Rutherford, Senior Research Fellow co-lead of the National Autism Implementation Team Research Programme in the Speech and Hearing Sciences Division and a full member of the Clinical Audiology, Speech and Language Research Centre, Queen Margaret University Edinburgh
